Key Lines

English Lit: AQA GCSE Much Ado About Nothing, topic 6.2.2

Beatrice

Beatrice’s response to Benedick’s attempt to pacify her following Claudio’s public humiliation of Hero could be interpreted several ways.

Beatrice’s response to Benedick’s attempt to pacify her following Claudio’s public humiliation of Hero could be interpreted in several ways.
She may be trying to goad Benedick into challenging Claudio by asserting it is a “man’s office”.
Only a truly noble gentleman would see fit to defend Hero’s honour.
If Benedick refuses, Beatrice may be suggesting he is a coward.

Additionally, despite her feelings towards him, perhaps Shakespeare is suggesting that Beatrice does not believe Benedick would willingly fight Claudio on her and Hero’s behalf.
In light of this interpretation, Benedick’s rejection of his camaraderie with Claudio in favour of proving his love for Beatrice becomes even more significant.
She does not expect him to choose her over his good friend (“it is a man’s office but not yours”) and yet this is exactly what he does.

A third reason for Beatrice’s reluctance to accept Benedick's offer could be that she is afraid he could be killed by Claudio.
She is concerned for Benedick’s well-being and safety, just as she was in her opening line of the lay when she enquired whether “Signor Montanto is returned from the wars or no?”

BENEDICK: I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?

Perhaps fittingly as he once “won [Beatrice’s] heart with false dice” (Act 2, Scene 1), it is Benedick who is first to confess his love.

Shakespeare presents Benedick as being self-aware regarding his feelings for Beatrice.
He describes them as “strange”.

It is likely that without the help of Don Pedro’s plot Benedick and Beatrice would never have rekindled their relationship.

To ensure that there are no loose ends at the play’s denouement, Shakespeare has Benedick and Beatrice discover the truth of how they fell in love with each other.
This helps remove any final concerns over the validity of their love - something that the audience may feel is reflected in Benedick’s use of “strange”.

How does Shakespeare present Benedick as self-aware regarding his feelings for Beatrice?