Much ado about nothing - Benedictus Act 3 scene 4

How has Beatrice changed in this scene from her previous behaviour? Identify two sexual jokesthe girls make in this scene.

During this scene Beatrice has mellowed and is presented as being ill, although Hero and Margaret are shown to believe that this illness is the same as Benedicks, that she is only appearing ill to hide her new found emotions towards the character of Benedick.

joke 1 - "Twill be heavier soon by the weight of a man."
joke 2 - "A maid and stuffed! There's a goodly catch of a cold."

the sexual jokes made by Margaret shows a steriotypical veiw of the lower class, this veiw presents them as being more down to earth and bawdy compared to other members of the play, the first sexual joke also fore shadows Hero's guilt over her ruined marrage, her heart heavy as she believes that the fault is hers for Claudio's out burst during the wedding.


What is the "Cardius Benedictus" referred to in the scene? And what does Beatrice think this means?

Cardius Benedictus is a herbal remedy used to cure illness, however Beatrice took the offering as an offence as her character would have seen it as a cure to her love sickness over benedick with him being the cure, tis links to earlier in the play when Benedick is asked to come insde by Beatrice and believe's that she took great troubles to see him while in reallty she had not.


Are we decieved by Mararets humour?

Margarets humour was used as a ploy to make the audience of he play forget about Claudio and Don Pedro's pact to ruin the marrige, Margaret is used as a comic relief keeping theplay comedical and light hearted, her part in the scene would build pon the comic aspects show by Dogberry and he watchmen the scene before, however after two scene's of comedy by contrast the tradegy of the wedding scene would be worse than if it had not had a light hearted build up.

Much ado about nothing - Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every man's Hero

How does Don Johns choice of language make the impact of Caudios revelation about Hero all the more devastating?

Don John's choice of langage is very blunt, "Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every man's Hero" thus implying rather forcefully that Hero had been and continues to be "disloyal" to Claudio. This way of telling Claoudio would be all the more devastating as the character could either accept the word of Don Pedros brother while before him, or believe in Hero and potentially have Don Pedro try to step in.

Much ado about nothing - Benedick's change in appearance

Act 3 Scene 2
line 41 Claudio - No, but the barbers man hath been seen with him and the old ornament of his cheek hath already stuffed tennis-balls.
line 51 Claudio - And when was he wont to wash his face.

According to Claudio and Don Pedro how has Benedick changed since we last saw him? How does Benedick explain the change in his behaviour?

Claudio and Don Pedro state that they believe Benedick to be strangely dressed in comparison to his usual garb, that he does no look himself and is instead wearing "strange disguises". The characters comment on how Benedick must not know what to be " a Duchman today, a Frenchman tomorrow" thus poking fun at him. The characters of Caudio and Bnedick also take great pains in describing his facial appearance and his smell, the character of Claudio is shown to say "the old ornament of his cheek hath already stuffed tennis-balls" meaning that he has been shaved of his beard, while Don Pedro is shown to comment on Benedicks scent "Nay, 'a rubs himself with civet; can you smell him out by that?" with civet being a kind of perfume. From what we are told by the two characters we find that the Benedick who was highly strung and adorned with a beard has gone, leaving a fancily dressed, well shaved, man who is in love with Beatrice.

Benedick however complains to the charaters levying these acusations agianst him that he is mearly sufferng from a "toothache" and that he needs not their attention, though this is a ploy to get the other character to leave him alone so that he could pursue Beatrice.