Oct 03

I think that these two couples represent how people’s perceptions of love naturally changes with age. When a person is young they have experienced less and are less guarded. It is typical for relationships to blossom quickly and have instant passion or lust when a person is young,as shown in Hero and Claudio’s relationship. However, with age comes experience and more inhibition, as shown with Benedick and Beatrice. It’s obvious that they are attracted to each other before the audience even meets Benedick. Beatrice is the first to ask about his whereabouts. Their method of flirtation, taunting, shows that they notice each other, but there is clearly something holding them back from embracing each other until there is confirmation that one is interested in the other.  Benedick and Beatrice’s denial of their feelings for each other implies that they may be carrying around some cynicism about love and relationships that  one could assume may have stemmed from their previous experiences with love. I think these two couples end up displaying the same type of passion for one another, but the courtships show the audience how people approach love at different ages and with different experiences.

Sep 26
