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Yuliya Grebneva

Dr. Francis

Shakespeare

December 3, 2014

Perspective is Everything, or Benedick of Padua and His Analysis, Performances,

and Later Interpretations

Much Ado About Nothing is a problematic play. Even though it is a comedy, Shakespeare

makes some comments about marriage as an institution that are no laughing matter, on the

contrary, they are quite bitter. Through verbal duels and emotional violence eventually lead to

marriage between Benedick and Beatrice, and more traditional though still emotionally violent

courtship of Claudio and Hero results in their marriage as well, Shakespeare, perhaps, criticizes

and questions the idea of such sweet institution. Benedick of Padua is a character to whom this

research is dedicated.

About Character of Benedick in Criticism

It is known that Benedick openly and very loudly rejects the idea of marriage as an

institution. Even though he is grateful for being given birth and being brought up, he does not see

himself fit for any woman. Draper in his article says, “Indeed, Benedick in the early acts of Much

Ado is clearly something choleric. … In a true soldier, choler was supposed to overcome all other

humors, so that even those in whom choler was not innate, experienced it in war” (140-141).

Clearly, Benedick is passionate and open about his beliefs. Draper adds, “Benedick's attitude

toward love and marriage was essentially the result of choleric pride”, however if he were not to

be a soldier, “he may well be sanguine in normal circumstances” (142, 145). Benedick is hot-

headed and, like Draper says, his disposition towards marriage is clearly a result of his

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temperament. Lewalski writes, “While still a scorner of love Benedick insists that all the

excellencies he has hitherto seen in various women must be united in one woman before he will

love, and then he discovers to his amazement that they are already so united in Beatrice” (241).

Even though Shakespeare starts his play in medias res, the reader might make a guess

that Benesick and Beatrice might have a story that no one knows about. Beatrice asks the

messenger, “I pray you, is Signor Mountanto returned from the wars or no?” (Much Ado, 1.1.28-

29). Stephen Dobranski in his article “Children of the Mind: Miscarried Narratives in Much Ado

About Nothing says, “Beatrice refers to Benedick as ‘Signor Mountanto’ (1.1.28) – literally

means, ‘Lord Upward Thrust’ – … implies, though a bawdy innuendo, the erotic nature of their

‘merry war’ (1.1.56)” (233). That is why, it seems, Joss Whedon in his adaptation of Much Ado

included a bed scene of Benedick and Beatrice right in the beginning of the film – to show,

though implied in the play, connection between the two. Thomas J. Scheff in his article “Gender

Wars: Emotions in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ ” published in Sociological Perspectives writes,

“Benedick's role conforms to that of the misogynist, the woman-hater, lady-killer; Beatrice

occupies the complementary female role, the shrew who is "curst" with ill-temper and hatred of

men” (154). To think of it, they were meant for each other, yet result of their marriage is “a plot

– actually, a conspiracy”, says Scheff (158).

Benedick’s routine, look and behavior change when he realizes that he is in love with

Beatrice. Claudio asks Don Pedro, “When was he wont to wash his face?” (Much Ado, 3, 1, 57).

Claudio refers not to daily hygiene but rather use of cosmetics (Linthicum, 442). Linthicum

writes that “Benedick's use of cosmetics is simply one of the 'old signs' of being 'in love with

some woman' ” (443; Much Ado 3.2.38-39). Not only Benedick made himself look young by

giving up his beard, he also got interested in tailors. Don Pedro comments on Benedick’s

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appearance saying that he looks like “a Dutchman today, a Frenchman to-morrow, or in the

shape of two countries at once, as a German from the waist downward, all slops, and a Spaniard

from the hip upward, no doublet” (Much Ado, 3.2.32-35). Yet still, as Scheff points out Benedick

and Beatrice both are “transformed immediately from a cynic to a passionate lover, but only in

private soliloquy. In actual contact, the two lovers continue their hostility, which is only slightly

abated by the turn of events” (158). B and B are very stubborn. Yet “Benedick [is] ready to

challenge Claudio to a duel (to prove his love and manliness to Beatrice …), says Geza Kallay in

the article titled “It is not so, nor ‘twas not so.’ Funny words and the role-playing of

‘double-tongues’ in Much Ado About Nothing” (The Anachronist, 34).

Performances of Benedick

It would be extremely interesting to see Benedick being performed in Shakespearean

time or a little later. Technology gives us an opportunity to look back in time but unfortunately

not this far. There were many and many performances of Much Ado. Actors changed. Sometimes

the play was forgotten and brought back. Here are few accounts.

