Act three scene one is 116 lines of comedy in which Hero and Ursula convince Beatrice that Benedick loves her by disgusing the matter within her earshot. This is the exact same way that Benedick was convinced of Beatrice's love for him, but with his friends rather than Beatrice's being the perveyors of the news. It is a comedic scene for the same reason that act two scene three was, the way in which the audience knows more about the situation than the main character in the scene does. Benedick doesn't really love Beatrice, we, the audience know this, but by making Benedick believe that Beatrice loves him and Beatrice believe that Benedick loves her, it creates a couple of comedic scenes. Nothing serious here.
In the second scene, for the first 71 lines, or until Don John enters, would you believe it, there is some comedy about how Benedick has "gone soft" (soft enough to *gasp* wash his face) but from then on till the end of the scene, it gets all serious. This is the scene in which Don John tells Claudio that his wife-to-be is "unfaithful" and Claudio, the gullable Claudio who believed Don John last time when he told him that Don Pedro had woo'd Hero for himself at the masked ball, believes him again. If only he had been engaged to Hero a little longer, actually got to know her a little more, possibly if he had, and this is a long shot, actually "wooed" Hero himself, he wouldn't believe Don John without proof. But as it is, Claudio actually plans how he will humiliate the woman he is supposed to love without any evidence but the words of one man, Don John. However, Don John ISN'T just one man, he is the brother of the Prince. Could it be that, by setting this play in a foriegn land that Shakespeare is trying to cover some sort of message here about the extreame misuse of power in autocracies? Could it be that Claudio is only believeing Don John's wicked lies because he is in such a high place in society, or does he only want Hero as a status symbol, and what sort of status symbol is a "disloyal" bride? Could it be that he actually wants to marry Don John, because it would seem that he'd rather marry anyone but Hero his defence for her in the face of the disloyalty allegations is so weak, nay, non-exsistant? To summarise, then, act three, scene two is a scene of two halves, comedic, then serious.
From 1 to 92 in scene number three is comedic. It features Dogberry, Verges and a couple of watchmen discussing what to do in certain situations, but it's main aim is to show the audience that these are the clowns/fools of the piece. The second half of the scene is also pretty comedic, but this time, it's between Borachio and Conrade, Don John's companions. Borrachio has just "seen" Margaret in Hero's room and he is telling Conrade about it and what he is going to spend his thousand ducats on. That description made it sound as if the scene might have a slight serious element to it, but it really doesn't, unless you count the two men being caught by the watchmen at the end of the scene and them being taken in for questioning at the police station (and probably tortured...).
In act three, scene four, nothing much of note happens, bar Hero getting ready for her wedding and the ladies establishing that Beatrice loves Benedick in the same way that he loves her, but not in a particually comedic way.
Scene five of the act is also pretty light on content, i'm afraid! In it, Dogberry, the clown/fool tells Leonardo that they have captured "two knaves" but, being a clown/fool, does not tell him what they said about Hero. Despite including a clown/fool, though, this scene does not contain any comedic elements, or, for that matter, any serious ones either. It is simply there to push the plot forwards.
An interesting point about power in scene two. You could look at the play in a political sense for your essay.
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