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Dramatic Irony
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—'Tis a Principle:
In a soliloquy, Beatrice, who has fallen madly in love with Alsemero, praises him for his choice in friends:
BEATRICE : How wise is Alsemero in his friend!
It is a sign he makes his choice with judgement.
Then I appear in nothing more approved,
Than making choice of him;
For ’tis a principle, he that can choose
That bosom well, who of his thoughts partakes,
Proves most discreet in every choice he makes.
Methinks I love now with the eyes of judgement,
And see the way to merit, clearly see it.
A true deserver like a diamond sparkles,
In darkness you may see him, that’s in absence,
Which is the greatest darkness falls on love.
Earlier, she met Alsemero’s friend Jasperino, who impresses her with his sympathetic and helpful nature. Jasperino’s good qualities, she feels, reflect positively on Alsemero, who is “wise” to befriend such a man. Beatrice’s soliloquy highlights her irrational affection for Alsemero, who she praises in an exaggerated fashion. Her logic here is somewhat faulty; in a conspicuous fallacy, she declares it a “principle” that a man who exercises good or “discreet” judgment in his choice of friends must be similarly wise “in every choice he makes.” However, she is absolutely confident in her assumptions, arguing that she “clearly” sees him, without bias.
