Much adoe about
Nothing.
it hath beenfandrie tunes pu
afted by the right honourablc,thc Lord
Chambcrlaine his fcruantt.
LONDON
Printed by V.S.for Andrew Wifc,and
William Afpley,
jdOO.
FACSIMILE OF THE TITLE-PAGE OF THE QUARTO
THENEWHUDSON
SHAKESPEARE
Tffi COMEDYOF
MUCH ADO
% ABOUT
^NOTHING
HENKfNORMAN
EDITED AND REVISED BY
EBENEZER CHARDTON
BIACK LDD- (GLASGOW)
AND COMPANY
BOSTON NEWTORK CHICAGO LONDON
ATLANTA. DALLAS COLUMBUS SANFRANCBO
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PREFACE
The text of this edition of Much Ado About Nothing is
based upon a collation of the Quarto of 1600, the seven
teenth century Folios, the Globe edition, and the Cambridge
(W. Aldis Wright) edition of 1891. As compared with the
text of the earlier editions of the Hudson Shakespeare, it is
conservative. Exclusive of changes in spelling, punctuation,
and stage directions, very few emendations by eighteenth
century and nineteenth century editors have been adopted ;
and these, with variations from the First Folio, are indicated
in the textual notes. These notes are printed immediately
below the text, so that a reader or student may see at a
glance the evidence in the case of a disputed reading, and
have some definite understanding of the reasons for those
differences in the text of Shakespeare which frequently sur
prise and very often annoy. Such an arrangement should
be of special help in the case of a play universally read and
often acted, since no two actors or interpreters agree in ad
hering to one text. A consideration of the more poetical,
or the more dramatically effective, of two variant readings
will often lead to rich results in awakening a spirit of dis
criminating interpretation and in developing creative criticism.
In no sense is this a textual variorum edition. The variants
given are only those of importance and of high authority.
The spelling of the text is modern except in the case
of verb terminations in -ed, which, when the e is silent, are
iv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
printed with the apostrophe in its place. This is the general
usage in the First Folio. The important contractions in
the First Folio which may indicate Elizabethan pronuncia
tion ('i' th" for 'in the,' 'rememb'red' for * remember'd,'
1 pamp'red ' for * pamper'd,' for example) are also followed.
Modern spelling has to a certain extent been adopted in the
text variants, but the original spelling has been retained
wherever its peculiarities have been the basis for important
textual criticism and emendation. The punctuation follows
to a great extent that of the Folios in the use of the colon
and the more important parentheses. In this way the spirit
of the original printing, which is often a guide to the original
interpretation, is preserved, as it is in the King James version
of the Bible.
With the exception of the position of the textual variants,
the plan of this edition is similar to that of the earlier editions
of the Hudson Shakespeare. It is impossible to specify the
various instances of revision and rearrangement in the matter
of the Introduction and the interpretative notes, but the en
deavor has been to retain all that gave the Hudson Shake'
speare its unique place and to add the results of what seems
vital and permanent in later inquiry and research. In this
edition, as in the volumes of the series already published,
the chapters entitled Sources, Date of Composition, Early
Editions, Diction and Versification, Title of the Play, Dura
tion of Action, Dramatic Construction and Development,
with Analysis by Act and Scene, and Stage History are
wholly new. In this edition, too, is introduced a chronolog
ical chart covering the important events of Shakespeare's
life as man and as author and indicating in parallel columns
his relation to contemporary writers and events. As a guide
PREFACE V
to reading clubs and literary societies, there has been ap
pended to the Introduction a table of the distribution of
characters in the play, giving the acts and scenes in which
each character appears and the number of lines spoken by
each. The index of words and phrases has been so arranged
as to serve both as a glossary and as a guide to the more
important grammatical differences between Elizabethan and
modern English.
While it is important that the principle of suum cuique be
attended to so far as is possible in matters of research and
scholarship, it is becoming more and more difficult to give
every man his own in Shakespearian annotation, but the
list of authorities given on page Iv will indicate the chief
source of much that has gone to enrich the value of this
edition. Especial acknowledgment is here made of the obli
gations to Dr. William Aldis Wright and Dr. Horace Howard
Furness, whose work in the collation of Quartos, Folios, and
the more important English and American editions of Shake
speare has been of so great value to all subsequent editors
and investigators.
With regard to the general plan of this edition, Professor
William Peterfield Trent, of Columbia University, has offered
valuable suggestions and given important advice. In the case
of Much Ado About Nothing particular acknowledgment is
due to Dr. Francis Kingsley Ball. To his critical acumen
and literary sagacity are due the explanations connected with
the return to the original text in I, i, 138-140 ; IV, i, 197 ;
and V, i, 16.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PAGE
I. SOURCES x
THE STORY OF HERO AND CLAUDIO x
BANDELLO'S NOVELLE x
BELLEFOREST'S HISTOIRES TRAGIQUES .... xii
A LOST PLAY xii
THE PERSONATING OF HERO xiii
ARIOSTO'S ORLANDO FURIOSO xiii
ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS xiv
THE FAERIE QUEENE xiv
THE STORY OF BENEDICK AND BEATRICE. ... xv
SHAKESPEARE'S EARLIER PLAYS xv
BENEDICTS AND BETTER is xvi
DOGBERRY, VERGES, AND THE WATCH xvii
FRIAR FRANCIS xvii
SHAKESPEARE'S USE OF SOURCES xviii
II. DATE OF COMPOSITION xix
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE xx
THE STATIONERS' REGISTERS xx
INTERNAL EVIDENCE xxi
ALLUSIONS WITHIN THE PLAY xxi
QUALITIES OF STYLE AND DICTION .... xxii
III. EARLY EDITIONS xxiii
QUARTO OF 1600 xxiii
FOLIOS xxiv
ROWE'S EDITIONS xxv
IV. DICTION AND VERSIFICATION xxv
PROSE xxv
BLANK VERSE xxviii
vii
viii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
PACK
ALEXANDRINES xxix
RHYME xxx
FIVE-STRESS IAMBIC VERSE xxx
TROCHAIC VERSE xxxi
LYRICS xxxi
DOGGEREL xxxii
V. TITLE OF THE PLAY xxxii
VI. DURATION OF ACTION xxxiii
P. A. DANIEL'S TIME ANALYSIS xxxiv
VII. DRAMATIC CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT . . xxxv
ANALYSIS BY ACT AND SCENE xxxvi
VIII. THE CHARACTERS xl
HERO AND CLAUDIO xl
DON JOHN xliii
DOGBERRY AND VERGES xliv
BENEDICK AND BEATRICE xlv
WIT OF BENEDICK AND BEATRICE xlviii
IX. STAGE HISTORY xlix
AUTHORITIES (WITH ABBREVIATIONS) Iv
CHRONOLOGICAL CHART Ivi
DISTRIBUTION OF CHARACTERS Ix
THE TEXT
ACT I 3
ACT II 25
ACT III 58
ACT IV 85
ACT V 105
INDEX OF WORDS AND PHRASES 135
FACSIMILE
TITLE-PAGE, QUARTO OF 1600 Frontispiece
INTRODUCTION
The main story of Much Ado About Nothing turns upon a
stratagem by which a lover, Claudio, on the eve of his mar
riage is made to believe that his betrothed, Hero, is unfaithful.
She has been personated by one of her waiting women and
so exposed to peril and disgrace. Claudio accuses Hero be
fore the altar and breaks off the marriage. The repudiated
bride is overcome with humiliation. It is given out that she is
dead, but the villainy of which she is the victim is unmasked
by the help of a pompous parish constable, Dogberry, whose
watchmen have overheard the story of the plot, and after
complications and disguises Hero is restored to Claudio.
With the more serious matter of the play is inwoven the
love-making of Hero's cousin Beatrice and Claudio's friend
Benedick. They appear first as witty and brilliant jesters at
love, flouting each other in an atmosphere of banter and
good-humored disdain, but by a trick their friends make
them believe that each loves the other, and the tragic rela
tions in which Hero is involved bring out what is deepest
and noblest in their natures. They agree to befriend the
slandered bride, and when Hero is restored to Claudio,
Benedick and Beatrice plight troth as man and wife. " Per
haps," says Hazlitt, " the middle point of comedy was never
more nicely hit, in which the ludicrous blends with the tender,
and our follies, turning round against themselves, in support
of our affections, retain nothing but their humanity."
X THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
I. SOURCES
The leading incidents of Much Ado About Nothing had
been the property of European story-tellers from the fifth
century onwards,1 and when Shakespeare took the old story
and introduced into it the high comedy connected with
Beatrice and Benedick, and made Dogberry and his fellows
defeat the machinations of Don John, he was true to his
usual plan of taking for the framework of a play a theme
of general interest and common appeal, and then adding
material for plot and motive from his own superb knowl
edge of human nature and humorous appreciation of the
important part played in the drama of life by man's oddities
and stupidities.
THE STORY OF HERO AND CLAUDIO
i. Bandelld*s Novelle. Capell 2 was the first to draw atten
tion to the parallel between the main plot of Much Ado About
Nothing and one of the tales (Novelle, printed in 1554) of
the Italian poet and story-writer Bandello (Matteo Bandello,
1480-1562). The similarity is in names and incidents. In
Bandello's story King Piero d'Aragona (cf. Don Pedro of
Aragon) has established his court at Messina after a success
ful war in which he has conquered Charles of Anjou. With
him is one of his favorites, Signior Timbreo di Cardona, who
is enamored of Fenicia, the young daughter of a poor but
1 Weichberger, in an article on The Original Sources of Much Ado
About Nothing (Shakespeare Jahrbuch, XXXIV), traces the story back
to the late Greek romance of Chcereas and Callirhoe by Chariton.
For an interesting Spanish variant, Tirante el Blanco, mentioned bj
Cervantes, see Dunlop, History of Fiction.
