In Act 3, Scene 1, Hero and Ursula trick Beatrice into thinking that Benedick is in love with her. In this scene Beatrice is described as a "lapwing" (3.1.25) and a "haggards of the rock"(3.1.37), both wild birds, but she is also described as being "limed"(3.1.109) and killed "with traps"(3.1.112). Once she is convinced of Benedick's love, she instructs herself:
Contempt, farewell, and maiden pride, adieu!
No glory lives behind the back of such.
And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee,
Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand (3.1.115-18)
Compare this speech with Portia's profession of love to Bassanio once he has mastered the secret of the casks:
But the full sum of me
Is sum of something, which, to term in gross,
Is an unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed;
Happy in this, she is not yet so old
But she may learn, happier than this,
She is not bred so dull but she can learn;
Happiest of all, is that her gentle spirit
Commits itself to yours to be directed
As from her lord, her governor, her king. (3.2.161-9)
What are these plays telling us about a woman's place in love and marriage? Is this a traditional, patriarchal view of marriage in which the man is dominant? Is this a realistic view of marriage in which compromise is essential for happiness? What future is in store for such headstrong and independent women as Beatrice and Portia in the institution of marriage?
As we can see from the two plays, Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing, both Portia and Beatrice change their behaviors significantly as they prepare to wed. This carries an important significance, which will be revealed later on. Before their marriages, the two women live alone and are able to make certain decisions by themselves. Even though Portia is bound by her father’s will and Beatrice’s father probably has some control over his daughter’s life (though it is not mentioned in the play), the women are not bound by marriage and therefore may control their lives to a certain extent and be free from the obligations of a married woman. This is why Portia and Beatrice exhibit such a strong, determined character. Portia shows herself to be a firm, strong-willed, wise woman. However, she feels that she cannot live like this forever, that this is not natural. She longs for a husband and a happy marriage. When Bassanio chooses the right casket, Portia is overjoyed at the outcome of the trial. In her speech to Bassanio, she gives herself fully into his care, and promises to learn from him, saying,
ReplyDeleteHappiest of all is that her gentle spirit
Commits itself to yours to be directed,
As from her lord, her governor, her king.
Myself and what is mine to you and yours
Is now converted: but now I was the lord
Of this fair mansion, master of my servants,
Queen o'er myself: and even now, but now,
This house, these servants and this same myself
Are yours, my lord (3.2.163-171).
Portia can finally cast off her independent behavior and become a good, loving wife to Bassanio. All that was hers, including herself, is now his to control and take care of.
In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice lives a considerably free life. She, too, is an independent young woman with a rather hot, flaring temperament. She has a proud nature and permits herself to say anything she wants about others, especially Benedick. Beatrice tries to assert her independence by saying that she does not love any man and will not get married; “I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow / than a man swear he loves me” (1.1.129-130), she remarks. Such a character, of course, is not normal in a woman, and Beatrice must somehow be tamed. Deep inside, she understands this, for when she overhears the conversation about Benedick’s “love” towards her, she changes in an instant. She happily announces,
Contempt, farewell, and maiden pride, adieu!
No glory lives behind the back of such.
And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee,
Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand.
If thou dost love, my kindness shall incite thee
To bind our loves up in a holy band (3.2.115-120).
This quote shows that Beatrice is ready and willing to give herself wholly to Benedick in marriage. Like Portia, Beatrice cannot live in the unnatural state of pride and independence, but, like all women, must have a husband to love her, govern her and guide her through life, and in turn must honor, obey and love her husband.(continued)
(continued) This is the essence of marriage, where “husband and wife come together and become one in both body and soul, and their union must bring forth something higher, which combines kind and great values that are present in both of them” (St. Luke of Crimea). There are, of course, certain obligations the wife and husband both have towards one another. It is written, “The husband yield debt to the wife, and also the wife to the husband” (1 Cor. 7:3), and “Women, be they subject to their husbands, as to the Lord, for the man is head of the woman, as Christ is head of the church; He is Saviour of his body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so [and] women to their husbands in all things. Men, love ye your wives, as [and] Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it … So and men shall love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself … This sacrament is great; yea, I say in Christ, and in the church. Nevertheless ye all, each man love his wife as himself; and the wife dread her husband (Ephesians 5:22-25, 28, 32-33). Such is what an ideal marriage is. Some might argue that it is not right for a woman to be subordinate to her husband because husband and wife should be equal in everything, but in marriage, there can be not talk of equality. God assigns both the man and woman separate duties they are fit for and must perform. It is the duty of the husband to earn bread and support his family. The wife also has a great and holy responsibility – that is, bearing children and caring for them. Therefore it is wrong for women to assume responsibilities and work of a man (both physically and mentally), just as it is unnatural for a man to take up the responsibilities of a woman. Tracing all this back to the examples of Portia and Beatrice, we can see that in casting aside their premarital freedoms, pride and independence, they get ready to take up new roles and responsibilities as wives and mothers, which would not be possible had they maintained their previous behaviors. If Portia and Beatrice will humbly perform their duties, love their husbands and care for their children, they and their families will be content and happy, and will have blessed lives.
