Final answer:
Beatrice eavesdrops on Hero and Ursula in 'Much Ado About Nothing' and is led to believe that Benedick loves her, which changes her own feelings toward him.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the scene where Beatrice is eavesdropping on the conversation between Hero and Ursula, she is tricked into believing that Benedick is in love with her. This scene is a critical comedic device used in the play 'Much Ado About Nothing' by William Shakespeare. This technique is known as the 'gulling' scene, where a character is deceived to move the plot forward. Through the clever manipulation of words and actions by Hero and Ursula, Beatrice is led to the conclusion that Benedick harbors deep affections for her, which in turn sparks a change in her own feelings towards him.
The overarching effect of this moment is that it incites both a humorous scenario for the audience and a transformation in Beatrice's character. She starts to consider Benedick's qualities more favorably and contemplates the idea of romance between them. This pivotal moment of character development is a result of the artful practice of eavesdropping, which is frequently used as a plot mechanism in Shakespeare's plays. It often leads to misunderstandings, comic relief, and in this case, the evolution of a character's perspective on love.