Wit and Wisdom in Much Ado

16 Pages·2012·1.19 MB·English

Rice University
Wit and Wisdom in Much Ado about Nothing
Author(s): Carl Dennis
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 13, No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean
Drama (Spring, 1973), pp. 223-237
Published by: Rice University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/449736 .
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Wit andW isdomi n MuchA doA bouNt othing
CARL D)ENNIS
Much Ado About Nothingw orkso n a distinctionb etween two modes of percep-
tion: the mode of "wit," whichr elieso n prudentiarl easona nd a practicale valuation
of sensorye vidence,a nd the mode of belief,w hichr ejectsr easona nd relianceo n the
senses for intuitivem odes of understandingT. he drama of the play residesi n the
protagonistsm' ovingf rom one way of seeing to the other; and theirp racticala nd
moral success is determinedb y theirw illingnestso lay down theirw itsa nd approach
the world throughf aith, throughi rrationalb elief. The anti-idealisticw it-playo f
Beatricea nd Benedick, which mocks the excesses of love as irrationalm adness,i s
based not on any experienceo f human natureb ut on fearo f the emotionsa nd on
foolish pride. When this wittyc ouple submitt o the censureo f theirf riendst, hey
rejectt he authorityo f autonomousr easona nd use the eyes of otherst o discovere ach
other and themselvesT. his act of irrationalb elief in each other's love helps bring
theirr epressedl ove fore ach otheri nto being,a nd laterh elpst hemk eep faithi n Hero
when all appearancesi nforma gainst her. Claudio, on the other hand, moves from
love to hate because his initialc ommitmentt o Hero is neverd eep enough to make
appearancesi rrelevant.
Recent criticso f Much Ado About Nothing
have tendedt o agreew ithM r. GrahamS torey'sc onvincingsu g-
gestiont hatt he play is about "man's irrestiblper opensityto be
taken in by appearances."l "Deception," Mr. Storeyw rites,
"operatesa t everyl evelo fM uchA do: it is the commond enom-
inator of the threep lots, and its mechanism-eavesdroppings,
mistakeso f identity,d isguisesa nd maskings,e xploitedh ere-
say-are the stuffo f the play."2 Whatc auses the characterst o
be so oftend eceivedi s one of thec entralc riticalq uestionst hat
the play raises. Mr. Storey attributesa ll the confusion to
man's innate "giddiness," followingB enedick's concluding
assertiont hat "man is a giddyt hing"( V.iv.1 07); but the termi s
perhapst oo impreciset o clarifyt hep articularli mitationosf the
protagonists.P3e rhapsa moreh elpfuls uggestionis made by Mr.
'Graham Storey, "The Success of MuchA do AboutN othing,i"n Discussionosf
2Shakespeare'sR omanticC omedy,e d. HerbertW eil,J r.( Boston, 1966), p. 44.
3Storey,p . 40.
Citations from Shakespeare in this essay are to 7he Complete Works,e d. G. B.
Harrison( New York, 1968).
224 WIT AND WISDOM
A. P. Rossiter,w ho considersa lmost all the characterst o be
"4self-willedse, lf-centereda,n d self-admirincgr eatures,w hose
comedy is at bottom that of imperfects elf-knowledgwe hich
leads themo n to fool themselves."4S urelyB eatricea nd Bene-
dick are betrayedb y theiro verreachincgl evernessw hen they
spy on their friends;C laudio is led astrayw hen he proudly
assumest hath is eavesdroppinggi vesh imt hek nowledgea nd the
rightt o vilifyH ero; and Dogberryh opelesslyd istortsf actsb e-
cause of his infatuationw ithh is own imaginede xcellencesB. ut
self-centeredneasnsd self-deceptioanr e suchg enerallyp ervasive
flawsi n Shakespeareanc omedyt hatw ithoutb eingf urtherd is-
criminatedt hey are not veryu sefuli n definingt he distinctive
attributeso f any particularg roupo f charactersI.n thise ssay I
want to try to sharpent he meaningo f the variousm istakings
and discoverieso f Much Ado, of the manyc hangesf romb lind-
ness to insighta nd fromi nsightt o blindnessb, y relatingt hem
to an oppositionw hicht he play developsb etweent wo wayso f
perceivingt he world. One mode of perceptionp resentedh ere,
which may be called "wit," relies on prudentialr eason and
practicale valuationo f sensorye vidence;t heo ther,t heo pposite
of wit, rejects practicalr eason for intuitivem odes of under-
standing.T he drama of the play residesi n the protagonists'
movingf romo ne way of seeingt o the other;a nd theirp ractical
and moral success is determinedb y theirw illingnesst o lay
down theirw its and approacht hew orldt hroughf aith,t hrough
irrationabl elief.5
The characterws homt her eadera ssociatesm osti mmediately
4A. P. Rossiter," Much Ado About Nothing,"i n Weil, p. 26. This essay appeared
originallyi n Angel with Horns by A. P. Rossiter,e d. Graham Storey (London,
51961).
