Juliet, Ophelia, Gertrude, Desdemona, Emilia: all female Shakespearean characters that are only distinguishable by the nuances of their deaths. Across his writing, Shakespeare crafts female characters that are often portrayed as inferior to the male leads. With fewer lines and less influence, the female characters do not have a large impact and generally reflect the social role of women during the time of Shakespeare’s writing. To provide context of the environment in which the play, Much Ado About Nothing was presented, Jean Howard examines the atmosphere of The Globe Theatre and those who were in attendance. While several of Shakespeare’s plays, particularly a comedy such as Much Ado About Nothing, were popular among the lower class, there was still a high attendance of upper class individuals, some of who even had the ability to censor the content of the plays. In catering to this diverse audience, Howard suggests that the Shakespearean plays “served the hegemonic interests of the state and dominant classes” by portraying common and dominant ideologies (164). Although Shakespeare was known to provide some criticism of the ruling elite, generally his plays simply reflected the social structures and expectations of the time. In looking at the female characters of his plays, it is clear that women during this time period had a very restricted social role. Most of Shakespeare’s female characters did not have a lead role and were dominated by their husbands or male counterparts. In many cases, the husbands were even responsible for the deaths of their wives. In all, Shakespeare’s plays sheds light on an English social structure that did not provide much liberty or opportunity to women.
One character that stands out, however, is Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing. Having a strong presence immediately in the first scene of the play, Beatrice dominates the plot unlike any other Shakespearean woman. Rather than moving quietly and being subservient like her counterpart Hero, Beatrice boldly speaks her mind and has a prominent role throughout the play. Chronologically placed between the presentation of characters such as Juliet of Romeo and Juliet and Ophelia of Hamlet, the significance of Beatrice’s success in living through the entire play and ultimately achieving her goal of love are heightened considerably. Amid female characters who are dominated by men and unsuccessful in their attempts to achieve or retain love, why is Beatrice the only bold and successful woman? Why does Beatrice not conform to the norm of subservient women? Shakespeare shows that Beatrice is primarily successful because of her strength of rhetoric. Shakespeare shows Beatrice’s success in overcoming the societal expectations and gender roles of the time through the use of prose, diction witty, and confidence that allows her to assimilation with the male characters of the play.
In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare breaks from his usual use of iambic pentameter and has the majority of play spoken in prose. Beatrice, in particular, has most of her speech in prose. This immediately establishes a different tone for the play. In other plays such as The Tempest, The Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, and King Lear, Shakespeare creates a clear fool, or clown character that usually defaults to the use of prose (“Shakespeare’s Clowns and Fools” 1). These characters are not only differentiated because of what they say, but specifically because of how they say it. Usually, and specifically in the previously mentioned plays, iambic pentameter was the common syntax structure used by Shakespeare’s educated characters. This was contrasted by the use of prose which was reserved for the uneducated fool or clown character. Russ McDonald supports this saying, “the distinction between verse and prose sometimes reflects social difference and sometimes does not” (128). In the case of Much Ado About Nothing, it does not.
In this play, Shakespeare uses prose for a different purpose. Looking specifically at the character of Beatrice, Shakespeare’s prose is used to give women, specifically Beatrice, the ability to overstep gender roles and social expectations. Shakespeare uses her to demonstrate a desired sense of fairness between men and women. He wishes to set a tone of equality, and Shakespeare “delicately adjusts the language according to the tone he seeks to achieve” (128). With even the most educated royalty of Don Pedro and Leonato speaking in prose like uneducated Dogberry, the use of prose is not meant to establish social or education levels. Rather, the use of prose provides “the utmost freedom and flexibility, like a ground bass on which an infinite number of variations may be played” (Gascoigne in McDonald 119). In adopting the use of prose for this purpose, Shakespeare gives Beatrice more liberty to speak and grants the opportunity to rise above the societal expectations and gender role of women and the time. By using prose rather than iambic pentameter, the speech in Much Ado About Nothing has the “salience of wit rather than the ambiance of poetry” (McCollom 165).
The structure of prose also puts greater emphasis on the meaning and message of the line rather than the rhythm in which it is delivered. In other words, prose proves to be a freer and more authentic form of speech. Shakespeare, “fascinated with the human propensity to deceive ourselves with fancy speech, especially in the matters of the heart” breaks down the barrier of formality (McDonald 130). He does this primarily through his use of prose which “becomes an instrument for exposing such perilous illusions” and makes the words genuine and raw. With this understanding, Beatrice’s bold speech where she mocks and criticizes other can be thought true. This gives her a voice that is much more significant than other Shakespearean characters and shows her ability to rise above the gender role and societal expectations. She never, however, is chastised for her frank commentary because she uses wit to soften the blow of the insult and make her words appear harmless.
