Character Descriptions
"Disdainful" lady who cares about what others think of her
Beatrice
Don Pedro pretends to be Claudio in order to win over Hero and later convinces Benedick that Beatrice loves him.
Deception
"I can’t promise that love won’t transform me, but I can promise you this: until I truly fall in love, a woman will never make me act like such a fool. I refuse to fall in love until all three qualities (beauty, virtue, and wit) unite in a single woman."
Benedick
Benedick says of Claudio: "His words are like a miraculous banquet, full of strange new dishes."
Simile
The mastermind who likes to play "Cupid" and match people together
Don Pedro
Don John stands up for himself to his man Conrad and states he would rather be a villain than a man who kisses up to his brother.
Honor
"I’m burning up with shame! Can this be true? Do people criticize me this much for being proud and scornful? Then I’ll say goodbye to my contempt and my pride in being unmarried!"
Beatrice
Claudio to Leonato when he notices Benedick listening: "Bait the hook well; this fish is going to bite."
Metaphor
The "jester" who never takes anything seriously
Benedick
Borachio will make it look like Margaret is Hero as Don John brings Don Pedro and Claudio to Hero's window.
Deception
"Find a time to speak with Don Pedro and Claudio alone. Tell them you know that Hero loves me. Pretend to be very concerned about both the Prince, who has compromised his honor by making the match, and Claudio, whose reputation will be ruined by this woman who’s pretending to be a virgin."
Borachio
Hero when talking to Ursula about what Benedick should do: "Like a fire that gets covered up, Benedick should smother his love and waste away."
Simile
The gullible lover who brought down his friend's brother
Claudio
After Beatrice calls him a clown and idiotic at the party, Benedick worries that others see him this way as well.
Honor
"Really, niece, you’ll never get a husband if you keep saying such harsh things about people."
Leonato
Don Pedro, wearing a mask, trying to woo Hero: "My mask is like the roof of the poor Philemon’s humble cottage; underneath the mask, I am as magnificent as the glorious god Jove."
Allusion
Mastermind behind Don John's plans who loves a lady named Margaret
Borachio
Claudio admires Hero's beauty which he later calls a "witch" later on.
Love
"By the god of love, I know that he deserves all that a man might possess. But Nature never made a woman’s heart as proud and tough as Beatrice’s. There is scorn and disdain in her eyes, and those sparkling eyes despise everything they look upon."
Don John talking about his brother: "My brother trusts me now? Yeah—as much as a master trusts the dog he muzzles or the peasant he “frees” by chaining a big block around the man’s foot."
Metaphor