The importanceo f the notiono f wit in Much Ado has been particularlyem phasized
by two critics,M r. WalterN . King and Mr. WilliamG . McCollom. Mr. King, in his
interestingar ticle," Much Ado About Something,"S Q, XV (1964), limitst he mean-
ing of wit to the use of word-play,c ontendingt hat the expressivep racticeo f this
kind of joking buries "natural instinct" under a layer of conventionalityM. r.
McCollom,o n the otherh and, contendingt hat wit is a positivef orcei n Much Ado,
argues that the play is "about the triumphingof truew it (or wise folly) . . . over
false or pretentiousw isdom," with Beatricea nd Benedickb eing the trulyw ise and
"Don John,B orachio, Don Pedro, Claudio, and even Leonato ... present[ing]i n
veryd ifferenwt ays the false wisdomw hichd eceiveso therso r itself"( "The Role of
Wit in Much Ado About Nothing,S Q, XIX (1968). pp. 166, 173). The problem
with this formulationi s that it fails to notice that the wit-playo f Benedicka nd
Beatrice has potentiallyn egativeq ualities that lead to self-deceptiona,n d that a
CARL DENNIS 225
with wit are Beatricea nd Benedick,t houghi n theirc ases wit
seemst o be not so muchr ationalc alculationa s a simpled elight
in verbali ngeniousnessi,n wittinessw, hicht he readera dmires
fort he sharpnesso f minda nd thep layfulnesosf spiritsw hichi t
betokens.B ut this wittinessa lso impliesa certainv iew of life.
Takingt he formo f playfuli nsultsb etweena man and woman,
it expressesi ndirectlya detached attitudet o love, a sophis-
ticateda musementat conventionarl omantica ttitudesI.t thusi s
not simplye videnceo f a quick mindb ut an indirecta ffirmation
of rationals elf-controals opposed to emotionals elf-indulgence
that carriesm an away fromr ealityo n the tide of feelingF. or
both Beatricea nd Benedick,p erhapse speciallyf orB enedick,a
lover like Claudio is a patheticl unatic.F rom a plain-speaking,
battle-lovinsgo ldierh e becomesa loverw hose" wordsa re a very
fantasticalb anquet-just so many stranged ishes" and whose
"soul is ravished[ with] sheep'sg uts" (IL.iii.21-22,6 0-61). The
wittym an, on the otherh and, keepingh is wits about him,i s
able to avoid anythingas irrationaals love.