ReplyDeleteShakespearean comedies are often defined by Romantic relationships and their happy outcomes in marriages; Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice are no exceptions. The two biggest relationships in each are the ones between Beatrice and Benedick, and Portia and Bassanio, respectively. Both women seem to be submitting to their husbands, however, perhaps not wholly willing to marry. Beatrice initially scorns marriage and all men, her future husband especially. The two only marry and profess their love at all after being tricked into thinking that the other loves them. They therefore decide to love the other because the other loves them, much as CF Kane does. Indeed in the final scene, they both confess, with debatable sincerity that they do it for pity: Benedick, “but, by this light, I take / thee for pity.” Beatrice, “I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield / upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, / for I was told you were in a consumption” (Shakespeare, 5.4.96-99). Further, only moments before, both were willing to let the other go; if they really loved each other they never would have taken that risk. Thus Beatrice is resigned to her fate and seems apathetic about her marriage; the above quote is indicative of this. She is willing to give up who she is in the service of what she realizes must be done.
ReplyDeletePortia faces a dilemma: her father’s will forces her to marry whoever chooses the right casket. A throng of suitors from across the Mediterranean descend upon her, and all of them are utterly revolting to her. Bassanio, when he comes, it is a breath of fresh air to her. It is likely that he is only interested in her because she happens to be exceedingly wealthy, he is merely the lesser of evils. Further she has no choice once he picks the right casket, she also resigns herself to her situation and convinces herself that this outcome is good because it is the only possible outcome. She vows to change herself, as Beatrice does, to better fit her position.
These two plays both have a plotline that has to do with characters getting married, and the journey/struggle these characters face to get married, but ultimately end up together and happy. This is commonly found in the comedies by Shakespeare. In both Much Ado About Nothing and The Merchant of Venice, there is some sort of dilemma that arises; for Portia it is a dilemma forced upon her by her father, and for Beatrice it is her stubbornness and scorn towards marriage. They both have marriage on their mind, but with more of salty taste in their mouths. Both women undergo a personal change, due to some sort of realization to make the marriage work.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Justin in that both ladies submit to their husbands, even though a pure want for marriage is not clearly presented. Both Portia and Beatrice are convinced by something that their suitors do truly care for them. Beatrice is convinced when Hero and Ursula plan a loud conversation filled with Benedick’s love for Beatrice in which Beatrice conveniently overhears, as set up by Hero and Ursula. Portia is convinced when Bassanio correctly choses the casket because he recognizes the key is to choose the internal beauty rather than the exterior beauty. At the same time, Portia is also forced to marry the suitor who correctly chooses the casket, so she has to submit to marriage no matter what as long as the correct casket is chosen.
The women in these two plays both have submitted to a man. Beatrice submits herself to Benedick when she says, “Contempt, farewell, and maiden pride, adieu! No glory lives behind the back of such. And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee,Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand” (3.1.115-18). She discards her scorn and spiteful nature towards Benedick for marriage and love for him after she hears he actually likes her. Portia submits after Bassanio chooses the correct casket and when she says, “But the full sum of me Is sum of something, which, to term in gross, Is an unlessoned girl, unschooled, unpracticed; Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn, happier than this, She is not bred so dull but she can learn; Happiest of all, is that her gentle spirit Commits itself to yours to be directed As from her lord, her governor, her king” (3.2.161-9).
However, there is a difference in that Beatrice has a choice of who she would marry, and Portia does not, but ultimately their speeches are similar because they change from strong headstrong women to submissive women that think of their husbands as above them. Finally, I also agree with Yelena that both of these women have a strong independent exterior, but secretly on the inside they long for marriage because they both know they don’t want to be alone forever, and they would more than likely be seen as outcasts of the community if they did not get married while they were still young.
See, I disagree with everyone else, at least to a degree. Call me the Shakespearean feminist of the group, but I find these speeches honestly rather out of character for both Portia and Beatrice, and I think they are more a product of the environment Shakespeare was writing in than the women’s actual characters. Considering their actions and speeches throughout the rest of the play, these highlighted moments really are anomalies.