Much Ado About Nothing “was a favourite play with the players, and so delightful a

comedy a favourite with the public”, says The Stage-History of Much Ado About Nothing

(Quiller-Couch, Dover Wilson 159). For instance David Garrick’s performance of Benedick,

whose role, according to the article by Jane Freeman “Beyond Bombast: David Garrick’s

Performance of Benedick and King Lear”, he “played … for twenty-seven … years” (1).

Freeman says that Garrick, who was performing in England in 1741-1776, “thrilled the

audiences” with his “superior understanding of his roles, his highly effective use of gesture, his

ability to show contrasting emotions, and his wonderfully expressive eyes and face” (1). Yet

success of Much Ado depended not only on Garrick but also on actresses that played Beattrice.

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Freeman says, “He played the role for the first time opposite of Mrs. Pitchard, and the

overwhelming success of that production is reflected in the fact that Much Ado was performed

sixteen times that season” (3). According to Arthur Murphy “Mrs. Pitchard was Garrick’s rival in

every sense: … their merit was such that Much Ado continued to be a favorite comedy, as long as

that excellent actress chose to perform the part. … [However] … which of them deserved the

laurel most was never decided” (as cited in Freeman, 3). In terms of script, Freeman says that

“Unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays, Much Ado was performed in the eighteenth century just as

Shakespeare had written it” (6). On Novermer 14, 1765, at the King’s request, Garrick played the

role of Benedick . Garrick composed a prologue jokingly saying that he is “too old to perform

effectively”, however “an audience member claimed ‘there was not the least ground for that

assumed consciousness of decay; on the contrary, it was perceived that in ease and elegance, and

in an unaffected and natural manner, he had gained immensely by the influence of French habits

and French acting” (as cited in Freeman 7). Same year, 1765, Garrick was getting married, and

he was associating himself with Benedick to some extent, sources say. He “chose the play for his

last appearance before his marriage and his first performance after it”, however “after Garrick’s

retirement the Beatrices [were] more interesting than the Benedicks” (as cited in Quiller-Couch,

Dover Wilson 162). Charles Kemble played Claudio since 1797. Then he got promotion to

Benedick in 1803, “which was considered one of his happiest efforts as an actor” (as cited in

Quiller-Couch, Dover Wilson 162). Then there were Elliston, who tried the role of Benedick at

Bath in 1802 and went to London playing it, and somewhere else for some years. In The Stage-

History it is mentioned that “Macready, who as a youth had been ‘very bad’ Benedick at Bath in

1815, staged the play at Drury Lane in 1843; … Samuel Phelps gave it at Sadler’s Wells in 1848,

but did not act in it” (163). As Quiller-Couch and Dover Wilson note, “there was no competing

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with Garrick’s Benedick” (162). The play was revived, however, by Henry Irving in October at

the Lyceum Theatre. It was “the bright star in the crown of Irving”, says Professor George C.D.

Odell, an American historian of Shakespeare being performed on stage, and “one of the best

[Irving’s] lighter performances” (as cited in Quiller-Couch, Dover Wilson 163).

Much Ado About Nothing films by Kenneth Branagh (USA, 1993)

and Samson Samsonov (USSR, 1973)

I decided to look into Russian productions of Much Ado, just because I can understand

both English and Russian. The latter in the adaptation was giving me a hard time every now and

then because of me being unfamiliar with Russian translation of the play and actors speaking

very fast. Samson Samsonov’s Much Ado is very traditional, yet, seeing two Western versions

(one by Joss Whedon and the other by Kenneth Branagh), this one is different in certain aspects,

of which I will talk later. Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation (1993) was very traditional as well and

very romantically set up: pastoral landscape, light colors of background and architecture, white

dresses on the ladies and light suits on gentlemen, and the majority was tan. Ladies had wavy or

curly hair, no corsets, wearing dresses made with light and flowing materials. Opening scene of

Beatrice reading poetry to a crowd of people lounging on the grass, eating grapes and drinking

wine and Leonato painting with watercolor was a good choice, I thought, to convey this pastoral,

romantic feel because watercolor is transparent and flowing too. Even though Shakespeare’s

Much Ado About Nothing is much more complex than how adaptations come out, I did think that

both films were decently successful.

