Elements of Comedy- Act 2 Scene 3
OLD COMEDY
Bawdiness:

• 'there's not a note of mine that's worth the noting' (54) sexual reference, noting, note= penis

Double entendre:

• 'I cannot tell what to think of it. But that she loves him with an enraged affection' (103) punctuation causes double meaning. 
• 'she found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet?' (137) sexual innuendo found them between the sheets literally, or the letters

NEW COMEDY
Romance:

• 'she loves him with enraged affection' (102) romantic reference to feelings for Benedick
• 'That's her torment' (126) her love is destroying her, romantic
• 'she'll be up twenty times a night' (131) can't sleep, love is so strong
• 'down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses' (146) she is distraught

Reuniting:

• 'Here comes Beatrice. By this day, she's a fair lady!' Benedick and Beatrice reunited. Interesting because Benedick now knows she loves him, different tone lighter, kinder 

Fast Paced:

• 'I did never think that lady would have loved any man' (94) witty comments in a fast paced conversation about Beatrice

Witty:

• 'We'll fit the kid-fox with a pennyworth' (39) 
• 'torment the poor lady worse' (155)
• 'he is unworthy so good a lady' (202) reverse psychology
• 'merely a dumb-show' (210)
• 'you take pleasure, then, in the message?' (244)

Gulling/deception

• 'See you where Benedick hath hid himself?' (38) they know Benedick is there and within ear shot
• 'What was it you told me of today? That your niece was in love with Signor Benedick?' (92) setting up the gulling of Benedick
• 'she should so dote on Signor Benedick' (98) Beatrice loves him
• 'she loves him with an enraged affection' (103)
• 'Bait the hook well, this fish will bite!' (110)
• 'she will do a desperate outrage to herself' (150)
• 'she's an excellent sweet lady... she is virtuous' (157)
• 'Hero thinks surely she will die' (170)
• ''tis very possible he will scorn it' (176)
• 'this can be no trick' (213)

Elements of comedy act 2 scene 2
NEW COMEDY
Witt:

• 'I can cross it' 

Gulling/ deception:

• 'Tell them that you know that Hero loves me' (30) 

Elements of Comedy- Act 2 Scene 1
OLD COMEDY
Bawdiness:

• 'she's too curst'- raunchy (line 18) double entendre
• 'deliver I up my apes' (4)
• 'I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband' sexual innuendo (50) double entendre
• 'with his bad legs falls into the clinque-pace...til he sink into his grave' (69) obscene innuendo for marriage with a wrong suiter
• 'Here's his dry hand up and down' (107)
• 'I will but teach them to sing' (215) notes, noting- penis double entendre

NEW COMEDY
Romance:

• 'He'll but break a comparison or two on me ' (133)

Reuniting:

Fast Paced:

• 'especially when I walk away' (79) 'My visor is Philemon's roof' 'your visor should be thatched'
• 'I have many ill qualities' 'Which is one? 'I say my prayers aloud' (90)
• 'I know you by the waggling of your head' (104) 'I counterfeit him'
• 'I pray you leave me'(181)

Witty:

• 'Not til God make men of some other metal than Earth' (52)
• 'the devil meet me... Beatrice, get you to heaven' (39)
• 'I have a good eye, Uncle' (72)
• 'I know you by the waggling of your head' (104)
• 'do you think I do not know you by your excellent wit?' (111)
• 'I had my good wit out of The Hundred Merry Tales' (118)
• 'he is the prince's jester, a very dull fool; only his gift is in devising impossible slanders' (125)
• 'now you strike like the blind man!' (182)

Gulling/deception

• 'Are you not Signor Benedick?' (146) 'dissuade him from her, she is no equal for his birth' 'he swore he would marry her tonight'

Critical Interpretations Relevant to Act 2 Scenes 1-3
'The theatre (SIC) audience's assumption of its own privileged position as caves dropper is undercut by the frequency with which the play's characters are deceived by their assumptions that eavesdropping offers unproblematic access to truth'. Nova Myhill 1999

'The theatre (SIC) auidience is denied direct access to the pivotal moments in Don Pedro and Claudio's courtship of Her- Don Pedro's wooing of her at the masked ball and the scene of Margaret and Barachio at Hero's window- and instead must cope with the multiple and contradictive narratives' Nova Myhill 1999

Group Work
Act 2 Scene 1: Summary

• Don John not at dinner, Beatrice begins talking about Benedick
• Beatrice says a man half of Benedick's chatter and half of Don John's quietness= perfect
• will Beatrice ever get a man- 'saucy'. Says she's too picky
• not bothered being a 'bachelor' her uncle says she'll go to hell
• hell will send her to heaven where all the bachelors are
• Leonato still thinks Don Pedro will woo Hero
• Beatrice: wooing= fun and fast, weddings= slow and boring, marriage= regret
• masked ball, guessing identities GULLING/TRICKERY
• Don Pedro + Hero= wooing for Claudio
• Borachio + Margaret, Ursula + Antonio
• Beatrice + Benedick= Beatrice mocks him 'prince jester'  etc. Says if he tells Benedick he will mock everything she has said, says he's an attention seeker
• GULLING- Don John and his men approach Claudio ask if he's Benedick, tell him Don Pedro loves Hero and that he wishes to marry her
• Claudio admits mistake, not in love with Hero anymore
• Benedick teases Claudio- wear a 'garland of willow' as DP stole Hero
• Benedick tells DP Claudio= upset as he's stolen Hero, DP says he was courting her on Claudio's behalf
• Benedick mocks Beatrice- with her on Earth hell=sanctuary
• Beatrice talks about past relationship with Benedick
• Beatrice teases Claudio- orange pun
• Don Pedro announces he wooed Hero in his name
• Claudio and Hero happy
• Don Pedro says he could get Beatrice a husband, leads DP on- says she could marry him, she says no basically
• DP likes Beatrice's wit/ funniness
• Leonato and DP discuss Beatrice= nice, but won't marry, too mocking
• DP decides Beatrice should marry Benedick
• Week til C+H's wedding, attempt to get B+B together for fun, pass the time

Act 2 Scene 2: Summary

• Don John and Barachio decide to ruin C+H's marriage
• Margaret will stand at Hero's balcony dressed as her, flirting with Barachio. Hero= slut

Act 2 Scene 3: Summary

• Benedick sees Claudio in garden, Benedick teases Claudio- love has changed him now 'flowery' B wonders if love could transform him, discusses all qualities he wants in a woman
• B hides, sees Don Pedro approach C and Leonato
• GULLING- know B's there, announce Beatrice is in love with him apparently heard from Hero
• Beatrice won't tell Benedick- acts like she hates him, would be odd to switch suddenly. Deeply tormented by love, might hurt herself because of it
• Declare not to tell Benedick, he would mock it/scorn it
• out of earshot of Benedick, decide they should make the girls do the same to Beatrice
• plot to send Beatrice to fetch Benedick for dinner- misinterprets her speech, funny
• Benedick decides convo must be true- old Leonato was there. Decides Beatrice is great
• B+B talk, Benedick misinterprets her words
• decides he will love her