atrice remained true to her cousin, unlike her rash uncle. Beatrice declared in certainty that her cousin had been wronged. Claudio is the gallant soldier just arrived from the wars in which he had distinguished himself. He can be considered both one of the heroes and villains of the play. He is a hero as Shakespeare deemed him worthy of a happy ending but also a villain for his treatment of Hero. It was proven very easy to trick Claudio as he accepted first Don John's insinuation that Don Pedro woos Hero for himself. Claudio condemns not the Prince's alleged deception but the feminine wiles he believes to have inspired it. He says, “Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent, for beauty is a witch against whose charms faith melteth into blood.” Claudio is tricked yet again by Don John into believing the figure that he saw in Hero’s window to be his modest bride and allowed no other interpretation. However, had the circumstances been different and his young fianc not be falsely accused, denouncing her and so thoroughly insulting her on her wedding day was dishonorable. Claudio has a very weak character. Despite her being, or perhaps because she was, so much more outspoken than most other women Bene*censored* fell in love with Beatrice long before Hero and Claudio ever met. It is out of the unfortunate couple’s dead love and disastrous wedding that Beatrice and Bene*censored* discover their love. She used her newfound love with Bene*censored* to her advantage, demanding that he kill Claudio. Bene*censored* and Claudio along with Don Pedro are very good friends. It is in Bene*censored* that Claudio first confides his love for Hero. As for the relationships of these four characters, they are very different as well. From the beginning it seems that quiet Hero, the ideal young lady and strong, honorable Claudio are to fall in love and get married. On the other hand, Beatrice and Bene*censored* appear to ha...
