How is Hero portrayed?

Hero is a foil to Beatrice, though an important character in her own right. She is sweeter than Beatrice and eager to please. In the play, she is most defined by her love for Claudio and for her general pleasantness. Benedick has no interest in her, as he proclaims to Claudio. She is, indeed, a "softer" kind of heroine than Beatrice. Nevertheless, the cousins show great affection for each other and demonstrate strong female bonds (an aspect often absent from Shakespeare's plays) as she conspires to get Beatrice married, or even simply when the cousins prepare for dinners, balls, and weddings together.