Symbol How the symbol is used Theme developed

Include cited evidence

Nothing “There, Leonato, take her back again. This quote is said by Claudio when
he is accusing Hero of being
Give not this rotten orange to your friend.”
unfaithful. He is making a huge
(IV.i.31-32).
deal and saying terrible things
over nothing but false information
and confusion. Therefore, nothing
symbolizes the miscommunication
and the lies given to Claudio by
Don John.

Eyes “All prompting me how fair young Hero is,
saying I liked her ere I went to wars.” (I.i.299-
300). This is said by Claudio, and this is his
initial perception of Hero.
In the play, there is a lot of
mention about eyes, while not
directly. When a character is
speaking of eyes, they really mean
simply perception, or the
perception of a certain person.
This quote shows this by letting us
see how Claudio perceives Hero. If
you really think about it, eyes just
symbolize status and perception,
two very big themes in this play.
 Symbol How the symbol is used
Include cited evidence
Bull/horns “The savage bull may, but if ever the sensible
Benedick bear it, pluck off the bull’s horns and
set them in my forehead, and let me be vilely
painted, and in such great letters as they write
‘Here is good horse to hire’ let them signify
under my sign ‘Here you may see Benedick, the
married man.’” (I.i. 215–219).
Beards “Indeed he looks younger than he did, by the
loss of a beard” (III.ii.45).
Symbol How the symbol is used
Include cited evidence
Masks Thou wilt be like a lover presently
And tire the hearer with a book of words.If
Theme developed
This quote is said by Benedick,
and in this situation he is trying to
prove that he will never be
married or find true love. This is a
symbol of Benedick's feelings
toward love, and it foreshadows
his marriage.
When Benedick shaves his beard,
he is starting to fall for Beatrice.
He attempts to hide this fact with
the excuse of him having a
toothache, but he really just
wants to look good for Beatrice.
This beard (or lack thereof) is a
symbol of Benedick's early signs of
love for Beatrice.
Theme developed
Masks are very important to the
story, for they helped Claudio
greatly by allowing Don Pedro to
 thou dost love fair Hero, cherish it, and I will
break with her and with her father, and thou
shalt have her. Was ’t not to this end That thou
began’st to twist so fine a story? (I.i.301-306).
Without the mask that helped woo Hero,
Claudio may have not loved Hero and the story
would not go anywhere.
War “…of this matter is little Cupid’s crafty arrow
made, that only wounds by hearsay.” (III.i.22-
24). This is speaking of arrows, a common
weapon of war back then.
disguise himself as Claudio,
wooing Hero for him. This sets the
overall plot into motion, so masks
definitely symbolize how the plot
and story started.
In the play, many characters
compare love to war. It has its ups
and downs, and its trials and
tribulations. Overall, war
symbolizes the efforts and trials
that both Hero and Claudio had to
deal with for love.