When we meet Benedick (Branagh), he is blond, with wavy hair, looking like a

traditional knight, though not wearing knight-like attire. He has leather pants, high leather boots,

and a light uniform-like short coat on. He has his beard and mustache and looks definitely like a

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man not very concerned about wooing ladies, though looking like a knight. In terms of attire, I

liked how colors of uniform on Don Pedro and his men and Don John and his men differed. I

thought it added meaning to the conflicting relationship between the brothers and their

personalities. Early in the movie Benedick is loudly and passionately arguing that he “will die a

bachelor”, while talking to Claudio and Don Pedro. I found it funny because of the way he was

hyperbolically saying it. Even though I knew how the play would end, I think the viewer would

definitely predict that such certainty about staying a bachelor cannot be forever. Benedick would

definitely fall in love with Beatrice because of chemistry between them. I was not quite fond of

lots of naked people running around and getting a bath. It is sure not how I pictured it. On the

other hand, when the news of Don Pedro arriving to Leonato’s house is received, everyone was

in a haste to get themselves looking presentable.

Benedick and Beatrice, being surrounded by people, start their exchange of wits. It is

different from private argument in Joss Whedon’s adaptation. Everybody laughs at them, and

both pretty much look like constant comic relief. Beatrice, during the masquerade insults

Benedick, not knowing it. I liked how Benedick slouched himself and had his voice changed in

order for Beatrice not to recognize him. I thought it was a good choice Branagh made to help the

viewer with suspension of disbelief. And the fact that his whole face was covered, worked well.

What I was wondering about was why Beatrice did not have a mask on. Maybe to show her

independence.

During the scene by the fountain, Benedick eavesdrops on the conversation between

Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio which is staged. Benedick, hiding behind the bushes, is having

a very hard time with a very simple foldable chair, which is hilarious. It was slapstick in its

purest nature, I thought, and it was funny. After all, Benedick is a bit of a fool in aspects of love.

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His fight with the chair parallels his fight with his feelings, I thought, and wondered if it was

Branagh’s intention. He gives up on the chair, and, by the end of feeding his ears on what Don

Pedro and the other two have to say, he is given up on resistance to love towards Beatrice. This

scene is one of my favorite ones in the movie. No need to say that Benedick guesses that such

conversation must be staged but he goes along and listens. Claudio overdoes his part, being very

dramatic, and Leonato forgets his part of the script, which is hilarious as well (same thing

happened in Samsonov’s adaptation). I liked how green bushes, trees, flowerbeds, fountains and

pastel colors reinforced pastoral style. Of course, upon hearing Beatrice’s feelings towards him,

Benedick changes in a click, saying “Love me? Why?” and we see that he is in love himself.

Eventually, Benedick ends up dancing in the fountain and Beatrice all happy on a swing, both in

slow motion. I have a hard time with slow motion in cinema. It is rare when I actually like it. I

thought it was cool in Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr, and yet still a little corny.

Fountain dance, however, is overly romantic and very dramatic but in this adaptation it does the

trick.

Like five stages of grief, Benedick and Beatrice both go through those stages but the ones

of love: they deny, they get angry, and without depression, it seems, but with bargaining

(Benedick saying that he did not think he would live so long to get married), they come to

acceptance of their feelings and each other. I keep thinking how infantile those characters are –

they are both so very stubborn. In Branagh’s adaptation Beatrice is more stubborn than

Benedick. Eventually he shaves, makes himself look handsome and smell good and is being

laughed at by Claudio and Don Pedro at the same time.

The final scene between Benedick and Beatrice before they got married is probably my

favorite. There is something cute in his hopes to have Beatrice confess in public first. They keep

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denying their feelings for each other and are very loudly laughed at. Benedick’s voice gets higher

while he is arguing with Beatrice. It is a duel that cannot be well-seen by simply reading the

play. I think that Branagh and Thompson did a very nice job executing this duel. They almost

interrupt each other with responses to wits that are being told. Every time an obvious lie (like one

“I love you no more than reason”) comes out, Leonato, Antonio, Hero, Claudio, priest, Margaret,

Don John and others loudly laugh at them and it seems to make both Beatrice and Benedick feel

pressure, I think, because they are not being taken seriously. But then Claudio and Hero put an

end to this pointless but hilarious argument: Claudio pulls a letter out of Benedick’s pocket and

hands it to Beatrice, and Hero does the same with Beatrice and gives the letter to Benedick. The

two read their letters and their facial expressions change to tender ones; they get closer to each

other, still reading, with their shoulders touching. I find it cute. They seem like already long

married couple quarreling and making up in an instant. They still argue for a little bit, trying who

will give up first. Benedick does, and with a chuckle tells Beatrice “I’ll stop your mouth” and

kisses her.

In Samsonov’s adaptation, the cast was very young, and I liked that. Taking into account

how foolish and infantile at times those characters are, having Claudio, Hero, Benedick,

Beatrice, Don Pedro and Don John played by young actors, works very well, in my opinion.

