the talkative lady has finally had her mouth stopped.

(Interpreted from the script not the movie)

Throughout the play both Beatrice and Benedick openly admit their disdain for one another, the only reason allowing them to loathe each other so completely being that they both feel the same way about love. Neither sees it as a virtue. That everyone around them seems to be preaching it doesn’t convince them of its worth since they can readily observe all the needless suffering brought on because of it. All of this brought on completely because of their failed past relationship, which resulted in both being hurt on a sufficient enough level to not only hate one another but also the weakness within themselves for even having the potential to be hurt in that way. Both, having defeated egos and being as witty/smart as they are, sought some way to retain at least some dignity (though for Benedick it is more superficially important to maintain the respect others have toward him, as well as his self respect [his “honor”, which is contradictory because if you live by such an ideal then you really don’t need the opinions of others to contribute to your self worth], whereas, Beatrice only needs to justify it to herself, which ironically is more noble.)

Then of coarse they’re tricked. Convincingly enough as to believe it to be true, by people whom they trust, who do it primarily for their own entertainment and secondly for the possible happiness of Beatrice and Benedick, which is in no way guaranteed. But they can’t possibly care about the secondary consequences (be it happiness or misery) because what they actually care about is either being entertained or, more simply, having the two finally shut up (I’d imagine everyone else around them would be sick of it by now, especially having heard it for the length of a war).

They really do think alike, share a past, have similar qualities, and in those respects it makes sense to say they are equal minded but I don’t see how almost grudgingly accepting each other can possibly last. I give them too much credit to assume that they’d be happy in staying that two headed four legged living breathing contradiction that they’ve become. If they have any wits left they would realize what was important to them, their own individual self interest before its too late (ending up with children along with regrets of goals that they were never able to pursue), and stop being that macabre monster that they’ve become.