The Two Sides of Beatrice...

"And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee,
Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand."

"Oh, God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the marketplace."

Could the same character, indeed a woman, have said two such things? If anyone has either seen or read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, one had to have noticed Something going on here. The 'foul breath' that comprises the last quotation seems to, at best, nullify the sweet submission made in the previous Act. But what are we to make of it? Why does Beatrice, surely the 'strongest' woman in this play, suddenly succomb to this wild desire? Has she turned into something of a Lady MacBeth here, or is this a passing passion?
Some may be tempted to read no small amount of feminist criticism into this one...but one has to be careful in this case to note what sort of oppression is at work here. Throughout the play, Beatrice has no problem carrying on the sort of 'merry war' of words that takes place between her and almost every person in the play. She has a mind ready for anything, and a tongue to match. So why this sudden and almost inexplicable desire? I think the answer lay in the thing that she cannot overcome with wit - and that is slander. Claudio's words have the power to 'undo' Hero - the destruction of her reputation is among the very worst thing that can befall her, and Beatrice is powerless in this case to help her. The only honorable way to defend Hero is through action, though it is unfortunately one that Beatrice cannot physically accomplish. Benedick's promise to fight Claudio for Hero's honor seems to be the only means of defense, and even that bears no surety of her restoration.
Beatrice's fighting spirit is indeed admirable in many respects, but it is interesting that her wish (Claudio's death) never does get fulfilled, nor does she want it to by the time Act IV turns the corner. More than blood and combat, there is another subtler force at work in this play; its presence accomplishes more that swords ever could. It is strange that no argument, no 'paper sentences of the brain' , not even militant action could restore Hero's honor more than the four or five penitent words that come from the mouth of a common criminal. Over and over again, in the lives of nearly every character in Much Ado, we see the startling power of Christ's words..."And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free." With repentance comes remittance: Benedick is no longer bound to fight Claudio, Beatrice's words become mere 'foul breath', Hero is free to marry whom she pleases, and Claudio learns to put off his own foolish presumption.
We may say that Beatrice's intentions were just, but her means were rash and revealing. Though she is strong, she does not possess the fortitude that Hero embodies; instead, she tried to take matters into her own hands. By the end of this play, however, she does come to recognize and admire her cousin's quiet wisdom; thus humbled and truly strengthened, she now has the power to offer up her heart once more to the 'giddy thing' that is man.