The desireo f Benedick and Beatricet o keep theirp ractical
reasonsd ominanti s perfectlyu nderstandablef;o r theya re ex-
pertsi n thee xerciseo f theirc levernesasn d ranka mateursin the
exerciseo f theire motions.B ut problemsa risew hen theirb ias
towardsr eason deludes them into believingt hat theyh ave no
emotional selves that require expression.W hen this happens
theirv erbalw ittinessis used not so mucht o expose foolishness
in othersb ut to disguiset o themselvest he stateo f theiro wn
feelings.T o insult playfullya person to whom one feels at-
tractedi s a way of provingt o oneselft hat the attractiond oes
not exist. In Benedick'sc ase thiss elf-deceptioins also drama-
tized by his vexationa t Claudio's immediatelyf allingi n love
withH ero. To Benedickh is impulsivef riendis an imageo f his
own emotional self whichh e is unconsciouslyt ryingt o sup-
press;a nd his lamentsa bout Claudio's givingu p manlys oldier-
ship fore ffeminitleo ve expressh isu nacknowledgewd ara gainst
his own latentd esiref orl ove.T he wari s doomedt o failuren, ot
reliance on wit, in the generals ense of practicalr eason,l eads to errorm ore often
than to insight.T he opposition between pride and humilityi s doubtlessa crucial
distinctioni n the play; but Mr. McCollom does not make clear enough how the
mistakeso f Claudio and Don Pedro are attributablet o pride,o r how Beatrice'sa nd
Benedick'sb eliefi n Hero is the resulto f theirh umility.
226 WIT AND WISDOM
only because feelingsc annot be ignoredi ndefinitelyb,u t also
because a refusalt o acknowledget hemw eakenso ne's abilityt o
cope witht hemw hen theyf inallys urface.M uch of theh umor
of thee avesdroppinsgc enesw hereB eatricea nd Benedickd ecide
to take pity on each otherr esultsf romt he speedi n whicht heir
defensesa re brokend own.
Along with this distrusta nd denial of the emotions,a bias
towardw it is associatedw itha hard-headeds,k epticala ttitude
to human worth.B eatricea nd Benedickm ock loversa s being
not only impulsivea nd fantasticabl ut also prone to see value
wheren one exists.T heir battleso f wit take the formo f insults
because theyw antt o showt hemselveass beingu ndern o idealis-
tic delusionsa bout the wortho f the opposites ex. Benedick's
skepticisma bout women calls particulara ttentiont o itselfb e-
cause it involvesa completer eversaol f thec onventionavl iewo f
man as woman'sp ersuer.D oubtlessh is abuse of womeni s done
in part for sport. He himselfd istinguishehs is "custom" of
speakinga s "a professedt yrantt o theirs ex" from" the simple
truej udgment"o f his mores eriousm oods( I.i. 169-170). But he
would hardlya dopt ther ole of woman-hateirf i t did not corres-
pond,h oweverin directlyt,o somer eal aspecto f his own beliefs.
And when he doffsh is guise of the "tyrant"t o speak "truly"
about Hero, he stillr efusest o acknowledgea ny of hero bvious
merits.H e is still,a s Don Pedro says," an obstinateh eretici n
the despite of beauty" (I.i.236-237). If he does not actually
believet hat all womenm ake theirh usbandsc uckoldsa nd pris-
oners,a s he assertsh e does, he at leasth as seriousd oubtsa bout
the value of theirs ociety.T he shrewdm an of witk nowst hatt o
idealizea womani s to play the fool.
But all this shrewdnesos f practicalr eason turnso ut to be
blindness,n ot insight.B enedick'sp rudentials kepticismis not
based on any actual experienceo f humann ature,o n any spe-
cifick nowledgeo f particularw omen,b ut on foolishp ride.H is
distrusto f love and marriager esultsi n good partf roma n over-
estimationo f his own worth,f romh is seeingh imselfa s superior
in kind to women in general.H e givesh imselfa way mosto b-
viouslyi n his soliloquy in Leonato's orchard,i n whichh e de-
finest he womanw ho will be worthyo f his love: "One woman
is fair,y et I am well; anotheri s wise, yet I am well; another
virtuousy, et I am well. But tilla ll gracesb e in one woman,o ne
CARL DENNIS 227
womans halln ot come in myg race"( IL.iii.28-31 ). To be "well,"
to be prudentlyr ational,i s identifiedh ere with being imper-
vious to love, with completes elf-sufficiencByu. t since the ra-
tionale for this resistanceis Benedick'sr idiculousa ssuranceo f
his own perfectiont,h e wisdomo f wit turnso ut to be foolish-
ness. To identifyg iving" grace," givingu nmeritedf avor,w ith
finding" all graces,"a ll perfectionsi,n theo bject,i s to willfully
ignoret he necessityo f unearnedt rusto, f irrationalu,n provable
faith,i n everyb ond thath olds people togetherI.f strictlyf ol-
lowed prudentiawl it,w ithi ts proud demandf orp ositivep roof
of perfectionl,e ads logicallyt o a stateo f completei solation,t o
a repudiationo f the social communiont hat Shakespeare's
comediesi nvariablyce lebrate.