2 Notes and Various Readings of Shakespeare, 1779-1783.
INTRODUCTION xi
noble gentleman, Lionato de' Lionati (cf. Leonato). Like
Claudio in the play, he courts her by proxy and they are
betrothed, but one Girondo, who also loves Fenicia, conspires
to prevent the marriage. He insinuates to Timbreo that
she is disloyal and, to make good the charge, he arranges
to have his own hired servant, in the dress of a gentleman
and " perfumed like a lover," ascend a ladder and enter the
house of Lionato at night by a window in a lonely part of
the house, where Fenicia is often seen by day. Timbreo is
hidden in the garden where he can witness the proceeding.
Next morning the friend who had negotiated the betrothal
is sent by Timbreo to Lionato with the announcement that
he has broken off the match because of the disloyalty of his
daughter. The messenger makes the accusation in the pres
ence of all the family. Lionato declares that the charge is
only a pretext, and that the real reason for the rejection of
his daughter is her small dowry. Fenicia falls in a swoon ;
it is thought that she is dead, and preparations are made for
her burial. She revives and is sent secretly to an uncle's
country house; but to hush all rumors and suspicions that
may affect her good name, her father proclaims that she is
dead. Her obsequies are performed with pomp ; a monu
ment is set up in the church, and on it is placed her epitaph
in verse (cf. V, iii, 1-23). Girondo now becomes so tortured
by remorse that in the church, before Fenicia's tomb, he con
fesses his villainy to Timbreo. Timbreo forgives, and together
they go to Lionato and throw themselves upon his mercy.
Lionato forgives them and asks that he may be allowed to
choose a bride for Timbreo should he ever care to wed. A
year passes and Timbreo seeks the help of Lionato, who
introduces to him his former bride under the name Lucilla.
xii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
She has so grown in beauty and stature that at first Timbreo
does not recognize her. When he discovers who she is, he
begs her forgiveness, and he marries her under her old
name. Girondo meanwhile has fallen in love with her sister
Belfiore and become betrothed to her, and the story closes
with a description of an entertainment given by King Piero
in honor of the two brides.
2. Belief ores? s Histoires Tragiques. A free and somewhat
elaborated translation of Bandello's story into French was
made by Belleforest (Frangois de Belle-Forest Comingeois)
and published in 1582 in the Histoires Tragiques. Belleforest
speaks of his versions of Bandello's tales as enriched (" en-
richies outre 1'invention de 1'Auteur "), and he introduces into
the story of Timbree de Cardone, as the hero is named, much
sentimental moralizing that is not found in the original. But
he adds nothing to the vital incidents or action, though here
and there, as Furness has pointed out,1 are dramatic sug
gestions not in Bandello. In the fact that Shakespeare,
always quick to turn such suggestions to good account,
made no use of them may be read an argument against his
having taken his material from Belleforest.
3. A Lost Play. It is not improbable that in the composi
tion of Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare had before him
an earlier play on the subject, now lost. Here and there
in the stage directions of the Quarto and Folios are sugges
tions of such a play ; for example, in the mention of Hero's
mother2 (see note I, i, i, and textual variants, II, i, i) and in
1 A New Variorum, Much Ado About Nothing, Preface, xxv.
2 The name is given as Innogen. It is interesting to note the
resemblance between this name and Imogen, the wife of Posthumus
Leonatus, in Cymbeline.
INTRODUCTION xiii
the introduction of John the Bastard in I, i, 206 (see textual
variants). A bit of external evidence supporting this theory
is the following reference in the Accounts of the Court
Revels in 1574: "my L. of Leicester's men showed their
matter of panecia" This " matter of paneda" shown or
given by Lord Leicester's players, may have been a play
dealing with Phenicia or Fenicia, the heroine of Bandello's
story. Die Schoene Phaenida is a German play on this sub
ject, written between 1595 and 1605 by Jakob Ayrer of
Nuremberg. Belleforest's version of the story, or one of its
German imitations, is followed somewhat closely by Ayrer,
and as, with all the differences, his play has many points
in common with Shakespeare's, which are found in neither
Belleforest nor Bandello,1 the evidence for such an inter
mediary source as a lost play is strengthened.2
THE PERSONATING OF HERO
i. Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. As was first pointed out by
Langbaine,8 the personating of Hero at the chamber window
by her gentlewoman Margaret has a probable source in the
story of Ariodante (Ariodant) and Genevra (Ginevra) in the
fifth book of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, printed in 1515-
1516. Here the villain is a rival lover. Genevra, the heroine,
has rejected the suit of Polynesso and pledged her hand to
Ariodante. Polynesso bribes her attendant Dalinda to dress
1 A comic underplot, for example. Ayrer inwove with the main
story the ongoings and rough banter of Jahn the Clown and Anna
Maria, a lady's maid, which ended in the complete turning of the
tables on Jahn.
2 See Simrock, Die Quellen des Shakespeare ; Cohn, Shakespeare in
Germany.
8 Account of the English Dramaticke Poets, 1691.
xiv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
in the clothes of her mistress and personate her while he
climbs by night to her window. Ariodante is stationed where
he sees all, and he is completely deceived.
2. English Translations. Evidence of the popularity of
English versions of the story of Ariodante and Genevra is
abundant. One version by Peter Beverley was entered on
The Stationers' Registers, 1565-1566, under the title, tragegall
and pleasaunte history Ariounder Jeneuor^ and in 1591 was
printed a verse translation of the whole of Ariosto's poem
by Sir John Harington, who in a note to the fifth book re
fers to the incidents related there as being historical, and
adds, " sure the tale is a pretie comicall matter, and hath bin
written in English verse some few yeares past (learnedly and
with good grace) though in verse of another kind, by M.
George Turberuil."2 The story had also been dramatized,
as is made clear by the following entry in the Accounts of
the Court Revels of 1581-1583 : " A Historic of Ariodante
and Geneuora shewed before her Matie [Majesty] on Shrove-
tuesdaie at night enacted by Mr. Mulcasters children."
3. The Faerie Queene. In The Faerie Queene, II, iv, 16-33,
published in 1590, Spenser made the incident of the personat
ing of a mistress by a "faultie Handmayd" a dramatic situa
tion in the allegory of Sir Guyon, or Temperance. In Spenser's
narrative the scene of the deception is not mentioned. Phaon,
the injured lover, tells Guyon the story of his wrongs :
The whiles to me the treachour did remoue
His craftie engin, and as he had sayd,
Me leading, in a secret corner layd,
1 According to Warton, this was reprinted in 1600, under the
title The tragecall and pleasaunte history of Ariodanto and Jeneura.
2 There is no trace of this in Turberville's extant works.
INTRODUCTION XV
The sad spectatour of my Tragedie ;
Where left, he went, and his owne false part playd,
Disguised like that groome of base degree,
Whom he had feignd th' abuser of my loue to bee.
Eftsoones he came vnto th' appointed place,
And with him brought Pryene, rich arayd,
In Claribellaes clothes. Her proper face
I not discerned in that darkesome shade,
But weend it was my loue.
" That groome of base degree " is an effective description of
Borachio, and in two lines from an earlier stanza,
He either enuying my toward good,
Or of him selfe to treason ill disposd,
the character of Don John and his springs of action are
foreshadowed.
THE STORY OF BENEDICK AND BEATRICE
i. Shakespeare's Earlier Plays. The comic scenes and the
subplot in Shakespeare's plays usually show more inven
tion of story and incident than is found in the main plot.
No unmistakable source has been discovered for the scenes
in which Benedick * and Beatrice are the chief figures other
J 1 In New Illustrations of Shakespeare (1845), pages 227-244.
Hunter sought to prove that in the humors of Benedick was a
reference to William Lord Herbert (afterwards Earl of Pembroke
and one of " the most noble and incomparable paire of brethren " to
whom the First Folio is dedicated), whose unwillingness to marry
was long the talk of London. Hermann Grimm (Funfzehn Essays*
Berlin, 1875) held tnat Benedick was modeled on the hero of Duke
Heinrich Julius's comedy, Vincentius Ladiszlaus, printed in 1599,
where in the opening scene a servant describes his master Vincentius
as a bragging fool who has ordered to be posted on the door of his
lodging a bill setting forth his noble and heroic qualities (cf. I, i,
xvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
than that they are developments and elaborations of similar
scenes in Shakespeare's earlier plays, those in Love's Labour 's
Lost, for example, where Biron (Berowne) and Rosaline en
gage in a merry war of words. Such badinage and skirm
ishes of wit1 show the influence of the pointed, balanced
dialogue which Lyly introduced into the diction of the English
drama, in such plays as Campaspe and Endimion.
2. Benedicte and Betteris. It is not improbable that
Shakespeare had before him an older play on the subject
of Benedick and Beatrice, distinct from the lost play based
on Bandello's novella. Traces of such an older play are
found in Beatrice's promise to eat all of Benedick's killing
(I, i, 40-41), and in her assertion that once before Benedick
had won her heart, but with false dice (II, i, 252-255). This
older play may have been the Benedicte and Betteris? which
was one of several plays acted at Court in the spring of
1613, at the time of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and
the Prince Palatine Elector. That Benedicte and Betteris was
a distinct play from Much Ado About Nothing is practically
proved by Lord Treasurer Stanhope's Accounts, which record
that warrants were issued, and on the same day, for the per
formance of both plays. There is no evidence that a play
was given twice during these marriage festivities.3
1 Professor Herford finds an interesting parallel between the ' wit-
combats ' of Benedick and Beatrice and the dialogues of Benedetto
and Donzella Katharine in Greene's Farewell to Folly, printed in 1 591.
