Shakespeare uses this play to show how appearance and reality are not always the same thing. At the beginning we see the apparent enemies, Benedick and Beatrice, engaging in witty banter that verges sometimes on the cruel. However, they are tricked into acknowledging their real feelings of love for one another.
Other examples of this theme can be seen in the masked ball, where mistaken identity is the cause of confusion and upset for both Claudio and Benedick. In the gulling scene, Benedick appears to hear his friends talk about Beatrice's love for him, but in reality the audience knows they are playing a trick.
In darker examples of the theme, Don John fools Claudio into believing his wife-to-be is untrustworthy by apparently showing him a scene of unfaithfulness. When Hero is accused, Leonato makes it appear that his daughter is dead.