Konstantin Raikin who played Benedick, looks like he is not older than 25. He is skinny, with

dark hair, thin mustache and pointed up nose. Somehow he is silly and witty at the same time,

and being young, gives him this childish impression. Galina Loginova (mother of Milla

Jovovich) played Beatrice. Beatrice had also dark hair, yet Hero (Tatiana Vedeneeva) was blond

which is different from how they are usually portrayed. I personally see them this way myself:

bold Beatrice is a brunette and Hero is angle-like blond. Claudio (Leonid Trushkin) was also

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very young. Don John (Vladimir Korenev), when sitting during the party between Benedick and

Don Pedro, looked extremely pale, and the actor’s features – sharp and straight – and black

attire, showed that he was a villain. Generally, all the actors were very pale which gave the

adaptation some gothic style.

What stood out to me very much in the film was that masquerade party was set up in so-

to-say Russian style: guests sat on both sides from Leonato at the long table. There was eating

present for the majority of the masquerade scene; people were laughing, talking at the table and

Leonato himself as a host was cutting meat and serving it to the guests. Hero was munching

during the conversations between others, and she looked present and interested in the

conversation. During the banquet, guests were singing, which was literally la-la-la singing, and

Benedick’s voice was emphasized and Beatrice’s as well, and because of camera switching

between them, I was able to tell that they were looking at each other. That and their emphasized

duet gave the first hint for some former intimacy between them. I have to note that there was no

close-up kissing shown when Claudio and Hero were given to each other by Don Pedro and

Leonato, nor was there close-up kissing of Benedick and Beatrice.

It stood out to me that some scenes were thrown out and things were added. I understand

that to some extent but not always. For instance, there was no indication of why Benedick does

not have his mustache anymore. It was very thin when he just arrived to Messina, however it was

noticeable. I did not notice right away but then I recalled that scene from the play itself and

realized that it was not included in the adaptation which bummed me out a little. If it is a

romantic comedy, then the scene showing what love does to people (in this case men) would

make sense. I wonder if viewers actually noticed that Benedick was shaved.

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Director Samsonov decided to make all the events happen in three days or so. It struck

me that a lot of important plot events were set in one night of masquerade. For instance, Don

Pedro comes up with the idea of getting Benedick and Beatrice to love each other during the

masquerade and then whole gossip and eavesdropping happens on the same night. I thought it

was interesting but I was not sure on the scale of one to ten how much I liked it this way. On one

hand, it fits: there is a banquet, then a party; then gossiping Leonato, Claudio, Don Pedro, Hero,

and Ursula come into play. It was set up in such a way that camera kept switching between the

men gossiping and Benedick following them and eavesdropping, and ladies gossiping and

Beatrice listening, so it seemed to me that it was all happening at the same time. Of course, after

Benedick and Beatrice hear about themselves and feelings they have supposedly for one another,

they change drastically and are obviously in love. What I did not quite like is that on the same

evening Benedick, while dancing with ladies, was flirting with them and talking about how he

would not fall in love unless he meets a woman in whom all wonderful qualities that he wants

are present. With a very flirty voice Benedick was saying how he was with a cute lady and did

not fall in love, and how he was with a smart and did not fall in love, how he was with virtuous

and still was able to stay away from love. Yet on the same night he hears Don Pedro, Leonato

and Claudio talk, and he changes his mind. I can understand in which way it would be effective:

Benedick already is on love with Beatrice, yet his flirtations are to mask it and, perhaps, to fall

out of love because Beatrice does not seem to love him. I was just a little bothered by such a

sudden transition.

Camera choices were good, I thought, for the most part. It gave me a chuckle when

already in love Beatrice and Benedick were dancing their happy love dances, which were in slow

motion. It is then I thought about Branagh’s adaptation in which there was slow motion as well

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and transparent and enlarged smiling faces of Beatrice and Benedick would take up to half of the

screen. After some slow motion lonely dancing in Samsonov’s version, both Beatrice and

Benedick went on a dancing rampage with everyone, which was in slow motion again. It was a

little silly in my opinion. Music choices were not as good as they could be, perhaps. On the other

hand, this movie is a bit silly, so silly fast orchestra music worked well there.

What I found interesting is that Benedick comes out to be much softer and more

approachable than Beatrice in this adaptation. During all dancing episodes of which I talked

earlier, he hid behind a large staircase to watch Beatrice run down other steps with a crowd and

dance. I thought it was cute. She, however, in other settings just looked at him with her large

eyes to convey her admiration, if this word can ever be used with Beatrice’s character. It makes

me think of Behn’s Oroonoko in which adoration between Oroonoko and Imoinda was also

conveyed just by looking at each other. Yet when Beatrice demands him to kill Claudio, and

after her yelling without letting him to say a word, Benedick agrees to challenge him, he is

harsher with her. He sees that she likes him; he sees that she expects his help, and he preys on it

in a way. He tells her to leave because he is about to do the same, then stops her and looks at her

with some expectation (of love, perhaps), then he tells her to leave and stop again, and again. It is

pretty funny to watch him being bossy and Beatrice smile and still not do something that he

might, perhaps, hope for (a kiss it is).

