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Much Ado About Nothing: Act V, Scene 4

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Much Ado About Nothing
Act V, Scene 4

A room in Leonato’s house.

Why then she’s mine. Sweet, let me see your face.

John James Chalon, circa 1800

  1. Enter Leonato, Benedick, Beatrice, Margaret, Ursula, old man
  2. Antonio, Friar Francis, Hero.

Friar Francis

1
  1. Did I not tell you she was innocent?

Leonato

2 - 6
  1. So are the Prince and Claudio, who accus’d her
  2. Upon the error that you heard debated.
  3. But Margaret was in some fault for this,
  4. Although against her will, as it appears
  5. In the true course of all the question.

Antonio

7
  1. Well, I am glad that all things sorts so well.

Benedick

8 - 9
  1. And so am I, being else by faith enforc’d
  2. To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.

Leonato

10 - 16
  1. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all,
  2. Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,
  3. And when I send for you, come hither masked.
  4. The Prince and Claudio promis’d by this hour
  5. To visit me. You know your office, brother:
  6. You must be father to your brother’s daughter,
  7. And give her to young Claudio.
  1. Exeunt Ladies.

Antonio

17
  1. Which I will do with confirm’d countenance.

Benedick

18
  1. Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think.

Friar Francis

19
  1. To do what, signior?

Benedick

20 - 22
  1. To bind me, or undo me—one of them.
  2. Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior,
  3. Your niece regards me with an eye of favor.

Leonato

23
  1. That eye my daughter lent her, ’tis most true.

Benedick

24
  1. And I do with an eye of love requite her.

Leonato

25 - 26
  1. The sight whereof I think you had from me,
  2. From Claudio, and the Prince. But what’s your will?

Benedick

27 - 31
  1. Your answer, sir, is enigmatical,
  2. But for my will, my will is your good will
  3. May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin’d
  4. In the state of honorable marriage,
  5. In which, good friar, I shall desire your help.

Leonato

32
  1. My heart is with your liking.

Friar Francis

33 - 34
  1.                               And my help.
  2. Here comes the Prince and Claudio.
  1. Enter Prince Don Pedro and Claudio and two or three other.

Don Pedro

35
  1. Good morrow to this fair assembly.

Leonato

36 - 38
  1. Good morrow, Prince; good morrow, Claudio;
  2. We here attend you. Are you yet determined
  3. Today to marry with my brother’s daughter?

Claudio

39
  1. I’ll hold my mind were she an Ethiope.

Leonato

40
  1. Call her forth, brother, here’s the friar ready.
  1. Exit Antonio.

Don Pedro

41 - 43
  1. Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what’s the matter,
  2. That you have such a February face,
  3. So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness?

Claudio

44 - 48
  1. I think he thinks upon the savage bull.
  2. Tush, fear not, man, we’ll tip thy horns with gold,
  3. And all Europa shall rejoice at thee,
  4. As once Europa did at lusty Jove,
  5. When he would play the noble beast in love.

Benedick

49 - 52
  1. Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low,
  2. And some such strange bull leapt your father’s cow,
  3. And got a calf in that same noble feat
  4. Much like to you, for you have just his bleat.
  1. Enter Brother Antonio, Hero, Beatrice, Margaret, Ursula, the
  2. ladies masked.

Claudio

53 - 54
  1. For this I owe you: here comes other reck’nings.
  2. Which is the lady I must seize upon?

Antonio

55
  1. This same is she, and I do give you her.

Claudio

56
  1. Why then she’s mine. Sweet, let me see your face.

Leonato

57 - 58
  1. No, that you shall not till you take her hand,
  2. Before this friar, and swear to marry her.

Claudio

59 - 60
  1. Give me your hand before this holy friar—
  2. I am your husband if you like of me.

Hero

61 - 62
  1. Unmasking.
  2. And when I liv’d, I was your other wife,
  3. And when you lov’d, you were my other husband.

Claudio

63
  1. Another Hero!

