Reading Journal (Much ado about nothing): Act 2

• Starts with Beatrice talking about Don John and how he gives her "heat burn"- effective dramatically since it shows how abrasive Don John is, but is quite a humorous piece of mocking
• Beatrice further her wit b saying that a man halfway between Don John and Benedick would be perfect, and goes on to encourage Hero not to bow down the whim of her father
• The masked party scene is a comedic highlight of the play- being open to much experiment dramatically in terms of staging etc (i.e. the gender reversal in the RSC version)
• foreshadowing of a later dramatic climax is when claudio believes Don Pedro "woos for himself"- thanks to Don John- but this quickly resolved
• After Don John's plan fails, Borachio reveals he has access to Hero chambers and her chamber maid, so they plot to frame Hero with adultery- setting us up for a dramatic climax in the next act