beatrice

Question 1

“i pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned from the wars or no?” - beatrice A1 S1

Answer 1

• mocking name - implying he is a social climber - could imply he is a vain/pretentious swordsman - mocking his masculinity
• “mountanto” - could be seen as sexual innuendo - arrogant & inflated ego when dealing with women
• “or no?” - death is a possibility - deeper feelings of care
• sets the tone for their love-hate dynamic - merry war, playful banter

Question 2

“i had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me” - beatrice A1 S1

Answer 2

• witty, sarcastic
• ironic as she later falls in love with benedick
• hyperbole emphasises her strong dislike for love/marriage
• “hear” - sees declaration as superficial & insincere
• expressing how much she values independence

Question 3

“a bird of my tongue is better than a beast of yours” - beatrice A1 S1

Answer 3

• metaphor
• animalistic imagery highlights how she is very outspoken & doesn’t care what people think
• “bird” reflects her intelligence as she manipulates benedick’s words & insults him with it - shows she is listening to him - foreshadows their love for each other

Question 4

“he is the prince’s jester: a very dull fool” - beatrice A2 S1

Answer 4

• reveals underlying feelings towards benedick
• “prince’s jester” - reducing his status - servant to power - he’s just there for entertainment
• “dull” - not even good at being funny
• emphasises her wit - carefully crafted insult
• extreme bitterness - could be resisting feelings for benedick she doesn’t want to admit

Question 5

“or else make another curtsy and say ‘Father, as it pleases me’” - beatrice A2 S1

Answer 5

• rejects & mocks social conventions on how women are expected to behave in the elizabethan era
• refusing to submit to her father’s will, asserts to her own will reflecting her independence
• voicing feminist ideas
• “curtsy” - symbol of deference however beatrice uses it as an act of defiance & mockery to women’s expectations

Question 6

“not till God make men of some other metal than earth” - beatrice A2 S1

Answer 6

• demonstrates beatrice’s understanding that, for a women, marriage means submitting to the rule of a man
• expresses her strong opposition to marriage & her desire for independence
• challenging social expectations of the time
• “earth” - symbol of mortality & imperfection

Question 7

“taming my wild heart to thy loving hand” - beatrice A3

Answer 7

• powerful statement of her transformation & acceptance of love for benedick
• “taming” - could imply surrender - allowing herself to be vulnerable
• “thy loving hand” - emphasises the act of submitting to love & acknowledges benedick’s power over her heart - highlights traditional gender roles in the patriarchal society of the victorian era: women are submissive to men
• contrast of “wild” to “thy loving hand” suggests she is changing & being brought under under control by the tender influence of love for benedick

Question 8

“speak low if you speak love” - beatrice A3

Answer 8

• true love should be expressed gently & subtly with tenderness
• “speak low” - metaphor creates a sense of privacy & personal connection - more genuine

Question 9

“i love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest” - beatrice A4 S1

Answer 9

• openly confesses for the first time, loves him unconditionally
• “i love you” - declaration of love - revealing her true feelings for benedick - contrasts to her earlier reluctance to acknowledge her feelings - shows her emotional growth
• “none left to protest” - emphasises her overwhelming nature of love - being consumed by this feeling - can’t deny or resist any longer - total emotional commitment

Question 10

“kill claudio” - beatrice A4 S1

Answer 10

• reflects beatrice’s fierce loyalty to hero
• reveals she can be serious despite her comedic nature throughout the play
• challenge’s patriachy - subverts traditional gender roles - demands violent retributions

Question 11

“O God, that i were a man! i would eat his heart in the market place” - beatrice A4 S1

Answer 11

• shows her dissatisfaction with the role that society has dictated for women: being discreet & submissive
• wishes to take revenge on claudio & serve justice for her cousin
• repetition of the hyperbolic phrase “that i were a man” emphasises her frustration
• “eat his heart” - graphic imagery - abnormal for a woman to speak like this in the victorian era - reflects her deep anger and resentment towards claudio

Question 12

“i love thee against my will” - beatrice A5 S2

Answer 12

• surprised that she has fallen in love given that she would “rather hear a dog bark at a crow” than a man profess their love for her highlighting how she used to strongly dislike love
• reflects how much she has changed since act 1
• “against my will” - internal conflict between pride & vulnerability
• keeps their witty dynamic alive even as their relationship becomes sincere