AlthoughB enedicka voids thisk ind of isolationb y fallingin
love with Beatrice,w e are givena grotesquee xampleo f what
can happen to the man of skepticisma nd pridei n thef igureo f
Don John. The melancholyt hat Don John admits suffering
from,w hichp revenths imf roml ikinga nyonea nd impelsh imt o
stiru p mischiefi,s finallyn ot the resulto f particularin juries
but the fruito f a morbidp ride that makes him considera ll
societyw itho thersa diminishmenotf his self-sufficiencWyh. at
seemst o aggravateh im most whenh e is firstp resentedt o us is
not so much his failuret o defeath is brotheri n theirr ecent
quarrelb ut his beingf orgivenf ors tartingit , since the forgive-
ness places him in the role of in inferior:" I had ratherb e a
cankeri n a hedge than a rose in his grace,a nd it betterf itsm y
blood to be disdainedo f all than to fashiona carriaget o rob
love froma ny.I n this,t houghI cannotb e said to be a flattering
honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing
villain" (I.iii.27-33). His claimst o self-sufficienctyo, " smile at
no man'sj ests" and "tend to no man's business,"a re of course
specious (I.iii.15, 17). Justa s in a lighterv ein Benedicks eeks
out the companyo f the womanh e overtlys purns,b ecause of
his suppresseda ttractiont o her,s o in a sinisterv ein Don John
spendsh is time thinkingo f ways to hurtt he people whomh e
overtlyp retendst o ignore,f eelinga suppresseda dmirationf or
themw hichh is prider efusest o acknowledge.
The greatm orald ifferencbee tweenB enedicka nd Don John
is rooted in the fact that Benedick is merrya nd Don John
melancholyB. eatriceh erselfp ointso ut thisc ontrast:" He were
228 WIT AND WISDOM
an excellentm an that werem adej ust in the midwayb etween
him [Don John] and Benedick.T he one is too like an image
and says nothing,a nd the othert oo like my lady's eldests on,
evermoret atling"( II.i.7-11 ). The overflowo f good spiritst hat
underliesa t leasts omep arto f Benedick'sw it-playis a safeguard
againstd angerousp rideb ecause it expressesa generald elighti n
human relations,a delightt hat makes isolationf roms ociety
impossible.T he world pleases Benedickt oo much for him to
rejecti t. The same kind of delighti n lifei s associatedw itht he
sportivea spects of Beatrice'sw ittinessS. he is, as Don Pedro
comments," a pleasant-spiriteldad y"; and her uncle, Leonato,
drivest he point home: "There's littleo f the melancholye le-
menti n her; she is nevers ad but whens he sleeps,a nd not ever
sad then" (II.i.356, 357-359). Wittinesst,h en,c an havep ositive
meaninga s well as negativeI. f, on the one hand,i t can be used
as a tool of practicalr easoni n the serviceo f emotionalr epres-
sion,d istrusta,n d pride,i t can also expressa light-heartepdl ay-
fulnessa, love of life,t hatu nderminetsh ev iceso f proudr eason
and bringsm an into communionw ith his fellows.T hus the
playfuls ide of Beatrice'sa nd Benedick'sw it-crackinpgr epares
us for theirt ransformatioinn to loversa nd theira bandonment
of bad wit.
