Beards are a complicated symbol of masculinity in Much Ado About Nothing. Benedick’s beard symbolizes his rugged bachelorhood, while Claudio’s clean-shaven face indicates his “softness,” and vulnerability—Benedick at one point calls him “Lord Lack-beard.” Beatrice’s dislike of beards symbolically stands for her resistance to men in general. Much Ado connects beardlessness with falling in love: the first thing Benedick does when he falls in love with Beatrice is to shave. Altogether, the connection between beards, love and masculinity in the play seem to suggest that falling in love, for a man, comes with the risk of losing one’s masculinity—as represented by the beard.
Beards Quotes in Much Ado About Nothing
The Much Ado About Nothing quotes below all refer to the symbol of Beards. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 2, Scene 1
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“He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me; and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.”
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Act 3, Scene 2
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“Well, every one can master a grief but he that has it.”
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Beards Symbol Timeline in Much Ado About Nothing
The timeline below shows where the symbol Beards appears in Much Ado About Nothing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 2, Scene 1
...she is thankful to God she has no husband, in some part because she hates beards. When Leonato advises her to find a beardless husband, she suggests that such a husband...
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Act 2, Scene 3
...unworthy of her. Benedick, listening in, concludes that it must be true—someone as old and bearded as Leonato, the Governor of Messina, would never participate in a childish trick. Benedick quickly...
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Act 3, Scene 2
...tease him for having fallen in love. They point out that he has shaved his beard, rubbed himself with civet (a form of musk or perfume), and has begun to dress...
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Act 5, Scene 1
...him about Beatrice’s love. Paying no attention to this, Benedick leaves, promising to meet “Lord Lackbeard,” (5.1.192) later in combat. As he goes, he mentions that Don John has fled from...
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