“Tomorrow,” Benedick promises, “I will devise thee brave punishments for him.” He knows how much it hurts Don Pedro to dole out retribution in the mildest circumstances, and so much more so when he half-believes that he should also bend under a heavy weight for what has been done to the innocent Hero, but especially when the brother he dearly wanted to trust again turned out to be the author of all.

Benedick will willingly take on that burden for his friend, in place of the duel to which he challenged the count Claudio for Beatrice’s sake; it’s the least he owes her.