The First Skirmish 

Beatrice & Benedick in the 1993 adaptation

The play Much Ado About Nothing written by William Shakespeare could be considered the first "enemies to lovers" story. With characters such as Beatrice and Benedick who seem to be rather quarrelsome, they significantly bring this trope to life. In this blog, I will be discussing Act I, Scene I. This part of the story does an amazing job showing of how the characters interact with each other. 

In the specific adaptation I choose, the 1993 version produced by Branagh, lines 114 to 143 not a single word is cut from this scene. Why this might be? I think this is because this interaction shows the direction of how Beatrice and Benedicks relationship will play out for a majority of the story. In this specific scene of the adaptation, no words of the script were changed or made modern. 

Beatrice & Benedick in the 1993 adaptation

 Bringing It Together 

When reading the interaction between our two characters, you can feel the tension. But can you really imagine exactly what they are feeling? Watching the 1993 version of this story, you really feel the interaction come to life. The emotion and almost playful but petty banter between the two is much more noticeable, and in my opinion, brings the characters to life even more. A specific part from this scene is lines 139-141, Benedicks character shows much needed emotion to help the watcher understand the humor of the current conversation. The lines state, "I would my horse had the speed of your tongue and so good a continuer, but keep your way i' Gods name, I have done." Reading the story, you might not find this to be as a joke, but in the movie, Benedick jokes and messes with his peers around him after delivering the serious blow. 

The 1993 Version by Branagh 

The beauty of the adaption is in every single scene. From the clothing, hair and makeup of the characters, to the props and backgrounds used to make the set. I believe that the producer did an amazing job at making this movie feel like it was from the time period it was written. I also feel that the lighting of the movie is almost romantic, the warm yellow color makes the movie seem more intimate. 

Beatrice & Benedick in the 1993 Adaptation

In the specific scene from Act I, Scene I, for a majority of the scene the camera is directly pointed on either Beatrice or Benedick. In very few clips in this scene, other characters can be scene in the background. These camera angles show the audience that the two characters are specifically talking to one another, and not the crowd. 

Sources 

Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Edited by Paul Werstine. Folger Shakespeare Library Edition. January 2004. 

Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. The Samuel Goldwyn Company. 1993.