2 This spelling suggests what may have been the old pronunciation.
3 Much adoe abo-wte nothings seems to have been presented before
Prince Charles, the Princess Elizabeth, and the Prince Palatine
Elector ; Benedicte and Betteris before King James. In Charles Ps
copy of the Second Folio, preserved at Windsor Castle, ' Benedik
and Betrice' is written evidently by himself against the title of
INTRODUCTION Xvii
DOGBERRY, VERGES, AND THE WATCH
Dogberry, Verges,1 and the Watch are among the most
famous of Shakespeare's creations in broad comedy. As
with Bottom and his fellows in A Midsummer Night's
Dream? so .effective is the presentation of the detail, and so
vivid are the humorous touches, that the characters suggest
a development from personal observation. But as the comic
interlude of Bottom and his crew was anticipated in the
entertainment given by the " Nine Worthies " in Love's
Labour's Lost, Dull in the same play may be regarded as an
early study of the ways of pompous, blundering constables.
The later Elizabethan drama has more than one humorous
treatment of watchmen, evidently inspired by Shakespeare's
work, notably Middleton's Blurt, Master- Constable, printed
in 1602 (see below, Stage History); but an interesting pre-
Shakespearian study of the same kind is^in Lyly's Endimion,
produced probably as early as 1579.*
FRIAB. FRANCIS
Among the other characters in Much Ado About Nothing
elaborated by Shakespeare from material in his earlier plays,
Friar Francis is conspicuous. His calm and self-possession
Much Ado About Nothing, " not perhaps," says Halliwell-Phillipps,
" meaning a new title, but merely that these were the leading, and
probably his favourite, characters,"
1 For the origin of the names see note, III, iii, i.
* "Dogberry's conceit, and Verges's belief in him, are like Bottom's
. . . and his companions' belief in him." — Furnivall.
8 The instructions which Dogberry gives to the Watch may be a
burlesque on The Statutes of the Streets, printed in 1595. See note,
III, iii, 61-62.
xviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
amid the turmoil of the church scene, and the poetry of his
expression, recall the tranquillity and benignity with which
Friar Laurence moves through the passion and agitation of
Romeo and Juliet. Furnivall has pointed out the similarity
between Friar Francis's advice that Hero shall be supposed,
dead for a while and Friar Laurence's suggestion that Juliet
should counterfeit death for forty-two hours.
SHAKESPEARE'S USE OF SOURCES
Originality of plot and incident meant little to Shakespeare.
For the material of his plots he preferred such stories as
were commonly known, so that from the first his plays had
ties of popular association and interest. What he added in
the treatment of incident and in characterization was so
made to knit in with the borrowed matter by mutual partici
pation and interaction as to give a new life and meaning to
the whole. Here, as always, the soul of originality consists in
something far deeper and more essential than any mere sorting
or linking of incidents so as to form an attractive story. On
the vital workings of nature in the development of individual
character, and not on anything so superficial or mechanical
as a mere framework of incident, depends the real life of the
play. One of Shakespeare's methods seems to have been first
to mark out or else to adopt a given course of action, and
then to conceive and work out his characters accordingly,
making them such as would naturally cohere with and sus
tain the action,' so that an inward, vital, and essential relation
is felt between what they are and what they do. Thus there
is nothing arbitrary or mechanical in the sorting together of
persons and actions : the two stand together under a living
INTRODUCTION xix
law, instead of being gathered into a mere formal and out
ward juxtaposition. The persons act so because they are so,
and not because the author willed to put them through such
a course of action : what comes from them is truly rooted
in them and is generated vitally out of the nature within
them, so that their deeds are the veritable pulsations of their
hearts. The course of action was borrowed. But there was no
borrowing in the characteristic matter. The personal figures
in the old stories are in themselves unmeaning and char
acterless. The actions ascribed to them have no ground or
reason in anything that they are : what they do, or rather
seem to do, — for there is no real doing in the case, — pro
ceeds not at all from their own natures or wills, but purely
because the author chose to have it so. So that the persons
and incidents are to all intents and purposes put together
arbitrarily and not under any vital law of human nature.
Any other set of actions might just as well be tacked on to
the same persons ; any other persons might just as well be
put through the same course of action. This merely outward
and formal connection between the incidents and characters
holds generally in the old tales from which Shakespeare
borrowed his plots ; while in his workmanship the connection
becomes inherent and essential.
II. DATE OF COMPOSITION
The date of composition of Much Ado About Nothing falls
within 1600, the later time limit (terminus ante quern), when
the play was entered in The Stationers' Registers, and 1598,
the earlier time limit (terminus post quern). The weight of
evidence is in favor of the winter of 1598-1599.
xx THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE
1. Negative. Much Ado About Nothing is not mentioned
by Francis Meres in the Pattadis Tamia, published in the
autumn of 1598. Here Meres gives a list of twelve note
worthy Shakespeare plays, and the probability is that a play
so popular in subject and treatment as Much Ado About
Nothing would have been mentioned had it been in existence
at that time.1
2. Positive. The Stationers' Registers. The earliest refer
ence to Much Ado About Nothing is the following entry in
The Stationers' Registers : *
my lord chamberlens menns plaies Entred
27 may 1600 viz
to master A moral of clothe breches and velvet hose
Robertes
27 May Allarum to London \
To hym
4 &ttfftt*tt
As you like yt \ a booke "I
Henry the Ffift \ a booke
Euery man in his humour \ a booke I to be staied 8
The commedie of muche A doo about
nothing a booke |
1 Among the plays by Shakespeare mentioned by Meres is Loue
labours wonne, and ingenious attempts have been made to identify
this with Much Ado About Nothing, but the evidence for this identi
fication produced by Brae and others is inconclusive. See A. E.
Brae, Collier, Coleridge, and Shakespeare ; A. H. Tolman, "Shake
speare's ' Love's Labour's Won ' " in The Views about Hamlet and
other Essays.
2 Professor E. Arber's Transcripts of The Stationers' Registers
(1554-1640), 4 vols., 1875-1877.
8 ' To be staied ' is the old expression for ' not to be printed.'
INTRODUCTION xxi
While no year is attached to the ' 4 August,' it is obvious
that the year 1600 is implied. Apart from the proximity of
'1600' in the previous entry, we find that later in the same
month, with the year '42 Regin\a\c,' that is 1600, clearly
given, Much Ado About Nothing is entered again, the ' stay
ing' having been removed. The following is the second
entry as transcribed by Arber, who notes that this is " the
first time our great poet's name appears in these Registers " :
23
Andrewe Wyse Entred for their copies vnder the handes of the
William Aspley wardens Two bookes. the one called Muche a
Doo about nothinge. Thother the second parte of
the history of King Henry the iiijth with the hu
mours of Sir John Ffallstaff: Wrytten by master
Shakespere xijdl
The play thus entered was issued as a Quarto within the
year. On the title-page (see frontispiece of this volume) is
the statement that it had already been "sundrie times pub-
likely acted." This would suggest the previous year as the
latest possible date for the composition of the play.
INTERNAL EVIDENCE
i. Allusions within the Play. Much Ado About Nothing
contains no unmistakable allusions to contemporary events
or persons. As has already been noted, investigators have
tried to connect Benedick's speeches with Pembroke and his
well-known unwillingness to marry ; others see references in
I, i, 8-9, I, i, 46, to the Irish campaigns of Essex, and in
III, i, 9-11, to his rebellion, but there is not a bit of evidence
1 twelvepence. The usual price of a Quarto was sixpence.
xxii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
to support these claims. Matter for these two passages in
the first scene of the play is in Bandello's novella, and the
third reference would be quite as applicable to Cecil as to
Essex. Equally futile is the theory that in " that Deformed,"
he that "wears a lock," III, Hi, 151, is an allusion to one of
the prominent characters in Ben Jonson's Cynthia's Revels, a
play not acted until I600.1
2. Qualities of Style and Diction. The internal evidence
of style, the perfect weaving of tragedy and comedy, and
the energy of the characterization throughout strengthen the
external evidence in favor of placing Much Ado About Nothing
in the middle period of Shakespeare's productive years, to
which belong As You Like It and Twelfth Night. The
workmanship is of about the same cast and grain as that of
As You Like It; sustained and equal, easy, natural, and
everywhere alive with the exhilarations of wit or humour or
poetry, but without the laboured smoothness and formal
symmetry of Shakespeare's earlier plays, or the penetrating
energy and quick, sinewy movement, of his later ones. Com
pared with some of its predecessors, the play shows a decided
1 Of no greater value than these surmises and conjectures are
the ingenious conclusions of F. G. Fleay (Life and Work of Shake
speare, London, 1886) as to the date of composition. On the two
definite time references in the play he built up his much-discussed
theory as follows : " It is very frequent in old plays to find days of
the week and month mentioned ; and when this is the case, they
nearly always correspond to the almanac of the year in which the
play was written. . . . Comparing I, i, 262-263, ' The sixth of July.
Your loving friend, Benedick,' and II, i, 328-329, ' Not till Monday,
my dear son, which is hence a just seven-night,' [both statements
were made on the same day] we find that the sixth of July came on
a Monday ; this suits the years 1 590 and 1601, but none between ; an
indication that the original play was written in 1 590."
INTRODUCTION xxiii
growth in what may be termed virility of mind; a wider
scope, a higher reach, a firmer grasp, have been attained ;
the dramatist has come to read nature less through " the
spectacles of books " and does not hesitate to meet her face
to face and to trust and try himself alone with her. ' The
result is a greater freshness and reality of delineation. Here
the characters have nothing of a dim, equivocal hearsay air
about them, such as marks in some measure Shakespeare's
earlier efforts in comedy. The characters, indeed, are not
pitched in so high a key nor conceived in so much breadth
and vigour as in several of the plays written at earlier dates ;
the plan of the work did not require this or even admit of
it, but the workmanship shows everywhere more ripeness of
art and faculty than is shown in The Taming of the Shrew
or even in The Merchant of Venice.
The case for the date of composition suggested by the
ether evidence is further supported by the diction of the
play, the proportion of prose to verse, the quality of the blank
verse, the use of rhyme, and the results of a rigid application
of the various metrical tests.
