Much Ado About Nothing Love Quotes Page 4

This seems to be Benedick’s first time being in true love, and like so many lovers before him, he’s convinced it’s a unique feeling than no one else has ever felt.

This is just adorable. Ergh, we mean, this is serious evidence that even the most resistant among us can fall victim to the steel trap of love, which is full of folly. Also, in Shakespeare’s day, in order to show that a character was in love, there were certain conventional signs and costume devices the actor would wear so the audience would understand he was in love. Benedick shows up here looking prettier than usual – it’s a signal to the audience that he’s been changed by love. It’s basically the equivalent of wearing a T-shirt that says, "I’m in love" on stage.

Benedick’s abrupt admission that he loves Beatrice (which is way more straightforward than we would’ve expected) is prompted by Beatrice’s need…of a man to challenge Claudio. Beatrice is looking for a man to do the task, so perhaps Benedick offers his love as proof that he’d do any task for her. Either that, or he’s just awkward and has an inappropriate sense of timing.