Leonato, governor of the Italian city of Messina, is excited: the Prince of Aragon, Don Pedro, is coming to town after a gloriously successful battle. Leonato is especially pleased to hear that a young Florentine lord named Claudio has proven himself in these battles and won much praise from his elders for his courage.

One person isn’t quite so happy: Leonato’s niece, Beatrice, asks if “Signor Montanto” will be visiting too. This is her insulting nickname for the Paduan nobleman Benedick—a man she seems to have negative history with. When she learns he will indeed be coming with the prince, she mocks Benedick wittily and mercilessly, calling him a coward, a glutton, and a fraud, especially untrustworthy in matters of the heart. Leonato explains to the befuddled messenger who brought news of the prince’s arrival that Beatrice and Benedick engage in a “kind of merry war” of wits and scathing comments every time they meet (1.1.57).

At this moment, Don Pedro arrives accompanied by Claudio and Benedick. Leonato welcomes them and introduces them to his daughter, Hero, Beatrice’s cousin. Benedick and Beatrice immediately start bickering, engaging in a lightning-quick exchange of insulting puns.