III. EARLY EDITIONS
QUARTO OF 1600
Much Ado About Nothing, having been entered in The
Stationers' Registers, as noted above, was printed for the first
lime in 1600 in a sixpenny Quarto, called in this edition of
the New Hudson Shakespeare simply the Quarto or, in the
textual variants, Q. The title-page is given in facsimile as
the frontispiece of this volume.
xxiv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
The Quarto presents an excellent text, and on it is based
that of most modern editions. The statement on the title-
page that the play had been " sundrie times publikely acted,"
the stage directions (see notes, I, i, i ; II, iii, 34; IV, ii, i,
etc.), and the circumstances of registration and publication
indicate that the Quarto was printed from an acting copy of
the play, probably a prompter's copy, without any supervision
by the author.
FOLIOS
The Quarto was the only edition of Much Ado About
Nothing issued until it was printed in 1623 in the First
Folio (designated in the textual notes of this edition Fj).
The First Folio is the famous volume in which all Shake
speare's collected plays (with the exception of Pericles, first
printed in the Third Folio) were first given to the world.
Much adoe about Nothing, as it is called in the running
title, stands between The Comedy of Errors and Love's
Labour's Lost, occupying pages 101-121, in the division
named 'Comedies.'
The text of the First Folio is based upon that of the
Quarto ; here and there it provides a better reading, and it
is more exact in its stage directions, but occasionally the First
Folio has blunders due to the printer's carelessness, which
are not in the Quarto. Certain passages and parts of lines
were omitted in the First Folio, probably for the reasons
suggested in the notes (see notes, III, ii, 29-33 ; IV, ii,
17-20, etc.). All the more important differences between the
two texts are indicated in the textual notes of this edition.
The Second Folio, F3 (1632), corrects many of the mis
prints of the First Folio ; and this corrected text is repeated
INTRODUCTION xxv
with few changes, except in the way of slightly modernized
spelling, in the Third Folio, F8 (1663, 1664), and in the
Fourth Folio, F4 (1685).
Rowk's EDITIONS
The first critical editor of Shakespeare's plays was Nicholas
Rowe, poet laureate to George I. His first edition was issued
in 1709 in six octavo volumes. In this edition Rowe, an ex
perienced playwright, marked the entrances and exits of the
characters and introduced many new stage directions and
directions for scene settings. In the Quarto there is no
division of Much Ado About Nothing into acts and scenes,
and in the Folios the acts and the first scene only are indi
cated. Rowe made the subdivision into scenes and added
the first list of dramatis personae. A second edition, in eight
volumes, was published in 1714. Rowe followed very closely
the text of the Fourth Folio, but modernized spelling, punc
tuation, and occasionally grammar.
IV. DICTION AND VERSIFICATION
PROSE
Of the 2825 lines in Much Ado About Nothing, 2105 are
in prose, a preponderance of prose over verse exceeded only
in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Of the other plays As You
Like It and Twelfth Night come nearest to these in the large
proportion of prose to verse. The character of these plays *
1 Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night
belong to the same period of Shakespeare's life (1598-1601), and
make up the remarkable group of what Furnivall calls "the three
sparkling, sunny, or sweet-time comedies."
xxvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
indicates in a general way Shakespeare's use of prose in the
work of his maturity. Prose predominates in comedy and
where a conversational rather than an emotional and imagina
tive effect is desired.
In the development of the English drama the use of prose
as a vehicle of expression entitled to equal rights with verse
was due to Lyly. He was the first to use prose with power
and distinction in original plays and did memorable service
in preparing the way for Shakespeare's achievement. Inter
esting attempts have been made to explain Shakespeare's
distinctive use of verse and prose ; and of recent years there
has been much discussion of the question " whether we are
justified in supposing that Shakespeare was guided by any
fixed principle in his employment of verse and prose, or
whether he merely employed them, as fancy suggested, for
the sake of variety and relief." * It is a significant fact that
in many of his earlier plays there is little or no prose, and
that the proportion of prose to blank verse increases with
the decrease of rhyme. Six kinds of prose may be distin
guished in the plays: (i) The prose of formal documents,
as in letters and proclamations. So the formal preliminaries
to the projected marriage of Hero and Claudio (IV, i, 1-20)
are set forth in prose dialogue. (2) The prose of * low life '
and the speech of comic characters, as in all the scenes in
which Dogberry and his associates appear. This is a develop
ment of the humorous prose found, for example, in Greene's
comedies that deal with humble life. (3) The colloquial prose
1 Churton Collins, Shakespeare as a Prose Writer. See Delius, Die
Prosa in Shakespeares Dramen (Shakespeare Jahrbuch, V, 227—273);
Janssen, Die Prosa in Shakespeares Dramen ; Hiram Corson, An
Introduction to the Study of Shakespeare, pages 83-98.
INTRODUCTION xxvii
of dialogue and of matter-of-fact narrative, as in I, i, 152-
268, ii, iii; II, i, 312-355, ii, iii, 87-145, etc. Shakespeare
was " the creator of colloquial prose, of the prose most ap
propriate for drama." — Churton Collins. (4) The prose of
high comedy, vivacious, sparkling, and flashing with repartee,
as in Beatrice's speeches and the ' wit-combats ' between her
and Benedick. (5) The prose of abnormal mentality. (6) Im
passioned or highly wrought poetical and rhetorical prose.
Of these kinds of prose the fifth and the sixth, so conspicu
ous in Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear, have naturally no
place in Much Ado About Nothing.
The general principles which underlie the transition from
prose to verse and from verse to prose in Shakespeare's
later plays are well illustrated in Much Ado About Nothing.
In I, i, prose gives way to verse when, on Benedick's depar
ture (line 268), the dialogue begins to take a more serious or
emotional turn, and Claudio tells Don Pedro of his passion
for Hero. So in II, i, 156-166, the soliloquy of Claudio,
when he thinks he has been betrayed, is in verse, all that
precedes and all that follows, made up of witty conversation
and matter introduced for purposes of information, being in
prose. Prose is the natural speech of Benedick, but when he
is entangled in the deeper emotional life of the play, as in
IV, i, 2 39-2 44; V,iv, 8-9, 18,20-22, 2 7-3 1, etc., his utterance
rises to the pitch of verse. Borachio speaks in verse at the
close of the passionate, almost tragic scene (V, i, 287-290),
when he makes the confession which alone relieves the utter
villainy of the man. Elsewhere, as befits his character, he
speaks in prose. In the same scene Leonato, who has been
speaking in verse, drops to the level of prose when he thanks
Dogberry for the second time (lines 305-306).
xxviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
BLANK VERSE
Less than a third of Much Ado About Nothing is in blank
verse1 — the unrhymed, iambic five-stress (decasyllabic)
verse, or iambic pentameter, introduced into England from
Italy by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, about 1540, and
used by him in a translation of the second and fourth books
of the jEneid. Nicholas Grimald (TotteVs Miscellany, 1557)
employed the measure for the first time in English original
poetry, and its roots began to strike deep into British soil
and absorb substance. It is peculiarly significant that Sack-
ville and Norton should have used it as the measure of
Gorboduc, the first English tragedy (performed by " the
Gentlemen of the Inner Temple " on January 18, 1561, and
first printed in 1565). About the time when Shakespeare
arrived in London the infinite possibilities of blank verse as
a vehicle for dramatic poetry and passion were being shown
by Kyd, and above all by Marlowe. Blank verse as used by
Shakespeare is really an epitome of the development of the
measure in connection with the English drama. In his earlier
plays the blank verse is often similar to that of Gorboduc.
The tendency is to adhere to the syllable-counting principle,
to make the line the unit, the sentence and phrase coinciding
with the line (end-stopped verse), and to use five perfect
iambic feet to the line. In plays of the middle period, such
as The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As
1 The term ' blank verse ' was just coming into use in Shake
speare's day. It seems to have been used for the first time in litera
ture in Nash's Preface to Greene's Menaphon, where we find the
expression, "the swelling bumbast of bragging blanke verse."
Shakespeare uses the expression three times, always humorously or
satirically. Cf. V, ii, 32.
INTRODUCTION xxix
You Like It, and Twelfth Night, written between 1596 and
1602, the blank verse is more like that of Kyd and Marlowe,
with less monotonous regularity in the structure and an in
creasing tendency to carry on the sense from one line to
another without a syntactical or rhetorical pause at the end
of the line (run-on verse, enjambemenf). Redundant syllables
now abound, and the melody is richer and fuller. In Shake
speare's later plays the blank verse breaks away from bondage
to formal line limits and sweeps all along with it in free
dom, power, and organic unity. In the blank verse of Much
Ado About Nothing we have the transition from the earlier
style to the later. Trochees, spondees, anapaests, dactyls,
run-on lines, incomplete lines, and mid-line speech endings
give to the verse flexibility and power ; and end-stopped lines
abound, many of them (for instance, I, i, 274, 286, 293, etc.)
examples of normal five-stress iambic pentameter.
In the 6 1 8 lines of blank verse in Much Ado About Noth
ing are found 129 feminine (or double, redundant, hyper
metrical) endings, but only one weak ending and one light
ending.1
ALEXANDRINES
While French prosodists apply the term 'Alexandrine ' only
to a twelve-syllable line, with the pause after the sixth syllable,
it is generally used in English to designate iambic six-stress
verse, or iambic hexameter, of which we have examples in
1 Light endings, as denned by Ingram, are such words as am, can,
do, has, I, tkou, etc., on which " the voice can to a certain small ex
tent dwell " ; weak endings are words like and, for, from, if, in, of,
or, which " are so essentially proclitic . . . that we are forced to run
them, in pronunciation no less than in sense, into the closest con
nection with the opening words of the succeeding line."
