Much Ado About Nothing

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: 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

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,
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. 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. 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 humour. Dost thou think I care for a satire or an epigram? No: if 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, 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 exceeding 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: there is no staff more reverent 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 tomorrow: I’ll devise thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, pipers. Dance. Exeunt.

Colophon

Much Ado About Nothing
was published in 1600 by
William Shakespeare.

This ebook was produced for
Standard Ebooks
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Emma Sweeney,
and is based on a transcription produced in 1998 by the
P.G. Shakespeare Team and The Online Distributed Proofreading Team
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The cover page is adapted from
Esther Before Ahasuerus,
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