Because Beatrice and Benedicka re duped into lovinge ach
other,w e may at firstn ot be inclinedt o see theirl ove as an
indicationo f an importants hifto f internapl erspectiveA. fter
all, the trickp layed on thems eems to appeal basicallyt o their
vanity.E ach decides to love the otherp artlyb ecauseh e is flat-
tered by the other'ss upposed adoration.B ut to move froma
pride that rejectsa ll potentiall oversa s unworthyt o a vanity
thati s willingt o reciprocatea nother'sa dmirationis to make a
crucialm oral adjustmentV. anity,u nlike pride,i s social; it re-
quirest he good will of othersi n ordert o thriveA. nd theg ood
will that Beatricea nd Benedicks eek is not only thato f each
other but the good opinion of theirf riendsT. hey are duped
successfullyb y their friendsb ecause neither wants to be
thoughth ard-hearteadn d disdainfulb y the people theym ost
respectT. heyw antt o fulfiltl hev alueso f theirc ommunity.
In acceptingt he criticismo f theirf riendsB eatricea nd Bene-
dick show not only a desiref ora pprovala nd communionb ut a
willingnestso lay aside a relianceo n theiro wn wits and rely
CARL DENNIS 229
insteado n the perceptionso f othersT. hey believeo n trustt hat
theirf riendsc an see themm orec learlyt hant heyc an see them-
selves.T hus Beatrice'sa cceptanceo f the criticismsh e overhears
is immediate:
Whatf irei s in minee ars?C an thisb e true?
StandI condemnedf orp ridea nd scorns o much?
Contemptf, arewella,n d maidenp ride,a dieu:
No gloryl ivesb ehindt he back of such.
And Benedick,l ove on, I willr equitet hee,
Tamingm yw ildh eartt o thyl ovingh and.
(III.i.107-1 12)
In submittingh ere without question to the censure of her
friends,B eatrices eems to be rejectingt he authorityo f auto-
nomousr eason.T his willingnesosf both Beatricea nd Benedick
to use othere yes thant heiro wn applieso f courset o theirv iews
of each othera s well as of themselvesW. hena t the close of the
play Leonato sayst hatt hel oversw ere" lent" theire yes by their
friends( V.i.23-26), he means primarilyt hat each was en-
couragedt o love the otherb y overhearinrge portso f the love-
lorn state of the other.T hough in this regardt hey are com-
pletelym istaken,t heirb eing deceivedi s perhapsa step in the
rightd irectionB. y rejectingo bjectivea ppearanceso f disdaini n
the other by a subjectiveb elief in the other's devotion,t hey
indirectlyr epudiatet he skepticalr eason that supportedt heir
disdain. To be sure, they are supportingt heirf aithh ere on
hearsay,o n circumstantiaelv idence.B ut theya re willingt o be-
lieve this evidences o quicklyo nly because it agreesw itht heir
own hiddend esiref orl ove. And if theya re in one sensef ools,
theirf oolishnesiss finallyv indicatedf; ort heirv erya cts of irra-
tionalb eliefi n each other'sl ove help to bringt heirr eall ove for
each otheri ntob eing.
That genuinel ove entailsg ivingu p the outere ye of reason
fort he innere ye of faithb ecomesc lear lateri n the play when
Beatricea nd Benedicka re testedb y the crisiso f Hero'sv ilifica-
tion. Beatriceh ere provesh er powers of commitmenbt y be-
lievingw ithoutq uestion in her friend'si nnocence.S he is the
only one, along witht heh olyF riarF rancis,t o given o credence
whatevert o the accusationso f Don Pedro and Claudio. She
requiresn o factuale videncef or her convictionr, elyingr ather
230 WIT AND WISDOM
on an act of subjectivet rustB. enedick'sp owerso f commitment
are testedd uringt hisc risisw henh e places himselfc ompletely
at Beatrice'sd isposal,a greeinge ven to obey her commandt o
challengeh is friendC laudio to a duel. He agreesn ot simply
because he wants to keep Beatrice'sl ove, but because his love
forh er enablesh im to trusti n the rightnesosf herc ommands:
Benedrick:T arry,g ood Beatrice,B y this hand, I love
thee.
Beatrice:U se it form yl ove some otherw ay thans wear-
ingb y it.
Benedrick:T hink you in your soul the Count Claudio
hathw rongedH ero?
Beatrice:Y ea, as surea s I havea thoughto r a soul.
Benedrick:E nough,I am engaged,I will challengeh im.
