The relationship of Benedick and Beatrice can be seen a contrast between typical conventional couples of the time such as Hero and Claudio. Hero and Claudio’s relationship is a conventional idealistic courtship of the time. Claudio see’s hero as a possession rather than a person. He asks “can the world buy such a jewel?” the use of the word “buy” is possessive, thus highlighting that he views hero as an object rather than an equal partner. This is reinforced through the use of the world “jewel”; this further highlights that she is expensive and is seen to a treasure, rather than a lover. This notion is further when Claudio retorts that “she shall be thine”; this can be compared to the Elizabethan times when the family of the bride would have to provide their future son in law with a dowry in trade for their daughter. The dowry was an essential part of a marriage as the dowry represented everything that a woman would bring to the marriage in return of everything the man would provide for them. The fickleness of their love is further explored when Claudio publicly humiliates her before leaving her for dead. Claudio refuses to marry Hero under the illusion that she has cheated, he asks Leonato to “take her back again”. The fact that Claudio does not question the woman that he swears he is in love with highlights that he does not truly love her he is willing to believe a man over a