XXX THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
IV, i, 98, 155, and 249. This was a favorite Elizabethan
measure, and it was common in moral plays and the earlier
heroic drama. English literature has no finer examples of this
verse than the last line of each stanza of The Faerie Queen.
In Much Ado About Nothing are only five Alexandrines.
RHYME
In the history of the English drama, rhyme as a vehicle of
expression precedes blank verse and prose. Miracle plays,
moral plays, and interludes are all in rhyming measures. In
Shakespeare may be seen the same development. A progress
from more to less rhyme is a sure index to his growth as a
dramatist and a master of expression. In the early Love's
Labour's Lost are more than 500 rhyming five-stress iambic
couplets ; in the very late The Winter's Tale there is not one.1
i. Five-stress Iambic Verse. In Much Ado About Nothing
are only 20 rhyming five-stress iambic couplets,2 and these are
used for the following purposes: (i) to give epigrammatic
effect to a sententious generalization, III, i, 105-106; and
(2), as so frequently in Elizabethan plays, to mark an exit or
round off a speech, III, i, 115-116; V, iv, 46-47. Alter
nate rhymes in five-stress verse, or quatrains, having the
effect of lyric stanzas, are found only in Shakespeare's plays
1 The Chorus speech introducing Act IV is excepted as not part
of the regular dialogue.
2 In II, i, 84-87 (see note), three brief speeches make a couplet of
seven-stress (heptameter, septenary) iambic verse, or ' fourteeners.'
Such verse is common in early Elizabethan plays, and it suits the
mock-heroic strain of Don Pedro's first speech. But in Hero's re
joinder and Don Pedro's wholly serious " Speak low if you speak
love," the rhythm and rhyme are probably accidental. Some editors
print the lines as verse.
INTRODUCTION xxxi
written before 1600. Beatrice's emotion finds expression in
two such quatrains, III, i, 107-1 14.* Cf. IV, i, 246-249
(where the last line of the quatrain is an Alexandrine) ;
V, iii, 24-27, 30-33.
2. Trochaic Verse. Shakespeare's theory of the technique
of verse and his sense of the appropriateness of certain
rhythms to the expression of certain moods and emotions
may be read in the fact that he makes his supernatural be
ings so often express themselves in trochaic verse, with a
marked preference for four-stress (tetrameter) effects. In
such verse is the dialogue of the witches in Macbeth and the
fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Probably the cir
cumstances of time and place determine the verse of the
four-stress trochaic couplet, V, iii, 22-23, which Claudio
speaks after the " solemn hymn " has been sung or chanted.
3. Lyrics, (i) " Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more"
II, iii, 58-70. The verse is the ballad stanza2 of four-stress
iambic measure alternating with three-stress. (2) "Done
to death by slanderous tongues, V, iii, 3-10. The eight lines
of the " Epitaph," as this lyric is called in the Folios, are
in four-stress trochaic verse catalectic, the first four lines
rhyming alternately (see note on the concluding couplet,
lines 9- 1 o). (3) " Pardon, goddess of the night," V, iii, 1 2-2 1 .
1 With the inclusion of the rhyming couplet at the close, Bea
trice's utterance may be regarded as the last ten lines of a Shake
spearian sonnet, or a quatrain followed by such a six-line stanza as
that used in Venus and Adonis.
2 The regular measure of the old ballads seems to have been
originally four-stress throughout, with a tendency to drop the last
stress in the alternating lines. The development of this tendency
gives the measure of the Robin Hood ballads, etc., and the common
metre of modern hymns.
xxxii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
This dirgelike song consists of two four-stress trochaic coup
lets catalectic, followed by six lines of two-stress dactylic
measure.
4. Doggerel. In the earliest comedies, such as Love's
Labour's Lost and The Comedy of Errors, lines of doggerel
verse are common in the speeches of the comic characters,
but it is rare in the later plays. The only thing approaching
doggerel verse in Much Ado About Nothing is the snatch
beginning " The god of love," hummed by Benedick when
awaiting the arrival of Beatrice (V, ii, 25-28). This was
printed as prose in the Quarto and Folios, and printed in
this way it has a humorous effect which is lost in the ar
rangement adopted by Capell and modern editors. It was
probably a travesty of a song familiar to an Elizabethan
audience.
V. TITLE OF THE PLAY
The title of the play, Much Ado About Nothing, has given
rise to not a little interesting comment. Ulrici * held that it
denoted the " internal contradiction into which all human
existence falls . . . when man, treating important things with
playful levity, recklessly follows his momentary impulses,
feelings, and caprices." The comment of Oechelhauser,2 on
the other hand, is that, as in the case of Twelfth Night and
As You Like It, the title is merely one of " those humorous
devices faintly tinged with the reflex irony with which Shake
speare was wont to bring his lighter wares to market." Grant
White's theory was that Shakespeare and his contemporaries
1 Shakespeares dramatische Kunst, Leipzig, 1839.
2 Einfuhningen in Shakespeares Dramen, Minden, 1885.
INTRODUCTION xxxiii
called the play Much Ado About Notmg, a pun being in
tended between * nothing ' and ' noting/ which in the Eliza
bethan time were pronounced alike (see note, II, iii, 54).
White's conclusion is :
The play is made up of much ado about noting, that is, watching, A
observing. All the personages are constantly engaged in noting or r
watching each other. Hero's sufferings come from noting, — by her \
uncle's servant, by Claudio, and by Don Pedro; her release and )
happiness by the noting of the watch ; and Benedick and Beatrice /
are brought together by secretly noting what their friends plot that \
they should note ; and yet. the principal serious incident, the accusa- j
tion of Hero, about which there is so much ado, rests upon nothing.
Such ingenious theories are somewhat beside the mark.
1 The general view of life which the play presents answers
well to the obvious significance of the title. All the persons
involved have much ado and make much ado, but all the
tvhile this much ado is plainly about nothing. F. S. Boas
sums the matter up as follows :
The title is admirably suggestive of the character of the piece,
Ivhich introduces us to a society whose atmosphere is one of per
petual holiday ; where everybody, from high to low, having time
enough on hand and to spare, indulges in leisurely circuitous fashions
of speed and action, productive of mistakes and apprehensions —
in short, of much ado which, in the long run, always proves to be
about nothing.
VI. DURATION OF ACTION
Specific references to periods of time in a romantic drama,
and especially in a Shakespeare play, are likely to mislead
when interpreted too literally or pressed too far. Failure to
appreciate the difference between a dramatist's point of view
xxxiv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
and that of an exact historian has often led to charges of un
happy oversights and glaring inconsistencies. When Leonato
appoints Claudio's marriage for " Monday . . . which is hence
a just seven-night " (II, i, 329-330), the time taken up in the
action of Much Ado About Nothing seems to be distinctly
delimited. It should cover eight days, from Monday in one
week to Monday in the next. In an elaborate time analysis
contributed to the New Shakspere Society Transactions, 1879,
P. A. Daniel endeavors to make the action of the play agree
as far as possible with Leonato's determination, but comes
to the conclusion that just as Don Pedro forgets his arrange
ment to stay at Messina " at the least a month " (I, i, 140-
141), so the "just seven-night, and a time too brief, too," to
the wedding was also either " forgotten or intentionally set
aside, and that only four consecutive days are actually in
cluded in the action of the drama." The following is Daniel's
final time analysis in tabulated form :
Day i. — I; II, i-ii.
Day 2. — II, iii; III, i-iii.
Day 3. — III, iv-v ; IV ; V, i-ii, iii (in part).
Day 4. — V, iii (in part), iv.
In Porter and Clarke's * First Folio ' edition of the play is
an interesting analysis of the duration of the action. Here
five days are marked off as passing within the stage action;:
"the first day being the day of the arrival of Don Pedro,
of the Supper, Mask, and Banquet; a second separate aay
following ; a third, designated as the day before the appointed
Wedding-day; the appointed Wedding-day ; the final fifth day
after the appointed Wedding-day, which is in fact the actual
Wedding-day triumphantly concluding the play."
INTRODUCTION xxxv
VII. DRAMATIC CONSTRUCTION AND
DEVELOPMENT
The plot of Much Ado About Nothing, like that of A Mid
summer Night's Dream, written about five years earlier, is
a complication of three actions determined by three groups
of strongly contrasted characters. In both plays the resolving
of the main action, in which high-born men and women are
the chief persons, is helped by the blunders and stupidities
of rustic characters belonging to broad comedy. But the
knitting of the minor action, which is humorous throughout,
with the main plot, which has in it elements of tragedy, is
much closer in the later play than in the earlier and shows
superior knowledge of dramatic technique. In Much Ado
About Nothing, as in Twelfth Night, which belongs to the
same period of Shakespeare's development, the climax of
the minor action is contrived with peculiar skill to force the
resolution of the main plot.
Like tragedy, comedy deals with a conflict between an in
dividual force ( which Tnay be centered either in one charac
ter or in a group of characters acting as one) and environing
circumstances. In tragedy the individual (one person or a
group) is overwhelmed ; in comedy the individual triumphs.
In comedy, as in tragedy, five stages may be noted in the plot
development: (i) the exposition, or introduction; (2) the
complication, rising action, or growth ; (3) the climax, crisis,
or turning point ; (4) the resolution, falling action, or conse
quence ; and (5) the de'nouement, catastrophe,1 or conclusion.
Let it not be thought for a moment that each of these stages
1 "Catastrophe — the change or revolution which produces the
conclusion or final event of a dramatic piece." — Johnson.
xxxvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE.
is clearly differentiated. As a rule they pass insensibly into
each other, as they do in life. Especially is this true in a
play like Much Ado About Nothing ; where the weaving of
the plot is so close and compact.
ANALYSIS BY ACT AND SCENE 1
I. THE EXPOSITION, OR INTRODUCTION (TYING OF THE KNOT)
Act 7, Scene i. The opening scene explains the situation, intro
duces the more important characters, and indicates their relation to
one another. Sparkling dialogue in prose prevails ; it passes into
verse at the close, when the deeper emotional interest of the play
is disclosed. Benedick and Beatrice begin their skirmishes of wit.
