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Claire Conrad, Joseph Sims, and Carolina Hernández-Acosta

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Claire Conrad, Joseph Sims, and Carolina Hernández-Acosta

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In Shakespeare’s comedy play, Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick was a soldier returning from a victory in war. When he came back, within the first few nights, he and the soldier men attended the mask party, and the ladies had to guess who was under what cover they have to decide. As an amazon item Benedick would possibly buy or search, I selected the Musical Carnival Mardi Gras Masquerade Mask  because of the mask party. In addition to the mask, The Snark Bible, an insult and joke collection book also matched well with Benedick based on his actions in the first part of the play.

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Benedick's secret, private Spotify playlist... 

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Benedick's secret, private Spotify playlist... 

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In Shakespeare’s comedy play, Much Ado About Nothing, aristocratic soldier Benedick, returned from a victorious win in war, and vowed that he would never marry; determined to remain a bachelor. From his first appearance in the play, he displayed his witty character from his interaction with Beatrice. Both Benedick and Beatrice often engaged in conversations only to essentially put down one another, or outwit and out-insult the other with harsh puns or jokes. For example, when Beatrice was quick to throw comments and teasing to Benedick at his arrival, Benedick also didn’t hold back and fired back claiming, “But it is certain I [Benedick] am loved of all ladies, only you [Beatrice] excepted. And I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none.” (A1,S1) Based on this quote from Benedick, and the intense dialogue between Beatrice, I felt the best song to fit their initial dynamic in the play was Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar. Benedick and Beatrice’s back and forth bursts of critiques, insults and put-downs align well with the song’s lyrics such as, “Knock me down, it's all in vain // I get right back on my feet again // Hit me with your best shot” Contrary to the facade Benedick strongly portrayed throughout the play, his obdurate declaration to not marry took a sudden, unexpected change. In Leonato’s garden, Benedick overheard the conversation between Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio as they discussed (intentionally for Benedick to hear) Beatrice’s apparent professed love for Benedick. Still bewildered by this absurd news, after hearing how secretly Beatrice still professed her undying love for Benedick, it enabled him to overcome his firm aversion to marriage, with the understanding that,“They [Leonato, Don Pedro and Claudio] say the lady is fair. ‘Tis a truth, I [Benedick] can bear them witness. And virtuous—’tis so, I cannot reprove it.” Based on this quote in particular, from Benedick’s ultimate change in character and intentions for Beatrice, I chose the song, Take On Me by a-ha. The instant turn of Benedick’s once bitter feelings for Beatrice, finally confessing his undying love for Beatrice as well match with the lyrics, “Today’s another day to find you // I’ll be coming for your love // Take On Me”. Hearing the confirmation of Beatrice’s strong feelings for him motivated him to return her love and finally act upon his true feelings. If it weren’t for this particular scene in the play and Don Pedro’s clever idea of the conversation, Benedick would’ve never become so quick to admit his change of feelings. Despite his earlier claims that he would never marry, he softened and changed when he suspected that  Beatrice loved him. Without the encouragement from others, the ambivalent fondness and misconceptions between two people can often restrain them from ever declaring their true feelings.
(There are other songs I selected for the playlist I also think apply or closely connect to Benedick's personality. The idea for the playlist was to follow the character development Benedick displayed in the production; starting with furry and rage against love and marriage, to gradually taking a change of heart and his perception)

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In this portion of the project, we were assigned to build a collection of Instagram stories based on Benedick. In the first few scenes of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick displays a humorous, but headstrong character, especially from his first interaction with Beatrice. Most of their interactions are portrayed in a teasing way, typically one stating something impolite or witty and then receiving another harsh comment in return. Because of their behavior throughout the film, I selected the first scene in particular to demonstrate Beatrice’s and Benedick’s complicated dynamic through social media. In one of the first scenes of the play, we see the mischievous banter between Beatrice and Benedick begin. As a translation of this scene, in Benedick's first instagram story, you see him responding to one of Beatrice’s stories that incited a public feud with Benedick who then responded writing, “Oh @sweetbeatrice, how forsaken you are…Tell me, don’t you have anything else better to do?” Benedick’s first instagram post is a translation, and to our group's interpretation, of his line in the scene, “What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?”, implying Beatrice has nothing better to do than complain and still talk on behalf of Benedick. Although both parties clearly established their strong dislike for each other, they continue to attempt to put down one another throughout the play. With that, the next instagram post continues with another one of Beatrice’s responses then Benedick quickly firing back with, “@sweetbeatrice, Whatever the case is, acknowledge this: I am loved by all ladies, fortunately of course, you exempted”. This quote is also a translation of Benedick’s original line in the play, “I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none” These selected quotes from Benedick in this specific scene demonstrate his lack of maturity & slight impulse and this situation how would likely replicate or look like on a social media platform. Oftentimes, Benedick continued with an unnecessary reply, which then kept the argument going. However, as seen in the Spotify playlist, Benedick was the first to finally confess to his undying love for Beatrice, but he was difficult to encourage to gain the confidence to do so; he and Beatrice were always so headstrong and solid on their beliefs and opinions of each other since the first scene. For some like Benedick and Beatrice, it is easier to display a assertive form or polite grace to shield their true emotions or thoughts.

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Benedick's Spotify - Carolina Hernández-Acosta

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Benedick's Spotify - Carolina Hernández-Acosta

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Carolina Hernández-Acosta

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Benedick