(IV.i.327-331 )
In acceptingw ithoute xternale videncet he absolutew isdomo f
his belovedB enedickp rovest hath e has abandonedt hee xternal
perceptiono f witf ort hei nnerv isiono f faith.
It has been arguedb y some criticst hatB eatricea nd Benedick
are comicallye motionali n theird efenseo f Hero, thatw e are
meant to laugh at Beatrice'sc ommand," Kill Claudio," and at
Benedick'sz ealous obedience.I f beforet he pairw eret oo witty,
it is contendedn, ow theyh ave becomet oo romanticT. his argu-
menti s truei n the literals ense thatt hel oversa re over-hastiyn
theirr evengea gainstC laudio,i n the senset hatt heya re ignorant
of how he was deceived.B ut in the largerm oralc ontexto f the
play this emotionali mpetuosityis a proof of the sincerityo f
their trust,a nd hence of theirm oral maturityO. nly through
theire motionsa re theyl ed to theu nprovablein sightt hatH ero
is innocent.C alm self-controaln d rationals iftingo f evidence
cannotl ead themt o thisa ll-importanttr uth.
As has alreadyb een suggestedt,o say thatB eatricea nd Bene-
dick abandon bad witi s not to say thatt heya bandonw ittiness.
Humorousjo kingc an expressa playfulnesfso undedo n a love of
life; and at the end of thep lay thep aira re as playfullyw ittya s
ever.N ow, however,t hen egatives ide of theirw iti s repudiated.
Instead of concealingt heir feelings,t heirj oking actuallye x-
pressest hem. Thus afterb riefa nd humorlessa ssertionst hat
theyl ove each other" no moret hanr eason,"t heys ubmitt o the
CARL DENNIS 231
evidenceo f theirl ove-letterasn d acknowledget heire motions
by theu se of wittyi rony:
Benedick:A miracle!H ere's our own handsa gainst
our hearts.C ome,I willh ave thee,b ut by this
light,I take theef orp ity.
Beatrice:I wouldn ot denyy ou, but by thisg ood
day,I yieldu pon greatp ersuasiona, nd partlyt o
savey ourl ife,f orI was toldy ou werei n a
consumption.
(V.iv.91 -96)
Wittineshs eret akest he formn ot of an insulti ngeniouslycl ever,
but an insult transparentlay lie. Their new wit is finallyd i-
rectedt owardst hemselvers athert han towardso thers.I t gently
mocks the fundamentailr rationalitoyf love, thoughi t accepts
thati rrationalitays an essentialp arto f life.
WhileB eatricea nd Benedickd evelop morallyb y abandoning
the perceptiono f skepticalr easonf ort hato f intuitivfe aith,b y
leavingw it for a higherw isdom,C laudio degeneratesin the
course of the play by rejectings ubjectivef aithf orp rudential
doubt. He compromisehs is initiale motionali nvolvemenwt ith
Hero by relyingo n his wits to understandh er characterT. he
fatalf lawi n his love forH ero is not its impetuosityf;o rt hough
it beginsr athers uddenlyi,t is based on somep riora cquaintance
and attractiona nd is directedt owarda womanw ho is intrinsic-
allya dmirableT. he flaw,r atheri,s itsl ack of depth.U nderneath
Claudio's impetuousa rdor is a latent uncertaintya bout the
rightnesos f his own emotionsa nd the value of love. This un-
certaintys hows itself firsti n the cautiousnessw ith which
Claudio tellsB enedicko f his feelingfs orH ero. Insteado f boldly
declaringh is love at once, he beginsb y askingB enedickf orh is
opinion,a nd when he later does acknowledgeh is feelingsh, e
hedgesh is acknowledgemenitn a serieso f gentleq ualifications.
"In minee ye she is thes weetestla dy thate verI looked on," he
tells Benedick (I.i. 189-190), guardingh is praise by admitting
indirectlyth e possibleb ias of his emotions.A nd whenh e later
asserts," If my passionc hangen ot shortlyG, od forbidi t should
be otherwise"( I.i.221-222), he seems to admita lack of com-
pletec onfidencein thes trengthan d stabilityo f his emotions.
This lack of confidencem ay perhapsr esultp artlyf romm ere