Beatrice: “O that I were a man for his
sake! or that I
had any friend would be a man for my sake!
But
manhood is melted into courtesies, valour
into
compliment, and men are only turned into
tongue, and
trim ones too: he is now as valiant as
Hercules
that only tells a lie and swears it. I
cannot be a
man with wishing, therefore I will die a
woman with grieving.”
In
Elizabethan times women were expected to be submissive. Wives were the property
of their husbands. Some women were more independent than others, and some feared
marriage. However, every woman expected to be married, and to depend on her
male relatives throughout her life. Obviously, not everyone was in a hurry to
get married, but marriage meant being in charge of your own home.
Beatrice
is feisty, cynical, witty, and sharp. Beatrice has a war of wits with Benedick.
The play implies that she was once in love with Benedick but that he led her on
and their relationship ended. When they meet the two constantly compete to
outdo one another with clever insults. Although she appears hardened and sharp,
Beatrice is really vulnerable. Once she overhears Hero describing that Benedick
is in love with her (Beatrice), she opens herself to the sensitivities and
weaknesses of love. She refuses to marry because she has not discovered the
perfect, equal partner and because she is unwilling to eschew her liberty and
submit to the will of a controlling husband. In her frustration and rage about
Hero’s mistreatment.
Beatrice
rebels against the unequal status of women in Renaissance society. “O that I
were a man for his sake! Or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake!”
she passionately exclaims. “I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will
die a woman with grieving.” If we change this into modern text it would read “Oh,
if only I were a man! Or had a friend who would be a man for me! But there are
no real men left. Their manliness has melted into pretty curtsies and fancy
manners, and their bravery is spent on making clever compliments. All this
conversing has turned men into tongues—and fancy ones, at that. The man who
tells a lie and swears by it is now considered as brave as Hercules. I can’t
make myself a man by wishing I were, so as a woman I’ll die, from grieving.” In
this quote Beatrice is saying that men are nothing but cowards who hide behind
words, she is saying that she as a woman she would like to be a man for her,
Beatrice, to marry or a friend to be a man, she says this because she is
rebelling against the tight restrictions of being a woman, not having any power
at the end when she says “I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die
a woman grieving” she says this to demonstrate her passion about how she feels
she should be a man but she cannot by wishing this so to be true so she will
die grieving the fact she cannot be so.
Shakespeare
uses Beatrice to show how unfair society is showing women can be as strong as
men and they do not necessarily need men to make them whole; we have to bear in
mind that Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne at the time Shakespeare wrote
this play. This play demonstrates that Beatrice like the Queen of the time did
not need to have a man by her side to make her strong, Beatrice was an
intelligent, witty woman who could outsmart many a man. Beatrice does not want
a man by her side as she believes that the society she was living in was unjust
and demeaning to women she wanted to be heard, to be outspoken she came up with
many intellectual quips biting back at Benedick, who had once we are led to
believe led her on and then ended their relationship.
Benedick
like Beatrice says he does not want a partner let alone to get married.
Benedick talks about owning women such as buying them “Would you buy her…” but
Beatrice does not want to be owned by a man, she rebels against all of the
social rules about women being submissive. She wants to be a dominant woman she
doesn’t want to fade into the background and be forgotten by men.
Men
in that time wanted to have a wife who were deemed to be perfect; these virtues
are what Benedick is looking for in a woman we see this when Benedick says that
he is looking for a woman who is witty, fair, virtuous, wise and everything a
Renaissance man is looking for in a woman they want to marry we see this in the
quote “One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well;
another virtuous, yet I am well; but till all graces be in one woman, one woman
shall not come in my grace. Rich she shall be, that's certain; wise, or I'll
none; virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, or I'll never look on her;
mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel; of good discourse, an
excellent musician, and her hair shall be of what colour it please God. Ha! the
prince and Monsieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour.”. Benedick believes
these traits all in one woman would be impossible to find.
When
he looks into it further once he hears the prince and Claudio speaking of
Beatrice’s love for him he starts to realise that Beatrice has all the traits
he is after “This can be no trick: the conference was sadly borne. They have
the truth of this from Hero. They seem to pity the lady: it seems her
affections have their full bent. Love me! why, it must be requited. I hear how
I am censured: they say I will bear myself proudly, if I perceive the love come
from her; they say too that she will rather die than give any sign of
affection. I did never think to marry: I must not seem proud: happy are they
that hear their detractions and can put them to mending. They say the lady is
fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them witness; and virtuous; 'tis so, I cannot
reprove it; and wise, but for loving me; by my troth, it is no addition to her
wit, nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with
her. I may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because
I have railed so long against marriage: but doth not the appetite alter? a man
loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age. Shall quips and
sentences and these paper bullets of the brain awe a man from the career of his
humour? No, the world must be peopled. When I said I would die a bachelor, I
did not think I should live till I were married. Here comes Beatrice. By this
day! she's a fair lady: I do spy some marks of love in her.”; likewise Beatrice
does the same, after realising that the traits she is after are all held in
Benedick’s character. Beatrice then realises that she can be strong and be with
a man.
Although
still just as powerful she rebels against Benedick in a lovers way, saying nay
she doth not love him, but when Hero and Claudio pull out Benedick and
Beatrice’s attempts at sonnets to each other “And I'll be sworn upon't that he
loves her; For here's a paper written in his hand, A halting sonnet of his own
pure brain,
Fashion'd
to Beatrice.”(Claudio) “And here's another Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen
from her pocket, containing her affection unto Benedick.”(Hero) they do realise
that together they can be as powerful and happy being able to fight for
dominance in their relationship.
