Hero's Death
When it is discovered that Hero is innocent, her father and Beatrice still maintain that she is dead in order to punish Claudio and help Hero restore her reputation. Claudio performs all the necessary funereal ceremonies for Hero, including writing an epitaph that explains how her reputation was lost but will be regained in Heaven. Hero's false death is a symbolic one, as it emphasizes how her shameful reputation must be "buried" in order for Claudio to marry her. Hero is essentially reborn at the end of the play as the chaste maiden Claudio originally loved, and her "death" becomes a social ritual by which her name and image can be fully restored.
Clothing
Clothing is a both a symbol of status in the play and a symbol of love. For many characters, their clothing reveals their social position or state of mind. When Benedick is no longer in his soldier's uniform, for example, his disheveled appearance is what reveals his suffering under his love for Beatrice. More telling, however, is the remark that Conrade makes to Borachio about fashions changing too quickly. Fashion and apparel become symbolic of love in the play, as characters change their sentiments toward one another as quickly as they would change clothes.
Horns
There are frequent references to animals' horns throughout the play, which serve as symbols for marriage and more specifically the "tamed" man who takes a wife. The phrase "wearing the horns" was also, at the time, a reference to cuckoldry – or a husband whose wife was unfaithful. The numerous mentions of horned animals emphasize the characters' anxieties and suspicions about marriage, which grows into excitement and pleasure by the end of the play.
Notes
Readers may notice how often the play uses the verb "note" to describe characters' perceptions of one another – to see another character is to "note" their behavior, emphasizing the importance of reading people in the play. Literal notes – like the letters that bring Benedick and Beatrice together – also appear as vehicles for plot development. The play ultimately approaches the phenomenon of "noting" with a playful irony, as what becomes central to the conflict and resolution is actually mis-noting or misreading others' behavior. Finally, the word "nothing," at the time, would have been pronounced like "noting," rendering even the title of the play a commentary on the nature of misinterpretation.
War
Throughout the play, martial language is used to symbolize the trials and power struggles inherent to love and relationships. The banter between Benedick and Beatrice is described as a "merry war," and each character delights in perceiving themself as a soldier for their particular cause. It is important to note that violence in the play is almost always figurative; that characters frame their romantic and social conflict as a violent battlefield underscores their immaturity and sense of self-importance.
