Leonato’s niece, an extremely witty and strong-willed young woman. Beatrice has a “merry war,” of wits and insults with Benedick, whom she hates. Like Benedick, Beatrice never wants to marry. All the same, she is tricked by Hero and Ursula into falling in love with and marrying Benedick by the end of the play.
Beatrice Quotes in Much Ado About Nothing
The Much Ado About Nothing quotes below are all either spoken by Beatrice or refer to Beatrice. 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 1, Scene 1
Quotes
Act 2, Scene 1
Quotes
“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.”
Act 4, Scene 1
Quotes
“O! that I were a man for his sake, or that I had any friend would be a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he is now as valiant as Hercules, that only tells a lie and swears it. I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with grieving.”
Related Characters:
Beatrice (speaker)
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 5, Scene 4
Quotes
“…get thee a wife, get thee a wife: there is no staff more reverent than one tipped with horn.”
Related Symbols:
The Savage Bull
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Beatrice Character Timeline in Much Ado About Nothing
The timeline below shows where the character Beatrice appears in Much Ado About Nothing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 1
Beatrice, Leonato’s niece, asks the messenger about Benedick, a Lord of Padua. She makes sarcastic remarks...
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...go to the effort of housing and entertaining his new guests. Soon after, Benedick and Beatrice begin trading insults and sarcastic remarks. Benedick calls Beatrice a “parrot teacher,” (1.1.138) and both...
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...wearing a yoke, like a beast of burden in the field. He also claims that Beatrice, despite her bad personality, is more beautiful than Hero.
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Act 2, Scene 1
Antonio, Leonato, Beatrice and Hero discuss Don John’s bad attitude, comparing him with Benedick. Beatrice says that Don...
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...to see his face, but he charmingly deflects her request. Benedick, also masked, speaks with Beatrice. Pretending not to know who he is, she asks if it’s true that Signior Benedick...
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...Hero for him, he refuses to believe it, and mopes away. Alone, Benedick complains about Beatrice’s insults, swearing that he isn’t as she says and promising revenge. Don Pedro arrives, looking...
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Just as Benedick is speaking of her, Beatrice arrives, along with Claudio, Leonato and Hero. Benedick and Beatrice begin arguing bitterly. A remark...
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Act 2, Scene 3
Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio talk somberly about Beatrice’s supposed love for Benedick. Aware that Benedick is listening from the trees, Leonato swears that...
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Beatrice comes to invite Benedick in for dinner. Uncharacteristically, he treats her with gallantry and friendliness....
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Act 3, Scene 1
The female characters prepare a similar ambush. Hero sends Margaret to fetch Beatrice, instructing her to say that she has overheard Hero and Ursula gossiping about her. Hero...
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Act 3, Scene 4
...on her fashion and teasing her about soon being the “heavier for a husband.” (3.4.35) Beatrice enters, claiming to have a cold, and Margaret teases her as well. Accusing her of...
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Act 4, Scene 1
...(4.1.140) and that her shame has infected him. Benedick cautions him to be patient, while Beatrice is immediately certain that Hero has been slandered. Interrupting Leonato’s ranting despair, the Friar says...
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...reappears. Benedick expresses support, and Leonato agrees to the plan. Everyone leaves but Benedick and Beatrice.
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Benedick comforts Beatrice, who is weeping over what has happened to her cousin. In the course of their...
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Act 5, Scene 1
...feast. Not yet believing that Benedick is serious about dueling, Don Pedro teases him about Beatrice’s love. Paying no attention to this, Benedick leaves, promising to meet “Lord Lackbeard,” (5.1.192) later...
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Act 5, Scene 2
...that this is because his wit is not meant to hurt women. Leaving to fetch Beatrice, Margaret wittily replies that women have bucklers to defend themselves from the swords of men....
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Beatrice arrives and wants to know what has happened between Benedick and Claudio. After learning that...
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Act 5, Scene 4
Claudio and Don Pedro arrive, and two masked women—Beatrice and Hero—are brought forward. Claudio, noticing that Benedick is nervous, teases him about becoming a...
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Benedick unmasks Beatrice and asks if she loves him. She says that she loves him “no more than...
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