Shakespeare balances seriousness and comedy in the play in two main respects, these are the types of characters, and the consistency in which both of these aspects are used, they are not over used but are uniformly spread throughout the play. One place where this sense of balance can be seen is in Act II Scene 2 and 3; Don John and Borachio devise a cruel plot to deceive Claudio into thinking that Hero had betrayed him. …showed first 75 words of 308 total…

…showed last 75 words of 308 total…play allow for different elements to be carried out. For example Benedick, Beatrice and Dogberry add humour to the play, while Don John and Borachio include the evil aspects that occur in all plays. Claudio and Hero are the central figures in the play and major efforts are made to destroy their relationship. On the other hand there is Benedick and Beatrice who contrast the other couple and add wit to an otherwise serious situation.