The only shadow is that which falls from the sullen attitucTe of Don
John. CJaiidio's passion for Hero leads him to question Benedick
about her, and this reveals Benedick's greater interest in Beatrice.
Don Pedro arranges^ to mask as Claudio at the " revelling tp-nighit"
(line 299) and win Hero for him.
II. THE COMPLICATION, RISING ACTION, OR GROWTH (TYING OF
THE KNOT)
Act I, Scene ii. The complication begins with the introduction of
such hearsay evidence as Antonio conveys to Leonato. An eaves
dropping servant's blunder suggests what may lead afterwards to
much ado in the more humorous developments.
Act I, Scene Hi, Don John's circumstances and revengeful nature
are clearly shown. Borachio's information supplies an opportunity
for revenge, and the more tragic entanglements begin.
Act 77, Scene i. The main plot is well advanced in this brilliant
scene. In spite of Don John, Hero and Claudio are betrothed,
1 " It must be understood that a play can be analyzed into very
different schemes of plot. It must not be thought that one of these
schemes is right and the rest wrong ; but the schemes will be better
or worse in proportion as — while of course representing correctly
the facts of the play — they bring out more or less of what ministers
to our sense of design." — Moulton.
INTRODUCTION xxxvii
though Claudio's readiness to believe the villain's insinuations pre
pares for his behavior later in the play. The skirmishes of wit
between Beatrice and Benedick, made more acute by having had to
hear what they think of each other, almost develop into open war.
The scene closes with the announcement by Don Pedro that he will
"undertake one of Hercules' labours, which is, to jmng Signior
Benedick and the Lady Beatrice into ajnountain of affection th' one
wkhjh/pther " (lines 334-33? )•
Act II, Scene it. The counterplot of Don John and his associates
is unfolded. Hero is to be personated at midnight by Margaret, her
Act II, Scene Hi. The comic subplot to bring Benedick and Bea
trice " into a mountain of affection " is successful as far as Benedick
is concerned. Snared as a spy, he is made to hear how desperately
Beatrice loves him. Between Benedick's soliloquy (lines 7-33), bal
anced by his superb soliloquy of confession (lines 202-222), and the
main dialogue comes Balthasar's song, " Sigh no more, ladies, sigh
no more," with its mocking echo of the theme of the play.
Act III, Scene i. The complication of the comic subplot is further
advanced. Beatrice is caught in the net of the good-natured in
triguers, and sKe~Is made to overhear how desperately Benedick
Act III, Scene ii. The comic subplot and the counterplot are
linked together and brought into vital connection witlilKe main
j)lot. While Don Pedro ancTTlYdse who have helped him, including
Claudio^are making merry over the success of the trick played on
Benedick. Don John appears and openly accuses Hero of unfaith
fulness to Claudio.
Act III, Scene Hi. Dogberry and Verges, the most famous speci-
mens of blundering Burrimedom in literature, are introduced_£J3Qng
the stupidest of instructions to the stupidest of watchmen. By
chance the watchmen hear the drunken Borachio tell Conrade the
story of the counterplot and they arrest them. The arrest at this
stage is a master stroke of dramatic or constructive irony. Readers
or spectators are made aware of a happening the true significance of
which is unknown to the actors. Thus in this play the artistic de
mands of comedy are, satisfied_Jn what would otherwise have been
xxxviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
an overwhelming tragic situation in the climax, or crisis, of the plot
— the repudiation scene in the church. Kreyssig's criticism that
Shakespeare here neglected the necessary dramatic sequence of
cause and effect in his account of the discovery of the plot is well
answered by F. S. Boas : " This roundabout method in which the
conspiracy comes to light is entirely in harmony with the tortuous
direction that events take throughout the play, while it serves as
the source of further complications, and introduces new actors on
the scene."
Act ///, Scene iv. The dramatic value of this scene in Hero's
apartment is that it gives a sense of bustling preparation for the
marriage and intensifies interest in the two heroines. A presenti
ment of tragedy is heavy on Hero's heart. Beatrice reveals her pas
sion for Benedick even in bantering talk with Margaret who, utterly
unconscious of the mischief she has done, is in the highest spirits.
Act III, Scene v. In this scene the dramatic irony which prevails
throughout the play reaches its height. Dogberry and Verges bring
their discovery of the plot against Hero to the governor, the father
of the threatened bride. " The fussy haste of Leonato, with a bridal
ceremony on his hands, and the fussy self-importance of Dogberry
and Verges, resolved to make the most of their accidental find, clash
together, and delay the understanding of what has happened until it
is too late." — Moulton.
III. THE CLIMAX, CRISIS, OR TURNING POINT (THE KNOT TIED)
Act IV, Scene i, 1-149- In the rejection of Hero by Claudio be
fore the altar every strand of interest in the weaving of the plot is
crossed. This repudiation tightens all the elements of main plot
and subplots, to use Aristotle's famous figure, into a compact knot
of general entanglement.
IV. THE RESOLUTION, FALLING ACTION, OR CONSEQUENCE (THE
UNTYING OF THE KNOT)
Act IV, Scene i, 150-24.9. The beginning of the resolution is
singularly impressive. Friar Francis suspects a concealed wrong;
he has read innocence in Hero's face, and in a passage of noble
poetry he counsels that over her be thrown the veil of a reputed
INTRODUCTION xxxix
death until the truth has been learned and slander has been changed
to remorse.
Act /F, Scene t, 250-327. The resolution of the comic plot is in
the closest relation to the climax of the main plot. The seeming
success of the counterplot brings Beatrice and Benedick together,
and they plan to do what in them lies to prove the innocence of
slandered Hero.
Act IV, Scene «. The trial of Borachio and Conrade in its comic
setting marks another stage in the resolution, and the evidence
makes clear that Friar Francis's pious intrigue is being successfully
carried out. Dogberry's closing speech (lines 69-80) is one of the
triumphs of the literature of broad humor. It goes far to adjust the
balance of comedy in an Act which began in tragedy and pathos.
Act V, Scene /'. Antonio and Leonato blunderingly seek to avenge
the wrong done to Hero ; Benedick, spurred on by Beatrice, chal
lenges Claudio ; and when Claudio learns from Borachio the truth
of the villainy perpetrated, he offers reparation, promises to hang a
penitential epitaph on Hero's tomb, and, as a recompense to the
family honor, undertakes to marry Leonato's niece, who is, says the
father, " almost the copy of my child that 's dead " (line 276). This
scene helps to establish the friendly relations which existed among
the more important characters during the early stages of the com
plication, but which were dislocated by the shock in the temporary
success of the counterplot.
Act V, Scene ii. An episodic scene in which Benedick and Bea
trice are shown as lovers.
Act V, Scene tii. Claudio reads his penitential epitaph and hangs
it with fitting ceremony upon the tomb. The song " Pardon, goddess
of the night," and the alternate rhyme in the dialogue which follows,
give a dignity and solemnity befitting the occasion and the place.
V. DENOUEMENT, CATASTROPHE, OR CONCLUSION (THE KNOT UNTIED)
Act V, Scene iv. In a Shakespeare comedy the denouement is
swiftly but deftly sketched and trembles with the joyousness of
recognition and reconciliation. When Claudio comes to wed the
niece of Leonato, he receives the hand of Hero risen from the
death of her slandered fame. The humor of the play began with
xl THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
the flouting of Benedick by Beatrice ; it ends with the spectacle of
Benedick stopping her mouth with a kiss. It is not without sig
nificance that of all Shakespeare's plays, Much Ado About Nothing
should be the only one that closes with a dance : " 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 . . . strike up, pipers "
(lines 1 12-122).
VIII. THE CHARACTERS
HERO AND CLAUDIO
The characters of Hero and Claudio, though reasonably
engaging in their simplicity and uprightness, offer no very
salient points and are indeed nowise extraordinary. It can
not quite be said that one sees no more in them than " in
the ordinary of nature's sale-work " (As You Like ft, III, v,
42-43); they ^derive their interest_mainly from the events
that befall them, the reverse of which is generally true in
Shakespeare's delineations. Perhaps we may justly say that,
had the course of love run smooth with them, its voice, even
if audible, had been hardly worth the hearing.
Hero is indeed kind, amiable, and discreet in her behavior
and temper ; she has just that air, nay, rather just that soul
of bland and modest quietness which makes the unobtru
sive but enduring charm of home, and this fitly marks her
out as the center of silent or unemphatic interest in her
father's household. She is always thoughtful, never voluble,
and when she speaks there is no sting or sharpness in her
tongue ; she is even proud of her brilliant cousin, yet not at
all emulous of her brilliancy, keenly relishes her popping and
sometimes caustic wit, but covets no such gift for herself,
and even shrinks from the laughing attention it wins. As
INTRODUCTION xli
Hero is altogether gentle and womanly in her ways, so she
offers a sweet and inviting nestling-place for the fireside
affections. The soft down of her. disposition makes an ad;
-jjiirable contrast to the bristling and emphatic yet genuine
plumage ~bf Beatrice, and there is something very pathetic
ancT touching in her situation when she is stricken down in
mute agony by the tongue of slander, while the " blushing
apparitions " in her face and the lightning in her eyes tell
us that her stillness of tongue proceeds from anything but
weakness of nature or want of spirit. Her well-governed
intelligence is aptly displayed in the part she bears in the
stratagem for taming Beatrice to the gentler pace of love,
and in the considerate forbearance which abstains from
teasing words after the stratagem has done its work.
