is not that strange?

i will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes

[janesaustenss]

i’m back …. managed to snag a ticket of jamie lloyd’s adaptation of ‘much ado’ with tom hiddleston as benedick and hayley atwell as beatrice … it was sooooooo good. one of my fave parts has got to be when she pointed to a spot on the stage and he followed with no hesitation LMAO beatrice walked him like a DOG in this adaptation

[janesaustenss]

much ado about nothing brainrot is real… the most recent globe adaptation with amalia vitale and ekow quartey as benedick and beatrice has sent me back into a rom com spiral that can’t be stopped

[bareums]

The Glory || Ep 9

[messmikkelsen]

how should i put this? it was like opening page 17 of the January issue of GQ. …when you flip to page 16, you can always see page 17 too, and you often find something even nicer there. well, simply put, “i was annoyed because (Ha Do Yeong) was so cool.”

[thedaughtersoflilith]

It's funny people don't understand that Dong Eun and Yeo Jeong were played to come off as cold to a certain degree even with each other.

Lack of chemistry? they're traumatized people obsessed with revenge.

Go watch the series again, look at their dynamics. Why does he fall for her? It's simply because he sees a lot of his own pain in her and that goes for her, too.

It's important to look at these aspects rather than expect some kind of romantic drama from something that never claimed it was.

[poisonheart]

This.

When I read people think every love story has to burn or start with a fire, I laugh. There is little appreciation these days for quiet and slow, patient and even a little distant. Not to mention these are often the love stories of deeply hurt, traumatized people. They are dismissing just how badly her emotional injuries are apart from the physical.

I don’t know if it’s a new thing, but this whole “it lacks any chemistry” if they’re not fucking immediately is a criticism I’m seeing way too often as if everything needs to start fast and exceedingly sensual to be a worthwhile love story.

(Not to mention so many have seemingly dismissed that she was purposefully trying to unsettle/quietly seduce Do Yeong, much like the game of Go plays out.)

The consideration, devotion, and resolve that Yeo Jeong had for Dong Eun by letting her set the rules and pace is something beautiful. He was willing to set himself and his feelings aside (but being human enough to still hope she could choose a happy life with him at the end of her long revenge) while still going through his personal hell. This is something we don’t often see, particularly from a man to a woman. This was one of the better fictional pairs in awhile.

Those who don’t see the chemistry are the type of who think chemistry only comes in one flavor: super hot. And gloss over the true depth of not just her trauma but also the fact that this was a woman who was never loved or nurtured. Most of the good people in her life came later.

[wulfhalls]

commits medical malpractice comes home to cook dinner for his girl displays behaviour is insane he really said malewife maliciousness malpractice! 10/10 character

[janesaustenss]

had the most normal reaction to this when i watched it btw (head in hands, guttural screaming, eating glass etc.)

[janesaustenss]

one of the best things about ‘much ado about nothing’ is literally the fact that benedick and beatrice still banter right at the end of the play, despite their feelings being uncovered they still have this witty rally with each other before finally publicly surrendering to their love shakespeare i could kiss u on the mouth for that

[shakespearegirl]

benedick literally chooses beatrice over everything else in his life & then gets all flustered proposing to her in front of friends & family. he is so embarrassing

[janesaustenss]

this is such an underrated moment in ‘much ado about nothing’ benedick really said “fuck anyone who says i don’t love you!”

[weaver-z]

Beatrice and Benedick created the woman who barks/man who meows couple

[janesaustenss]

benedick going from “i cannot endure my lady tongue!” to “😍😍sweet beatrice😍😍” sends me so bad

[hyperfixatingrn]

So, for all you Shakespeare nerds out there…

In Much Ado About Nothing, it is clear that Benedick and Beatrice have a history. I’ve seen many people quote and cite many reasons as to why. I’m always puzzled that no one ever brings up these lines from Beatrice…

“Indeed, my lord, he lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one…” – Act 2, Scene 1

“It” is Benedick’s heart. This line literally means that Benedick loaned Beatrice his heart and she paid the interest (use) with a twice as loving heart. Beatrice literally admits, before either gulling scene, that she gave Benedick her heart.

Now, the fact that he “loaned” it to her suggests that it was not hers for the keeping, something she may not have known at the time seeing as she paid the love back overflowingly.

Benedick is a self-pronounced “tyrant to their sex” and a (former) “carpet-monger” (ladies’ man). Put two and two together, I think their history is quite clear. Most likely: they were romantic for a while, Beatrice fell hard, maybe (probably) Benedick too. Either way, Benedick couldn’t handle it and broke it off. Beatrice, being Beatrice, did not react like a victim, tried to downplay her own feelings, and has publically spurned him ever since. He has done the same.

Their history and developed senses of self are what make them, without a shadow of a doubt, the best, most fleshed out romantic pairing in all of Shakespeare. They are two separate people that make each other better.

[aprilslady]

Every single time I watch Much Ado I lose my shit over the way Beatrice and Benedick both overhear other people talking about how the other one is in love with them and they’re like ‘Well now I HAVE to love them back. I just have to. It’s the rules. Got to do it. Did I say they were terrible? I never said that. I can’t read all of a sudden, I don’t know. They’re great. Best thing since sliced bread. Huge fucking fan. I want to kiss them on the mouth’

[janesaustenss]

one thing i love about the 2011 globe production of ‘much ado about nothing’ is how obsessed benedick is with beatrice. there’s one scene where beatrice drops the black fabric she had in her hand (a prop used for the ‘re-marriage’ scene of claudio and hero - for the ladies to cover their heads) and benedick, who is on the other side of the stage talking to antonio, IMMEDIATELY notices and runs over to pick it up for her, whilst constantly giving her looks of longing. i can’t get over it and it makes me want to munch on glass

[so-true-jestie]

thinking about this post lately and if you want to understand the first thing about love in Much Ado, about Benedick and Beatrice, you absolutely must understand the bond between Beatrice and Hero first. that's because there are echoes of it between Ben and Bea, and that's how you know the love is real.

think about the way Beatrice loves Hero: as an extension of herself. everything she swears about her cousin's innocence, she swears on herself: "on my soul my cousin is belied", "as sure as i have a thought or a soul". now think about how she tests whether Benedick loves her: will he defend Hero on her behalf? when she thinks he won't, she's ready to give up on him, because failing Hero is the same as failing Beatrice herself.

this is how she knows Benedick really does love her. when he's ready to give up his past life and the two best friends he has, she knows that he loves her as a part of himself. he's willing to sacrifice what's important to him because he shares her beliefs, and it hurts her, and that hurts him. that's exactly what Beatrice was prepared to do for Hero.

to appreciate the full weight of what Benedick is willing to do for Beatrice, you have to understand what she's willing to do for Hero. because that's how she sees it.

[janesaustenss]

i love how benedick says “i do love nothing in the world so well as you” to beatrice. not as “much” but as “well”. not just because they know each other already due to their relationship in the past prior to the play, but also because they mirror each other. they’re equals in terms of their wit and their convictions. and what’s a better show of love than knowing someone inside and out as much as you know yourself?