ReplyDeleteFirst there is the case of Portia in Merchant of Venice. Without much doubt, Portia is the most sensible character in the play. While Antonio’s first lines are aimless groans of melancholy and Bassanio opens by proposes a plan that is desperate, risky, and quite taxing on his friend, Portia’s introduction to the audience includes such bits of wisdom as, “If to do were as easy as to know what were/good to do, chapels had been churches and poor/men’s cottages princes’ palaces” (Merchant, I.2.12-4). She then proceeds to reveal all of the absurd flaws of her various suitors, traits which Antonio and Bassanio would likely find amusing in a companion. When some of her suitors do attempt to pass her father’s test and win her hand, she handles it with stoic maturity. After they have failed and left, though, she has no qualms about letting out some venom, for example noting regarding the prince of Arragon’s attempt that, “thus hath the candle singed the moth./O, these deliberate fools, when they do choose,/They have the wisdom by their wit to lose” (II.9.87). This woman is no blushing maid, but a strong lady of independent means. She can manage her life just fine (her father’s will set aside, of course) and has little problem speaking her mind. However, for some strange reason, she seems to go weak at the knees in Bassanio’s presence. Among other hopelessly romantic blabbering, she exclaims to him, “One half of me is yours, the other half yours-/Mine own, I would say-but if mine,-then yours,/And so all yours” (III.2.16-8). Somehow, she has fallen head over heels for this man of questionable motives and character. She is going through this phase when she utters the line mentioned in the blog post. However, perhaps even more mysterious than her sudden fall into schmaltz is her instantaneous switch back to the alpha-female of old. From pretty much the moment Bassanio leaves to go help Antonio, the previous Portia is back in action. She devises her plan to disguise herself and Nerissa in order to save Antonio (and in the process spy on Bassanio; coincidence?) and, with Doctor Bellario’s aid, determines how to save Antonio from Shylock’s justice. While no one else in the play, not even the many noble men of Venice, can figure out a solution, Portia does, reminding the audience of her wisdom. She then weaves her final plot, testing Bassanio’s loyalty through his willingness to part with her ring. After he fails the test, she certainly is happy to make him suffer for it back at home. “Even so void is your false heart of truth./By heaven, I will ne’er come in your bed/Until I see the ring!” (V.1.203-5). Portia ends the play as she began it, leaving the audience to ponder her strange mid-play obsession with Bassanio. How can this spunky, thoughtful lady have made such passive assertions?
The situation is rather similar with Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothig. At the start of the play, she is the sassiest, most headstrong and outspoken character present. While her cousin Hero stands around almost silently, Beatrice voices her every opinion about everyone. Especially virulent are her attacks against Benedick. She notes that, “he wears his faith but/as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the/next block” (Much Ado, I.1.73-5). Upon hearing about his friendship with Claudio, she warns that, “if he [Claudio] have caught the Benedick, it/will cost him a thousand pounds ere he be cured” (87-8). Her verbal sparring with the man himself later in the scene is also a masterful confrontation of wits, which she pretty clearly wins. A few scenes later, her commentary on is marriage is pointed and hysterical, as she explains her lack of interest in marrying a man with or without a beard, her lack of fear of going to hell, and her analysis of the “dance” of matrimony. Like Portia, Beatrice is feistily independent, and, since unlike Portia she has no force compelling her to wed, she appears happily content to stay that way forever. Even when Benedick, convinced by his friends that she loves him, attempts to be polite to her, she is courteously nasty to him. When he asks if she takes pleasure from informing him about dinner, she replies, “Yeah, just so much as you may take upon a/knife’s point and choke a daw withal” (II.3.256-7). Does this sound like a woman seeking a husband to serve? However, much like Portia, her whole attitude seems to change at the start of Act 3. Upon hearing of Benedick’s fictional love for her, she proclaims the speech in the blog post, suddenly deciding to tame her wild heart. In her next appearance onstage, she is seen to be sick (with love?) and somehow out-sassed by Margaret. While she remains in love for the rest of the play, her illness and wavering spunk fade away soon, as is clear from her conversation with Benedick after Claudio spurns Hero at their wedding. “O G-d, that I were a man! I would eat his/heart in the marketplace” (IV.1.320-1), she fumes. Wrath has rekindled her usual spirit, and anyone who gets in her way had better watch his back. Then, when Benedick is initially unwilling to help her, she attacks men in general, declaring that, “manhood is melted into curtsies, valor into/compliment, and men are only turned into tongue,/and trim ones too” (333-5). “Lady disdain”, as Benedick earlier refers to her, seems to have mostly returned. Their later chats confirm this change, as her love for the man seems to be mostly expressed via withering sarcasm. Even when they at long last decide to get married, she notes that she will do it, “upon great persuasion, and partly to save your/life, for I was told you were in a consumption” (V.4.100-1). While Beatrice may have momentarily announced her intention to curb her attitude for Benedick, that shift only seems to last for a few scenes. She loves him, but in her own, aggressive way.
DeleteSo do these women fully give in to the passive domesticity those quotes would seem to suggest? I think not. While these outbursts are used to express their immense love for the men in question, Portia and Beatrice prove by their actions that they are still strong, independent women, unable to be curbed by a husband. Shakespeare did write in a paternalistic age, and plenty of his plays can be characterized as such, but these two leading ladies break the mold for sure.