Benedick had recently returned from fighting and vows that he will never marry.

Benedick openly flirts with Beatrice in a battle of wits to outsmart and out insult each other.

However it is obvious that Benedick does love Beatrice and this is all a rouse.

When Benedick overhears Claudio and Don Pedro discussing Beatrices desire for Benedick he vows to be “horribly in love with her,” (II.iii.207).

In effect Benedick is simply trying to outwit Beatrice in the game of love.

Benedick is one of the most dramatic characters in the play. He continually performs for the benefits of others, he is an entertainer who indulges in wit and playfulness.

He delivers a perfect example of this during the masked ball when he exaggerates that Beatrice used him and he expresses to his friends that he would rather be sent to the farthest corner of the world than spend time with his nemesis. “Will your grace command me any service to the world’s end? I will go on the slightest errand now to the Antipodes that you can devise to send me on. I will fetch you a toothpicker from the furthest inch of Asia . . . do you any embassage to the pigmies, rather than hold three words’ conference with this harpy” (II.i.229–235).

As a result of his flamboyant nature it is not easy to tell if he is in love with Beatrice all along or if he falls for her during the play.

His refusal to marry doesn’t change over the play, however he does change his mind when he decides to fall for Beatrice. His refusal to marry could simply be a mask to hide his true feelings.

The change in Benedick is evident when he challenges Claudio to a dual over Hero’s unchaste behaviour. This is when the audience realises that Benedick has switched his allegiances from Claudio his former best friend to Beatrice.