Claudio is both a, lighter-timbered and a looser-built vessel
than Hero ; rather credulous, unstable, inconstant, and very
much the sport of slight and trivial occasions. A very small
matter suffices to upset him, though he is apt enough to
be set right again. All this, no doubt, is partly due to his
youth and inexperience ; but, in truth, his character is mainly
that of a brave and clever upstart, somewhat intoxicated
with sudden success and not a little puffed with vanity of
the Prince's favor. Notwithstanding John's ingrained, hab
itual, and well-known malice, he is ready to go it blind when
ever John sees fit to try his art upon him ; and even after he
has be'en duped into one strain of petulant folly by his trick
and has found out the falsehood of it, he is still just as open
to a second and worse duping. All this may indeed pass as
indicating no more in his case than the levity of a rather
pampered and over-sensitive self-love. In his unreflective and
headlong techiness he fires up at the least hint that seems
xlii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
to touch his honor, without pausing or deigning to observe
the plainest conditions of a fair and prudent judgment.
But, after all the allowance that can be made on this score,
it is still no little impeachment of his temper or his under
standing, that he should lend his ear to the poisonous
breathings of one whose spirits are so well known to " toil
in frame of villainies" (IV, i, 184). As to his rash scheme of
revenge for Hero's imputed sin, his best excuse therein is
that the light-minded Prince, who is indeed such another,
goes along with him, while it is somewhat doubtful whether
the patron or the favorite is more at fault in thus suffering
artful malice to delude him. Claudio's finical and foppish
attention to dress, so amusingly ridiculed by Benedick, is a
well-conceived trait of his character, as it naturally hints that
his quest of the lady grows more from his seeing the ad
vantage of the match than from any deep heart-interest in
her person. And his being sprung into such an unreasonable
fit of jealousy towards the Prince at the masquerade is
another good instance of the dramatist's skill and care in
small matters. It makes an apt preparation for the far
more serious blunder upon which the main part of the action
turns. A piece of conduct which the circumstances do not
explain is at once explained by thus disclosing a certain irri
table levity in the subject. On much the same ground we
can also account very well for his sudden running into a
match which, at the best, looks more like a freak of fancy
than a resolution of love, while the same suddenness on the
side of the more calm, discreet, and patient Hero is accounted
for by the strong solicitation of the Prince and the prompt
concurrence of her father. Tfo4 even if GkmdioVfaults and,
blunders were greater than they are, his behavior at the
INTRODUCTION xliii
Jagtjgere_enougfa to prove a real and sound basis of man
hood in him. The taking-down of his vanity and self-love by
the exposure of the poor cheats which had so easily caught
him, brings out the true staple of his character. When he is
made to feel that on himself alone fall the blame and the
guilt which he had been so eager to revenge on others, then
his sense of honor acts in a right noble style, prompting
him to avenge sternly on himself the wrong and the injury
he has done to the gentle Hero and her kindred.
DON JOHN
Critics have unnecessarily found fault with Shakespeare for
the character of John, as if it lay without the proper circum
ference of truth and nature. They would prefer, apparently,
the more commonplace character of a disappointed rival in
love, whose guilt might be explained away into a pressure of
violent motives. But Shakespeare saw deeper into human
nature. And perhaps his wisest departure from the old story
is in making John a morose, sullen, ill-conditioned rascal,
whose innate malice renders the joy of others a pain, and. the
pain of others a joy, to him. The wanton and unprovoked
doing of mischief is the natural luxury and pastime of such
envious spirits as he is. To be sure, he assigns as his reason
for plotting to blast Claudio's happiness, that the " young
start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow " (I, iii, 59-60) ;
but then he also adds, " If I can cross him any way, I bless
myself every way," which shows his true motive-spring to be
a kind of envy-sickness. For this cause, anything that will
serve as a platform " to build mischief on " is grateful to
him. Hethus exemplifies in a small figure the same spon-
taneous malice which towers to such a stupendous height of
xliv THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
wickedness in lago. We may well shrink from believing in
the reality of such characters, but unhappily human life dis
covers too many plots and doings that cannot be otherwise
accounted for, nor need we go far to learn that men may
" spin motives out of their own bowels." In pursuance of
this idea, Shakespeare takes care to let us know that, in John's
account, having his sour and spiteful temper tied up under
a pledge of fair and kindly behavior is to be " trusted with a
muzzle, and enfranchis'd with a clog " (I, iii, 3Q-31) 5 that is»
he thinks himself robbed of freedom when he is not allowed
to bite.
DOGBERRY AND VERGES
Ulrici,1 regarding the play as setting forth the contrast be
tween life as it is in itself and as it seems to those engaged
in its 'struggles, looks upon Dogberry as embodying the
whole idea of the piece. Without question the impressive
insignificance of this man's action to the lookers-on is only
equakd__by_Jts stuffed importance to himself ; when he is
really most absurd~an3 ridiculous' then it is precisely that he
feels most confident and grand — the irony that is rarefied
into wit and poetry in others being thus condensed into broad
humor and drollery in him. The German critic is not quite
right in thinking that Dogberry's blundering garrulity brings
to light the infernal plot ; it rather operates to keep that plot
in the dark. The constable is too fond of hearing himself
talk to make known what he has to say in time to prevent
the evil, and amidst his tumblings of conceit the truth leaks
out at last rather in spite of him than in consequence of
anything he does. Dogberry and " neighbour Verges " are
1 Shakespeare* dramatische Kiinst, Leipzig, 1839.
INTRODUCTION xlv
caricatures, but such as Shakespeare alone of English writers
has had a heart to conceive and a hand to delineate, though
perhaps Sir Walter Scott comes near enough to him in that
line to be named in the same sentence. And how bland,
how benignant, how genial, how human-hearted, these cari
catures are ! as if their creator felt the persons, with all their
grotesque oddities, to be his own veritable flesh-and-blood
kindred. There is no contempt, no mockery here ; nothing that
ministers an atom of food to any unbenevolent emotion. The
subjects are made delicious as well as laughable, and delicious
withal through the best and kindliest feelings of our nature.
Shakespeare's sporting with them is the free, loving, whole
hearted play of a truly great, generous, simple, childlike soul.
BENEDICK AND BEATRICE
In characterization Benedick and Beatrice are the most
effective figures of the play. They have been justly ranked
among the stronger and deeper of bhakespeare^s minor char
acters. They are just about the right staple for the higher
order of comic delineation, whereas several of the leading
persons in other comedies draw decidedly into the region of
the tragic. The delineation of Benedick and Beatrice stays
at all points within the proper sphere of comedy. Both are
gifted with a piercing, pungent, and voluble wit, and pride of
wit is with both a specially prominent trait ; it appears to be
on all ordinary occasions their main, actuating principle. The
raie_entertainment-which othersJiay^jTQm .their, displays in
thisjcind has naturally made them quite conscious of their
gift, and this consciousness has not less naturally led them
to make it a matter of some pride. They study it and rely
on it a good deal as their title or passport to approval and
xlvi THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
favor. Hence a habit of flouting and raillery has somewhat
usurped the outside of their characters, keeping their better
qualities rather in the background, and even obstructing
seriously the outcome of what is best in them.
Whether for force of understanding or for solid worth of
character, Benedick is vastly superior both to Claudio and
to the Prince. He is really a very wise and noble fellow,
of a healthy and penetrating intelligence, and with a sound
underpinning of earnest and true feeling, as appears when
the course of the action surprises or inspires him out of his
pride of brilliancy. When a grave occasion^ comes, his super-
ficial habit of jesting i
partol£±_jiiajihood~prorriptly assert themselves in clear and
action. We are thus given to know that, however
the witty and waggish companion or make-sport may have
got the ascendancy in him, he is of an inward composition
to forget it as soon as the cause of wronged and suffering
virtue or innocence gives him a manly and generous part to
perform. And when the blameless and gentle Hero is smit
ten down with cruel falsehood, and even her father is con
vinced of her guilt, he is the first to suspect that " the practice
of it lives in John the bastard" (IV, i, 183). With his just
faith in the honor of the Prince and of Claudio, his quick
judgment and native sagacity forthwith hit upon the right
clew to the mystery. Much the same, all through, is to be
said of Beatrice, who approves herself a thoroughly brave
and generqus~character. The s^iftriess^arid brilliancy of wit
upon which she so much prides herself are at once forgotten
in resentment and vindication of her injured kinswoman.
She becomes somewhat furious indeed, but it is a noble and
righteous fury — the fury of kindled strength.
INTRODUCTION xlvii
As pride of wit bears a main part in shaping the ordinary
conduct of these persons, so the dramatist aptly represents
them as being specially piqued at what pinches or touches
them in that point. Thus in their wit-skirmish at the mas
querade, what sticks most in Benedick is being described as
"the Prince's jester," and hearing it said that, if his jests
are "not mark'd, or not laugh'd at," it "strikes him into
melancholy" (II, i, 134); while, on the other side, Beatrice
is equally stung at being told that she had her " good wit
out of the Hundred Merry Tales" (II, i, 117). Their keen
sensitiveness to whatever implies any depreciation or con
tempt of their faculty in this kind is exceedingly well con
ceived. It shows that jesting, after all, is more a matter
of art with them than of character.
As might be expected, the good repute of Benedick and
Beatrice has been not a little periled, not to say damaged,
by their redundancy of wit; but it is the ordinary lot of
persons so witty as they to suffer under the misconstructions
of prejudice or partial acquaintance. Their very sparkling
seems to augment the difficulty of coming to a true knowl-^
edge of them. It is plain that in the unamiable passages of
their deportment both are playing a part, and their playing
is rather to conceal than to disclose their real feelings. It is
the very strength of their feelings which puts them upon this
mode of disguise ; and the pointing of their raillery so much
against each other is itself proof of a deep and growing
mutual interest, though it must be confessed that the ability
to play so well, and in that kind, is a great temptation to
carry it to excess or to use it where it may cause something
else than mirth. This it is that justifies the repetition of the
stratagem for drawing on a match between them, the same
xlviii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
process being needed in both cases that they may get rid of
their reciprocal disguises and become straightforward and in
earnest. And so the effect of the stratagem is to begin the
unmasking which is so thoroughly completed by the wrongs
and sufferings of Hero ; they are thus disciplined out of their
playing and made to show themselves as they are. Their
peculiar cast of self-love and their pride of wit are adroitly
worked upon in the execution of the scheme for bringing
them together. Both are deeply mortified at overhearing
how they are blamed for their addiction to flouting, and at
the same time both are highly flattered in being made each
to believe that the other is secretly dying of love. As they
are both professed heretics on the score of love and mar
riage, so they are both tamed out of their heresy in the glad
persuasion that they have each proved too much for the
other's pride of wit, and have each converted the other to
the true faith. But, indeed, that heresy was all along feigned
as a refuge from merry persecutions, and the virtue of the
thing is, that in the belief that they have each conquered the
other's assumed fastidiousness, they each lay aside their own.
