What makes the play so interesting is that both Benedick and Beatrice go back on their word, they both promise themselves that they would never fall in love. Benedick does this by imagining a parfect woman and then quotes, "only her will I fall in love with". He refers to love as a trap. "Rich she shall be, thats certain, wise or ill none, virtuous, or I`ll never cheapen her, fair, or I`ll never look on her, mild, or come not near me, noble, or not I for an angel, of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair shall be...of what ever pleases God." Another important method which shakespeare uses is dramatic irony, he does this by making the storyline obvious to the audience, now that the audience know that Benedick and Beatrice will eventually fall in love, the audience are attracted, as thay also have the satisfaction of knowing what will happen before even Benedick or Beatrice themselves know.
When Shakespeare directs the 'garden plot' he intended for the characters of Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro to know the whereabouts of Benedick. The scene is set by Balthasar singing, "because you talk of wooing, i will sing, since many a wooer doth commence his suit to her he thinks not worthy, yet he wooes, yet will he swear he loves.", This sets the scene and as you can tell from the music, the next scene that will be commence will be a romantic one. The song will set Benedick in the mood for loveand so will make him vunerable. The attension of Benedick is captured by Don pedro when he announces quite loudly, "what was it you told me of to-day, that your niece Beatrice was in love with signoir Benedick?!" This is the part of the play which uses eavesdropping to lure Benedick into the trap of love.
Soon after act 2:3, in act 3:1 a similar scene occurs, this time the whole trickery scenario is used again but this time around Beatrice. Margaret was sent as a messenger to tell Beatrice of news which will make her interested and convince her to go down to the location of Hero and Ursula. When she arrives the trap begins, "Now begin for look where Beatrice, like a lawping, runs close by the ground, to hear our conference". Both Hero and Ursula use insultsand lavish praise on Benedick, as Heros quotes, "I never yet saw man, how wise, how noble, young,how rarley featured, but she would spell him backward". As you may have noticed, the ways of getting Benedick and Beatrices attension is quite different, Benedicks attension is captured by Don Pedro announcing he had heard that Beatrice was in love with Benedick and starts the conversation with this announcement, Beatrice`s attension is caught by Hero and Ursula gradually building up to the climax, when eventually she says, "are you sure that Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely?". Shortly after the conversation Beatrice asks herself in a soliloquy, "What fire is in mine ears?Can this be true?", she says this in disbelief. Beatrice`s reaction is disbelief that Benedick actually loves her, while Benedick`s reaction is totally different, he reacts as if he isn`t so much suprised that he is loved but that it is Beatrice thats loves him. This shows the difference between male and female in shakespearian times. Men were respected much more than women. Something which also helps Benedick fall into the trap is that Leonato says that it is true and as in Shakespearian times, Elders are respected greatly. "I should think this is a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knewery cannot, sure hide himself in such reverence."
Throughout the play, religion plays a big part, as in Shakespearian times everyone unquestionably believed in God. This is mentioned quite a lot in the play, for example; "And for her hair be be of what ever it pleases God", and "I pray God his bad voice bode no mischief" As religion was a big part in life, so was honour. Women were undoubtedly ruled upon in the relation between male and female. Women had to have purity and virtue, also for respected men to marry a women they usually had to have dowry. Beatrice is an unusual character in this repect as she did not have a dowry but was respected greatly by both male and female.
Although eavesdropping is mostly used in the two acts, Act 2:3 and Act 3:1, there are other circumstances throughout that also use the form of eavesdropping. When Claudio is decieved by Don John 'The Bastard'. He is tricked when Don John tells him that his wife to be is having an affair with another man. A plot is set up and Claudio unknowing of the deceitfulness of Don John is led to a courtyard, above the courtyard is a room which a shadow is performed acting as Hero, which tricks Claudio into believing she is cheating on him. Also another event in which eavesdropping is used effectively is when 'The Watch' are secretley listening in on a conversation between the man who acted in the set up of Hero`s so called affair, boasting on his triumph.
