Guard Your Heart

I agree with Anna's comment that this passage is the voice of a play's self-awareness, but I think there may be other ways to interpret Beatrice's words. Just before this, Alsmero confesses his love for Beatrice, explaining that he has done everything he could to express his love for her, but he would gladly do it again. Beatrice's response to this is that he should guard his heart, for the eyes see what they want to see at times, and they do not necessarily discern the truth. Beatrice is not shunning Alsmero, but she wishes for him to be more cautious in his expression of love for her. From the moment that Beatrice first comes on stage, we know that she is a very passionate woman who can easily express herself, and she could easily repeat a confession of love to Alsmero, but instead she asks to be more careful in his words. He may be madly in love with Beatrice, but he could also be blinded by what he hopes to see in his future wife. Beatrice's ability to remain passionate but guarded is a characteristic that the other characters of the play should also employ.