Beatrice is able to get away with her bold speech because of her wittiness, which makes her language so different from other female characters and allows her to supercede the societal and gender expectations of the time. According to McCollom, “wit drives the play” Much Ado About Nothing. With Beatrice being the primary instigator and dominator in witty conversation, it can then be said that Beatrice drives the play. She assumes a much different and more powerful role than Shakespeare’s other female characters. McCollom suggests the use of wit is “primarily between Beatrice and Benedick” and “creates a tone of a ‘merry war’”(166). The term ‘merry war’ suggests that the banter of Beatrice is lighthearted and not taken seriously. Beatrice is successful in conveying a tone that is not too bold or offensive because despite speaking freely, she still understands the socially expected and accepted behavior. This is evident in lines such as “yes, faith. It is my cousin’s duty to make curtsy and say, ‘Father, as it please you.’”(II.i.49-50). In this line, Beatrice shows her ability to use wit and establishes that she understands the importance of being respectful. With everyone around her knowing her genuine and courteous intentions, Beatrice can speak more freely and not be interpreted as being too serious. For anytime there may be a misunderstanding or thought that she has overstepped her bounds, Beatrice clarifies her intention saying, “but I beseech your grace pardon me. I was born to speak all mirth and no matter” (II.i.311-312). Beatrice’s success in presenting this jovial tone is evident in her conversation with Benedick where she breaks her pattern of playful wit to very seriously tell him to “kill Claudio” (IV.i.288). Thinking that Beatrice is speaking out of jest like she normally does, Benedick responds, “ha! Not for the wide world” (IV.i.289). The fact that Benedick defaults to this understand of her tone shows that she was successful throughout the play in balancing respect and bold language. This provides Beatrice with more leeway to speak freely and use her wit more than other Shakespearean women were able or expected to.
With the use of wit that is par, if not superior to Benedick, Beatrice reveals her ability to assimilate with the male characters. Displaying her qualities that are equal to those of the men, Beatrice is able to have a greater role than most women of the era or female characters in Shakespeare’s other works. In Much Ado About Nothing, although no other female’s name begins with the same letter as their male counterpart, Beatrice shares the letter B with Benedick, immediately aligning her with the men. But she aligns with the men on more than just the first letter of her name. Beatrice “is as aggressive and guarded as the other men in the play” (Cook 191). Cook states that Beatrice’s “audacious speech might seem a serious violation of Messina’s conventions of gender, but it is significant how little she actually threatens Messina’s men, who regard her generally as rather a good fellow” (191). This analysis shows that rather than being viewed as an opposing threat, the men of the play consider her a companion and part of the group, further solidifying her assimilation. Examining Beatrice’s language on a surface or structural level, her equality with the men is seen in her capability to counter Benedick and mirror his use of language. Bold language was a quality of men at the time, and the fact that Beatrice is capable of mastering it rather than having a minimal voice like other female characters, reveals her masculine qualities. In the first scene alone, Beatrice and Benedick have twelve consecutive lines of witty banter, showing that Beatrice is just as prepared as Benedick to deliver a quick remark. Beatrice even proclaims, “you always ending with a jade’s trick. I know you of old” referring to the fact that it is always Benedick ending the conversation of the two (I.i.138). This suggests that Beatrice is more masculine than even Benedick who backs down from the challenge of witty banter. A closer analysis of her diction also displays Beatrice’s assimilation with men as she uses the same approach as Benedick in her banter. As Benedick renames and “address Beatrice as ‘my Lady Tongue’ or ‘Lady Disdain’”(Slights 174). Complimenting this, Beatrice counters and “renames Bendeck ‘Signior Mountanto’” (174). With this replicated counter, Beatrice not only aligns herself with Benedick, but aligns herself with Adam, who is considered the first male and most significant masculine image. Beatrice elevates herself to the ultimate level of masculinity as she and Benedick, “by exercising the power to create names, not only try to claim dominion over each other but pretend to an Adam-like independence from social control”, a position far superior to the role women were expected to play (175). Beatrice’s diction also reveals her shared qualities with the men that elevate her social role as she “ usurps the masculine prerogatives of language and phallic wit, speaking poiniards as an escape from feminine silence or inarticulate expression of emotion” (Cook 190). In showing that she can assimilate and revealing aspects in which she is equal to the male characters, Beatrice is able to elevate her status and influence despite being a woman.
Beatrice supersedes the gender roles and expectations of women at the time as she does not quietly go through the play controlled by men. Rather, she boldly asserts herself as their equal and is one of the few successful female Shakespearean characters able to rise above the limitations of gender roles and societal expectations of women. She does this through her use of prose, wit, and confidence in assimilating with the male characters of the play. Shakespeare uses these qualities to elevate Beatrice above the standard gender and societal roles of the time. He shows that Beatrice does not conform to the norms of a subservient woman because of her wit and ability to assimilate with men. Through these, Shakespeare shows that for a woman of the time to overcome the societal roles of women, she much have an equal, open, and expressive mode of communication; a witty pattern of speech, and the ability to assimilate with the men.