Act 2, Scene 1 Summary

The scene opens with the masquerade ball. Hero, Beatrice, Leonato, and Antonio enter. Everybody is donning a mask, which adds to the confusion in this scene. The group comments on Don John’s “melancholy disposition.” Hero and Beatrice discuss the perfect man, and Beatrice sarcastically comments that the perfect man ought to be somewhere in between Don John, who never talks, and Benedick, who is constantly chattering. Beatrice is teased about her attitude toward men which will prevent her from ever finding a husband, to which she says that she does not want one. Leonato reminds Hero that if the prince should propose to her this evening, she should accept him.

When the music starts, people pair off. Balthasar dances with Hero’s servant Margaret, and Antonio dances with Hero’s other servant, Ursula. Don Pedro dances with Hero and begins to court her. Benedick dances with Beatrice, who either does not recognize him or pretends not to. She insults Benedick throughout the dance, saying that while Benedick thinks that he is witty others find him completely boring.

Don John sees Don Pedro dancing and flirting with Hero and decides to create trouble. He approaches the masked Claudio and pretending that he is Benedick, tells him that Don Pedro has decided to woo Hero for himself instead of giving her to Claudio as he had promised. Claudio believes Don John, and, when the real Benedick enters a few moments later, Claudio rushes out in anger.

Don Pedro, however, convinces Claudio that he has kept his word and has courted Hero in Claudio’s name. Leonato’s permission has been secured. Hero and Claudio declare their love for each other. It is decided that the wedding will be held in a week. Don Pedro, who admires Beatrice as a “pleasant-spirited lady,” asks her in private whether she would consider marrying him. Beatrice tells the prince in good humor that he is too good for her. Once she leaves, Don Pedro proposes to make Benedick and Beatrice fall in love with each other to which Claudio, Leonato, and Hero all enthusiastically agree to participate in his scheme.

Act 2, Scene 1 Analysis

This rather long scene can be confusing to the audience for two reasons. First, multiple characters engage in multiple conversations, and second, as all the characters—apart from Don John and his aids—are masked, it adds to the confusion even amongst the characters. This scene reveals several traits about the major characters of the play. Leonato and his family seem to see more into Don John’s sullen demeanor, with Beatrice commenting that she gets a “heartburn” whenever she sees him. Hero continues to be shy and ready to listen to her family in this scene. While she is receptive to Don Pedro’s flirtation, she promptly accepts Claudio’s love when it is revealed that Pedro was courting her on his behalf. Beatrice in this scene gets the better of Benedick in their war of wits, which eventually hurts Benedick who, by the end of the scene, refers to her as a “Harpy” and “Lady Tongue” and begs Don Pedro to send him on any errand, however ridiculous that might be, just to get him away from Beatrice. Claudio’s reaction shows him to be immature and susceptible, ready to believe and be outraged about whatever is told to him, even when that comes from a man who was his enemy very recently. This readiness to believe that his friend would betray him is disturbing, and Don John’s plotting along with Claudio’s gullibility ominously foreshadows the tragic incident that will follow. Don Pedro meanwhile fully plays the role of a prince, swiftly manipulating incidents around him, tying up loose ends, and even suggesting a scheme that will make two strong-willed people fall in love with each other.

Though Beatrice at the beginning of the scene insists that she doesn’t want to marry, a certain wistfulness shows in her comment as she watches the betrothal of Hero to Claudio: “Good Lord, for alliance! There goes everyone to the world but I, and I am sunburnt. I may sit in a corner and cry ‘Heigh-ho for a husband!’” When she rejects Don Pedro’s offer of marriage, the audience really doesn’t know whether she doesn’t want to marry at all or she has a specific suitor in mind.

