Shakespeare's presentation of the gulling of Beatrice and Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing".

Dramatically, the two scenes in which the friends of Beatrice and Benedick deceive them into believing that the love of the other is whole-heartedly directed towards them, is very appealing, and on of the reasons for this is the dramatic effects. Shakespeare delves into the deeper and more continuous themes of the play in this scene, both through the language and the visual actions, and one of the themes explored is the emerging of true …

…drastic change. "The world must be peopled," he emphasizes. There is a great deal of audience participation in this scene. The supposed plot gives an additional role to the audience in that its members share in the inside story--the fooling of Benedick. The irony lies in the fact that the plotters know that Benedick is listening to them. Benedick does not 'note' that the conspirators know his hiding place while the audience 'notes' both deceptions.