Samsonov also changed the script of the play, or, I should better say, added things to it.

During the scene with Claudio, Don John and Don Pedro spying on Hero, they actually see a

man climb up to Hero’s window and them have a conversation. It got me wondering about

suspension of disbelief: Claudio could reach for Boracchio, grab him and, perhaps, strangle him.

Instead he stood listening to Baracchio calling Margaret his Hero with suffering look on his face.

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At this point I said to myself, “I do not believe this.” There was a shadow of a woman in the

window, yet nothing sensual was shown (it is because there was no sex in USSR – at least this is

a kind of a joke I have heard growing up in Russia). There was no mourning scene, and

Samsonov also threw out a scene with letters probably because Benedick and Beatrice confessed

to each other in private and had their love duel after Hero and Claudio got married. There were

alterations done to that scene too, comic ones: there were Beatrice, Verges and Dogberry under

veils. In the end, just like in Shakespeare’s Much Ado, Claudio marries the lady and then unveils

Hero.

These films were very different from each other. Branagh’s adaptation was very light,

Samsonov’s dark. Brangah’s Much Ado had its events happening mostly during the day, I

thought, and Samsonov decided to tuck many things in one night. One other thing I liked in

Samsonov’s version was that after all confusion in relationships dissolved, events were

happening in the daylights. Maybe that is why he decided to combine many events in one

masquerade night where there is a lot of confusion with masks, alcohol and many people around,

plus confusions of hearts the main quartet faces.

Methinks Will Shakespeare understood that every director who stages his plays will have

a different will, vision, and resources. Shakespeare gave freedom to directors by not providing

them with a vast amount of directions – he was liberal, and maybe he wanted to give liberty to

the ones who stage his plays. At the end, there is always this “so what?” question. My answer ‒

perspective is everything. How different actors who played Benedick saw him, this way they

conveyed his character on stage. From early performers, Garrick was the most successful one

(though later on other actors and directors revived the play) and after his retirement, productions

were not the same. Yet they will never be the same, no matter who stages them and how. This is

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a beauty of art. Perspective is everything. Branagh saw the play in light pastoral style, Samsonov

saw it in more gothic and dark, and Joss Whedon set it in the 21st century and it was amazing. In

those three films I saw Benedick-the-knight, Benedick-the-young-and-flirty-guy, and Benedick-

the-FBI kind of guy. I liked him in all three versions. I have a feeling that Shakespeare would

have liked those too. If he did not, I would say, “Sir, after all, perspective is everything.”

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Works Cited

Dobranski, Stephen B. "Children Of The Mind: Miscarried Natives In Much Ado About Nothing." Studies In English Literature (Rice) 38.2 (1998): 233. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Draper, John W. "Benedick And Beatrice." Journal Of English And Germanic Philology 41.(1942): 140-149. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Freeman, Jane. "Beyond Bombast: David Garrick's Performances Of Benedick And King Lear." Restoration And 18Th Century Theatre Research 14.2 (1999): 1-21. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Kallay, Geza. "'It Is Not So, Nor 'Twas Not So': Funny Words And The Role-Playing Of 'Double-Tongues' In Much Ado About Nothing." The Anachronist (2003): 29. Literature Resource Center. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Lewalski, B. K. "Love, Appearance And Reality: Much Ado About Something." SEL: Studies In English Literature, 1500-1900 8.2 (1968): 235-251. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Linthicum, Marie C. "Benedick's Love Symptoms: Cosmetics And Costume." Modern Language Review 22.(1927): 442-444. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Much Ado about Nothing. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. By Kenneth Branagh. Prod. Kenneth Branagh. Perf. Kenneth Branagh, Richard Briers, Emma Thompson, and Denzel Washington. Samuel Goldwyn Co., 1993. Web.

Much Ado About Nothing. Dir. Samson Samsonov. By William Shakespeare. Perf. Konstantin Raikin, Galina Loginiva, Leonid Trushkin, Tatiana Vedeneeva, Vladimir Korenev. Mosfilm, 1973. Web

Scheff, Thomas J. "Gender Wars: Emotions In Much Ado About Nothing." Sociological Perspectives 36.2 (1993): 149-166. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

Shakespeare, William, and Sheldon P. Zitner. Much Ado About Nothing. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print