Act 2, Scene 2 Summary

Don John learns of Claudio and Hero’s wedding, which is distressing him. He states that he is “sick in displeasure” of Claudio and whoever can ruin the count’s happiness, will gain his pleasure. Borachio claims that he can achieve this, and the two hatch a plan where Borachio will meet Margaret, who is his lover, outside Hero’s balcony at an indecent time where Margaret will pretend to be Hero. Meanwhile, all Don John has to do is tell Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero actually loves Borachio and bring them to the balcony where this scene will be enacted. This will serve four purposes—Don Pedro’s honor will be at stake as he had acted on behalf of Claudio for Hero’s hand; Hero’s honor will be tarnished; Claudio will be terribly upset, thereby ruining the wedding as nobody would want to accept a “contaminated stale” for a bride; and finally Leonato might be killed in the process for this betrayal done by his daughter. Don John is delighted at the brilliance of this scheme and promises to reward Borachio if the plan materializes.

Act 2, Scene 2 Analysis

This scene reveals the sinister motivation simmering below the merry-making in the previous scene. When Borachio states that his plan will be “to misuse the Prince, to vex Claudio, to undo Hero, and kill Leonato,” it is clear that Don John’s scheming is not restricted to just trouble-making but something far more deadly. The virginity of a woman was a crucial aspect of honor during the Renaissance time (which is when this play is set). A noblewoman’s virginity is a cause of concern where if there is any unchastity suspected, not only would this have led to the fall of grace for the woman it would have tainted the entire family. Further, this was such a scandalous concern that often it led to killings—a woman killed by her father, a husband killing a rival, or even the father dying of shame. Hence, this scheme is no more a mere prank. Not only will this ruin the wedding, but it will also be a permanent blot on the names of Leonato and Hero and possibly will lead to a few deaths should Don John get his way.

Act 2, Scene 3 Summary

Benedick wonders aloud the impact love has on other people. Love makes even the most intelligent people idiots. For instance, Claudio, who was such an eminent soldier fighting a war even a while back is now a moony-eyed lover, who now thinks of nothing apart from his wedding. Earlier, Claudio would have walked ten miles on foot to see a new armor, and now he will stay awake for ten nights just to sew a nice jacket. He hears Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio approaching and hides behind a few trees in the arbor. However, the men are aware that Benedick is present and decide to initiate their plan of making him fall in love with Beatrice. They begin to talk loudly, pretending that they have just learned that Beatrice has fallen in love with Benedick. Benedick is shocked to hear this and asks himself whether this is possible. Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio keep talking about how passionately Beatrice loves Benedick, and how they worry that her passion will drive her insane or make her take her own life. They say that Beatrice is afraid of confessing anything to Benedick for fear of being mocked. They finally agree that Benedick would be a fool to turn her away, and he might be unworthy of such a fine woman.

When the others depart, Benedick wonders about what he has just heard. Because the conversation also includes Leonato, who claims to have heard the story from his daughter, he cannot dismiss this as a mere fabrication. He admits to himself that though he is averse to the idea of matrimony, maybe he can change for Beatrice’s sake. He realizes suddenly that she embodies all those virtues that he thinks the perfect woman should possess.

At dinner, when he meets Beatrice, he is kind to her who, of course, unaware of the plot, insults Benedick in her usual manner. This doesn’t dissuade Benedick, and he decides to have a portrait made of her so that he can always carry her image with him.

Act 2, Scene 3 Analysis

This is the first instance of a contrived noting (overhearing) scene in the play; the other will be when Beatrice overhears a conversation about Benedick being in love with her in the next scene. The sole purpose of this scene is manipulative, intended to make Benedick fall in love. Benedick doesn’t suspect what he hears, considering Leonato is in the group, and says, “Knavery cannot, sure, hide himself in such reverence.”

The conversation also shows how Don Pedro astutely understands Benedick’s psychology. When he says Beatrice is in love with Benedick and that he would be a fool to turn her down, Don Pedro hits the nail on the head, and Benedick not only is averse to this idea but immediately seems to realize that he does have it in his heart to love Beatrice. When he says, “I will be horribly in love with her…. The world must be peopled. When I said I could die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married,” this eagerness perhaps indicates that Benedick may not be so disinclined about marriage after all. When Beatrice continues to mock him during dinner, he interprets each of these as hinting at love.