Don Pedro thought that Beatrice and Benedick will be perfect for husband and wife as they enjoyed talking and they were very witty. Leonato wasn’t as sure as Don Pedro but decided to help him to get them together. Claudio and Hero decided to help them as well, as their marriage was already dated. The prince thought that if they pretended that Beatrice liked Benedick then it would make him believe that she actually liked her. And same for Beatrice pretend that Benedick liked her.
The prince, Leonato and Claudio found their perfect chance when they found Benedick reading in the garden quietly. They started talking loudly and pretended that Beatrice loved Benedick. He started to believe that Beatrice actually loved him, and when she came to tell him its lunch time, he fell in love with her. The same happened to Beatrice. And she started to believe it as well.
Everything looked positive and happy until her wedding day. The prince’s half brother Don John, who was with the soldiers, was a wicked man. He didn’t like his brother prince and also hated Claudio as they were friends. He was determined to prevent Claudio’s marriage to Hero. Just to make the prince and Claudio unhappy. Don John hired a man called Borachio. He was in love with Hero’s attendant, Margaret. Don John told Borachio to persuade Margaret to talk to him from her lady’s bedroom window the night before the marriage, when Hero was a sleep. She was to dress like Hero so when the prince and Claudio saw Margaret and Borachio outside it would look like Hero. Claudio and the prince were angry and decided to make her embarrassed tomorrow, on their wedding day.
As Claudio and Hero were standing in front of the priest, Claudio, angrily, spoke to Hero accusing her and blaming her. Leonato who was also horrified, not knowing what to do asked the prince for help. Prince denied as he knew what ‘Hero’ did last night.
Beatrice who was angry and shocked told Benedick to kill Claudio, he denied to kill him as there was a misunderstanding between them all.
Leonato who was also angry for what prince and Claudio did to Hero decided to pretend that Hero was dead. Benedick in the end came to Claudio and challenged him to answer with his sword for the injury he had done to Hero. While the prince Claudio and Benedick were still discussing, a magistrate brought Borachio as a prisoner before the prince. Borachio had been overheard discussing the mischief Don John had employed him to do.
Claudio was heartbroken and sad that he had false accused Hero and now she’s dead. Claudio begged Leonato for forgiveness for the cruel words and death of Hero. He promised to do what Leonato asked him to do. Leonato would forgive him if he marries his brother’s daughter instead of ‘dead’ Hero.
Claudio spent that evening mourning over Hero’s tomb. When morning came Claudio and the prince marched to the church where the good priest Leonato and his niece was there. Leonato introduced Claudio to his promised bride. Hero had a mask on so that no one could see her face. Claudio said ‘give me your hand, before this holy priest. I will be your husband if you will marry me.’
Hero, taking off her mask and answered ‘and when I lived, I was your other wife,’
Everyone was amazed as they all believed that hero was dead. But Benedick interrupted with a proposal to Beatrice. Beatrice wasn’t so sure about the marriage and realized that both of them have been tricked into believing love where there wasn’t one in the first place. To end the story don john was caught and brought back to Messina, the punishment for this gloomy and miserable man was to enjoy a fest which took in Messina for the celebration of two marriages.
