Beatrice & Benedick

Q: Beatrice and Benedick

The early __“skirmish of wits”__ shows how well suited Beatrice and Benedick are, while also illustrating the complex feelings both have for the other.

Q: Benedick vs. Beatrice

__BENEDICK: Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end [...] rather than hold three words’ conference with this harpy.__

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Beatrice and Benedick

The early “skirmish of wits” shows how well suited Beatrice and Benedick are, while also illustrating the complex feelings both have for the other.

Key lines

BEATRICE: I pray you is Signor Montanto return’d from the wars or no?
BEATRICE: I wonder you still be talking Signor Benedick. Nobody marks you.
BENEDICK: What, my dear Lady Disdain. Are you yet living?

Gender imbalance

Beatrice’s first line in the play establishes her as an outspoken and - in a modern context - feminist character.
“Montanto” is an insulting term, alluding to the fact that Benedick has had several sexual partners.
This highlights the imbalance in society’s attitude at the time: if the same were true for a woman of a similar class, she is denounced as a prostitute, just as Hero is later in the play.

Formality

Significantly, when Benedick arrives with the others, Beatrice refers to him in a more formal manner, with his title “Signor Benedick” whilst he is able to insult her with the derogatory address term “Lady Disdain.”
The rules of society are shown to be different for men and women.

Rules of society

The rules of society are shown to be different for men and women: it is perfectly acceptable for Benedick as a man to insult Beatrice to her face, whereas Beatrice - whilst still mocking Benedick as “nobody marks you” illustrates - is not able to do so on equal terms; she can only adopt the exact same method as Benedick when he is not present.

Structure

The structure of Benedick and Beatrice’s opening barbs (insults) towards each other.
Both initially begin cordially (politely): “Signor Benedick” / “my dear Lady” before adding the insult “nobody marks you” / “Disdain (scorn). Are you yet living?”.

Juxtaposition

The juxtaposition illustrates the complex feelings both have for the other whilst also again relating to the prominent theme of noting - not all is as it may first appear between Benedick and Beatrice.
Again, the fact that their language is so similar to one another’s is an early indication from Shakespeare to his audience of how well matched these two characters are.

Benedick vs. Beatrice

BENEDICK: Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end [...] rather than hold three words’ conference with this harpy.

Key line

BENEDICK: Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end [...] rather than hold three words’ conference with this harpy.

Hyperbole

Benedick’s use of hyperbole continues as he is desperate to escape Beatrice’s presence.
He compares her to a harpy - a creature from Greek mythology who would torment those in the afterlife.

Beatrice wins

Through the use of both Christian and Classical imagery, it becomes clear to the audience that Beatrice has undoubtedly ‘won’ this round of the merry war of words.

Act 1, Scene 1

After Benedick’s ‘victory’ in Act 1, Scene 1, structurally, Shakespeare has shown the audience how well matched the couple are, prior to Don Pedro’s decision to try and deceive them into falling in love.