Hero

64 - 66
  1.               Nothing certainer:
  2. One Hero died defil’d, but I do live,
  3. And surely as I live, I am a maid.

Don Pedro

67
  1. The former Hero! Hero that is dead!

Leonato

68
  1. She died, my lord, but whiles her slander liv’d.

Friar Francis

69 - 73
  1. All this amazement can I qualify,
  2. When after that the holy rites are ended,
  3. I’ll tell you largely of fair Hero’s death.
  4. Mean time let wonder seem familiar,
  5. And to the chapel let us presently.
Ellen Terry as Beatrice and Henry Irving as Benedick

Ellen Terry as Beatrice and Henry Irving as Benedick

Richard Jack, 1887

Benedick

74
  1. Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?

Beatrice

75
  1. Unmasking.
  2. I answer to that name. What is your will?

Benedick

76
  1. Do not you love me?

Beatrice

77
  1.                     Why, no, no more than reason.

Benedick

78 - 79
  1. Why then your uncle and the Prince and Claudio
  2. Have been deceived. They swore you did.

Beatrice

80
  1. Do not you love me?

Benedick

81
  1.                     Troth, no, no more than reason.

Beatrice

82 - 83
  1. Why then my cousin, Margaret, and Ursula
  2. Are much deceiv’d, for they did swear you did.

Benedick

84
  1. They swore that you were almost sick for me.

Beatrice

85
  1. They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.

Benedick

86
  1. ’Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me?

Beatrice

87
  1. No, truly, but in friendly recompense.

Leonato

88
  1. Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.

Claudio

89 - 92
  1. And I’ll be sworn upon’t that he loves her,
  2. For here’s a paper written in his hand,
  3. A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
  4. Fashion’d to Beatrice.

Hero

93 - 95
  1.                        And here’s another
  2. Writ in my cousin’s hand, stol’n from her pocket,
  3. Containing her affection unto Benedick.

Benedick

96 - 97
  1. A miracle! Here’s our own hands against our hearts. Come, I
  2. will have thee, but by this light, I take thee for pity.

Beatrice

98 - 100
  1. I would not deny you, but by this good day, I yield upon
  2. great persuasion, and partly to save your life, for I was
  3. told you were in a consumption.

Benedick

101
  1. Peace, I will stop your mouth.
  1. Kissing her.

Don Pedro

102
  1. How dost thou, Benedick the married man?

Benedick

103 - 113
  1. I’ll tell thee what, Prince: a college of wit-crackers
  2. cannot flout me out of my humor. Dost thou think I care for
  3. a satire or an epigram? No, if a man will be beaten with
  4. brains, ’a shall wear nothing handsome about him. In brief,
  5. since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any
  6. purpose that the world can say against it, and therefore
  7. never flout at me for what I have said against it; for man
  8. is a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion. For thy part,
  9. Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee, but in that thou
  10. art like to be my kinsman, live unbruis’d, and love my
  11. cousin.

Claudio

114 - 117
  1. I had well hop’d thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I
  2. might have cudgell’d thee out of thy single life, to make
  3. thee a double-dealer, which out of question thou wilt be, if
  4. my cousin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee.

Benedick

118 - 120
  1. Come, come, we are friends. Let’s have a dance ere we are
  2. married, that we may lighten our own hearts and our wives’
  3. heels.

Leonato

121
  1. We’ll have dancing afterward.

Benedick

122 - 124
  1. First, of my word; therefore play, music. Prince, thou art
  2. sad, get thee a wife, get thee a wife. There is no staff
  3. more reverent than one tipp’d with horn.
  1. Enter Messenger.

Messenger

125 - 126
  1. My lord, your brother John is ta’en in flight,
  2. And brought with armed men back to Messina.

Benedick

127 - 128
  1. Think not on him till tomorrow. I’ll devise thee brave
  2. punishments for him. Strike up, pipers.
  1. Dance.
  1. Exeunt.
finis
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