Comparison between beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing and Offred of The Handmaids tale?

Question

> Compare and contrast the way Offred in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Beatrice in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing view romantic love. Discuss 2 similarities and 2 differences (4 points). Explain how Offred’s and Beatrice’s views of love change over the course of the novel and the play (2 points). Here is my attempt: - Similarities 1. Both crave for a romantic relationship. 2. - Differences: 1. Beatrice shows that she doesn’t like men at first and claims that she never wants to get married. Offred has nothing against marriage and infact marries the man she has an affair with (her husband). 2. Beatrice doesn’t believe in love and marriage but in the end falls in love with Benedick and marries him. I don’t know the exact difference in views of love for Offred though. Please help me with another similarity and difference tooo. Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

You summed it up pretty much. Both women want romantic love, but Beatrice doubts it will happen for her, while Offred is optimistic and marries the man she sleeps with. Beatrice in the end marries Benedick herself. Their two views change and then coalesce in the end.