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- $Unique_ID{SSP00917}
- $Title{Much Ado About Nothing: Act V, Scene IV}
- $Author{Shakespeare, William}
- $Subject{}
- $Log{Dramatis Personae*00900.txt}
-
- Portions copyright (c) CMC ReSearch, Inc., 1989
-
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
-
- MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
-
-
- ACT V
- ................................................................................
-
-
- SCENE IV: A room in LEONATO'S house.
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-
- {Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, BENEDICK, BEATRICE,
- MARGARET, URSULA, FRIAR FRANCIS, and HERO.}
-
- FRIAR FRANCIS: Did I not tell you she was innocent?
-
- LEONATO: So are the prince and Claudio, who accused her
- Upon the error that you heard debated:
- But Margaret was in some fault for this,
- Although against her will, as it appears
- In the true course of all the question.
-
- ANTONIO: Well, I am glad that all things sort so well.
-
- BENEDICK: And so am I, being else by faith enforced
- To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.
-
- LEONATO: Well, daughter, and you gentle-women all, 10
- Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,
- And when I send for you, come hither mask'd.
-
- [Exeunt Ladies.]
-
- The prince and Claudio promised by this hour
- To visit me. You know your office, brother:
- You must be father to your brother's daughter
- And give her to young Claudio.
-
- ANTONIO: Which I will do with confirm'd countenance.
-
- BENEDICK: Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think.
-
- FRIAR FRANCIS: To do what, signior?
-
- BENEDICK: To bind me, or undo me; one of them. 20
- Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior,
- Your niece regards me with an eye of favor.
-
- LEONATO: That eye my daughter lent her: 'tis most true.
-
- BENEDICK: And I do with an eye of love requite her.
-
- LEONATO: The sight whereof I think you had from me,
- From Claudio and the prince: but what's your will?
-
- BENEDICK: Your answer, sir, is enigmatical:
- But, for my will, my will is your good will
- May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd
- In the state of honorable marriage: 30
- In which, good friar, I shall desire your help.
-
- LEONATO: My heart is with your liking.
-
- FRIAR FRANCIS: And my help.
- Here comes the prince and Claudio.
-
- {Enter DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO, and two or
- three others.}
-
- DON PEDRO: Good morrow to this fair assembly.
-
- LEONATO: Good morrow, prince; good morrow, Claudio:
- We here attend you. Are you yet determined
- To-day to marry with my brother's daughter?
-
- CLAUDIO: I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiope.
-
- LEONATO: Call her forth, brother; here's the friar ready.
-
- [Exit ANTONIO.]
-
- DON PEDRO: Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what's the matter, 40
- That you have such a February face,
- So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?
-
- CLAUDIO: I think he thinks upon the savage bull.
- Tush, fear not, man; we'll tip thy horns with gold
- And all Europa shall rejoice at thee,
- As once Europa did at lusty Jove,
- When he would play the noble beast in love.
-
- BENEDICK: Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low;
- And some such strange bull leap'd your father's cow,
- And got a calf in that same noble feat 50
- Much like to you, for you have just his bleat.
-
- CLAUDIO: For this I owe you: here comes other reckonings.
-
- {Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked.}
-
- Which is the lady I must seize upon?
-
- ANTONIO: This same is she, and I do give you her.
-
- CLAUDIO: Why, then she's mine. Sweet, let me see your face.
-
- LEONATO: No, that you shall not, till you take her hand
- Before this friar and swear to marry her.
-
- CLAUDIO: Give me your hand: before this holy friar,
- I am your husband, if you like of me.
-
- HERO: And when I lived, I was your other wife: 60
-
- [Unmasking.]
-
- And when you loved, you were my other husband.
-
- CLAUDIO: Another Hero!
-
- HERO: Nothing certainer:
- One Hero died defiled, but I do live,
- And surely as I live, I am a maid.
-
- DON PEDRO: The former Hero! Hero that is dead!
-
- LEONATO: She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived.
-
- FRIAR FRANCIS: All this amazement can I qualify:
- When after that the holy rites are ended,
- I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death:
- Meantime let wonder seem familiar, 70
- And to the chapel let us presently.
-
- BENEDICK: Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?
-
- BEATRICE: [Unmasking] I answer to that name. What is your will?
-
- BENEDICK: Do not you love me?
-
- BEATRICE: Why, no; no more than reason.
-
- BENEDICK: Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio
- Have been deceived; they swore you did.
-
- BEATRICE: Do not you love me?
-
- BENEDICK: Troth, no; no more than reason.
-
- BEATRICE: Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula
- Are much deceived; for they did swear you did.
-
- BENEDICK: They swore that you were almost sick for me.
-
- BEATRICE: They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me. 80
-
- BENEDICK: 'Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me?
-
- BEATRICE: No, truly, but in friendly recompense.
-
- LEONATO: Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.
-
- CLAUDIO: And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her;
- For here's a paper written in his hand,
- A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
- Fashion'd to Beatrice.
-
- HERO: And here's another
- Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket,
- Containing her affection unto Benedick.
-
- BENEDICK: A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts. 90
- Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take
- thee for pity.
-
- BEATRICE: I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield
- upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life,
- for I was told you were in a consumption.
-
- BENEDICK: Peace! I will stop your mouth.
-
- [Kissing her.]
-
- DON PEDRO: How dost thou, Benedick, the married man?
-
- BENEDICK: I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of
- wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humor. Dost
- thou think I care for a satire or an epigram? No: 100
- if a man will be beaten with brains, a' shall wear
- nothing handsome about him. In brief, since I do
- purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any
- purpose that the world can say against it; and
- therefore never flout at me for what I have said
- against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my
- conclusion. For thy part, Claudio, I did think to
- have beaten thee, but in that thou art like to be my
- kinsman, live unbruised and love my cousin.
-
- CLAUDIO: I had well hoped thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, 110
- that I might have cudgelled thee out of thy single
- life, to make thee a double-dealer; which, out of
- question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look
- exceedingly narrowly to thee.
-
- BENEDICK: Come, come, we are friends: let's have a dance ere
- we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts
- and our wives' heels.
-
- LEONATO: We'll have dancing afterward.
-
- BENEDICK: First, of my word; therefore play, music. Prince,
- thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife: 120
- there is no staff more reverend than one tipped with
- horn.
-
- {Enter a Messenger.}
-
- Messenger: My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight,
- And brought with armed men back to Messina.
-
- BENEDICK: Think not on him till to-morrow:
- I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.
- Strike up, pipers.
-
- [Dance.]
-
- [Exeunt.]
-