The case involves a highly curious interplay of various motives
on either side, and it is not easy to say whether vanity or
generosity, the self-regarding or the self-forgetting emotions,
are uppermost in the process.
WIT OF BENEDICK AND BEATRICE
The wit of Benedick and Beatrice, though seeming at first
view much the same, is very nicely discriminated. Jfealrics,
_ .intelligent JLS__she Js^hasjittle of reflection in her wit, but
jthrows it off in rapid ^flashes whenever any object ministers
Though of the most piercing keenness
INTRODUCTION xlix
and the most exquisite aptness, there is no ill-nature about it ;
it stings indeed, but does not poison. The offspring merely
oTthe Tnoment and theoccasion, it catches the apprehension,
but quickly slides from the memory. Its agility is infinite.
The wit of Benedick^on- the other hand, springs more from.
reflectiorTand grows with the growth of thought. With all
the pungency, and nearly all the pleasantry, of Beatrice's, it
has less of spontaneous volubility. Hence in their skirmishes
she always gets the better of him, hitting him so swiftly
and in so many places, as to bewilder his aim. But he
makes ample amends when out of her presence; then he
trundles off jests in whole paragraphs. In short, if his wit
be slower, it is also_stronger than hers ; not so agile of move
ment but more weighty in matter, it ^Hmes Tess but" burns""
more ; and as If springs much less out of the occasion, solT
bears repeatin^^uch better. The effect of the serious events
in bringing these persons to an armistice of wit is a happy
stroke of art, and perhaps some such thing was necessary
to prevent the impression of their being jesters by trade. It
proves, at least, that Beatrice is a witty woman and not a
mere female wit.
IX. STAGE HISTORY
Much Ado About Nothing has all the qualities of a good
acting play. Its excellencies of plot and character are obvious.
The points and situations are so shaped and ordered, and
the interest is of such varied appeal, ranging from broad
comedy and sparkling dialogue to pathos and tragedy, that,
even when indifferently acted, it has always been effective
on the stage.
1 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
The popularity of the comedy from the first as an acting
play is indicated by the title-page of the Quarto (reproduced
in facsimile as the frontispiece of this volume), where the
statement is made, " as it hath been sundrie times publikely
acted." Both the Quarto and the Folios (see note, IV, ii, i,
Enter DOGBERRY . . . ) preserve the names of Kemp l and
Cowley, two of the original cast, who seem to have taken
the parts of Dogberry and Verges. It is evident from various
allusions in contemporary literature that public appreciation
fastened chiefly on the scenes in which Dogberry appears.
Robert Armin, in his tract The Italian Taylor, and his JBoy
(1609), speaks of himself as having been " writ downe for an
Asse in his time " ; and plays like Middleton's Blurt, Master-
Constable (1602), Marston's The Dutch Couttezan (1605),
Hey wood's The Fayre Mayde of the Exchange (1607),
Fletcher's The Knight of Malta (1619?), and Glapthorne's
Wit in a Constable (1639) abound in reminiscences of the
more popular passages. As mentioned above (Sources, The
Story of Benedick and Beatrice), the play was acted at
Court in 1613, and Leonard Digges,2 in his verses "Upon
Master William Shakespeare," prefixed to the edition of
Shakespeare's Poems published in 1640, says:
1 William Kemp (Kempe) was the most famous low comedian of
his day. He was the successor of the great clown and jester, Richard
Tarlton. In Romeo and Juliet, IV, iv, 101, for 'Enter Peter' the
Second Quarto has ' Enter Will Kemp.' See Collier, Memoirs of
Actors in the Plays of Shakespeare, 1846.
2 Leonard Digges also wrote verses " To the Memorie of the
deceased Authour Maister W. Shakespeare," prefixed to the First
Folio.
INTRODUCTION li
let but Beatrice
And Benedicke be scene, loe in a trice
The Cockpit, Galleries, Boxes, all are full.1
Much Ado About Nothing was one of the Shakespeare
plays that suffered at the hands of adapters when the theatres
were reopened at the Restoration. D'Avenant took the
passages in which Benedick and Beatrice appear, and with
grotesque additions and excisions foisted them into a play
called The Law against Lovers, founded upon Measure for
Measure. This extraordinary jumble of two Shakespeare
comedies was seen by Pepys in February, 1661-1662, who
notes in his Diary that it is a " good play and well performed."
THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
Four revivals 2 of Much Ado About Nothing took place in
the eighteenth century, before 1748. In that year Garrick
appeared for the first time as Benedick, the part of Beatrice
being taken by the famous actress Mrs. Pritchard. Davies
records that her acting was in no way inferior to Garrick's :
" Every scene between them was a continual struggle for
superiority; nor could the spectators determine which was
1 An interesting reference to the play, though not concerned with
its popularity on the stage, is found in the third edition (1640) of
Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy : " And many times those which
at the first sight cannot fancy or affect each other, but are harsh and
ready to disagree, offended with each other's carriage, like Benedict
and Betteris in the Comedy & in whom they finde many faults . . .
begin at last to dote insensibly one upon another."
2 Exclusive of an odd version of the play produced with some
success at Drury Lane in 1737, under the name of The Univer
sal Passion, in which were interpolated passages from Moliere's
Princesse
lii THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
the victor." Garrick made a characteristic hit when he selected
the part of Benedick in which to reappear on the stage after
his much-talked-of marriage in 1749, and from that time to
the end of his career as actor-manager in 1776, Benedick was
his favorite Shakespearian role. After Garrick's retirement,
Henderson, whose acting in Shakespearian parts at Bath
won him the sobriquet of Bath Roscius, appeared as Bene
dick at Drury Lane, and his success became the talk of the
town. Mrs. Abington, one of the famous actresses who
played Beatrice to Henderson's Benedick, took the part with
distinction for upwards of twenty-five years. It is interesting
to note that it was an interpretation of Beatrice by Mrs.
Siddons at Bath which won the attention of Henderson and
led to the great tragedienne's fateful London engagement
of 1782.
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
The first interpreter of Benedick to win distinction in the
nineteenth century was Charles Kemble, who played the
part in 1831 to the Beatrice of his daughter, the well-known
Fanny Kemble. On the night Kemble bade adieu to the stage
he played Benedick to the Beatrice of a young girl, Helen
(Helena) Faucit, who was singled out by him for this special
performance and appeared in the part for the first time.
Miss Faucit (Lady Theodore Martin) became one of the note
worthy Beatrices in the history of the stage, and her study
of the character, given in the form of a letter to Ruskin, is
a distinct addition to the literature of Shakespearian inter
pretation.1 Miss Faucit appeared in Macready's revivals of
1 Given in On Some of Shakespeare* $ Female Characters, Blackwood
and Sons, 1885.
INTRODUCTION liii
Much Ado About Nothing, which are also memorable for
historical accuracy and elaborateness in the accessories of
scenery and costume. Distinguished among the later revivals
of the play is that associated with Charles Kean's farewell
season in 1858, when he took the part of Benedick and
Mrs. Kean (Ellen Tree) that of Beatrice ; but perhaps the
most noteworthy in the history of the modern stage is the
production at the Lyceum in 1883, under the management
of Henry Irving, with Miss Ellen Terry as Beatrice. An
interesting feature of these nineteenth century revivals, and
one which links them to the Elizabethan performances, is the
attention given to Dogberry and Verges. Characteristically
enough, the eighteenth century minimized the importance of
the broad comedy scenes ; the nineteenth witnessed a succes
sion of notable interpreters of blundering Bumbledom in
Munden, Suett, Yates, Meadows, and Frank Matthews.
AUTHORITIES
(With the more important abbreviations used in the notes)
Q = Quarto, 1600.
FI = First Folio, 1623.
F2 = Second Folio, 1632.
F3 = Third Folio, 1663, 1664.
F4 = Fourth Folio, 1685.
Ff = all the seventeenth century Folios.
Rowe = Rowe's editions, 1709, 1714.
Pope = Pope's editions, 1723, 1728.
Theobald = Theobald's editions, 1733, 1740.
Hanmer = Hanmer's edition, 1744.
Johnson — Johnson's edition, 1765.
Capell = Capell's edition, 1768.
Malone = Malone's edition, 1790.
Steevens = Steevens's edition, 1793.
Knight = C. Knight's edition, 1840.
Collier = J. P. Collier's (second) edition, 1858.
Globe = Globe edition (Clark and Wright), 1864.
Dyce = Dyce's (third) edition, 1875.
Delius = Delius's (fifth) edition, 1882.
Marshall = F. A. Marshall's Henry Irving edition, 1890.
Camb = Cambridge (third) edition (W.A.Wright), 1891.
Furness = H. H. Furness's A New Variorum, Much Ado About
Nothing, 1899.
Herford = C. H. Herford's The Eversley Shakespeare, 1903.
Tyrwhitt = T.Tyrwhitt's Observations and Conjectures, etc., 1766.
Abbott = E. A. Abbott's A Shakespearian Grammar.
Fleay = F. G. Fleay's Introduction to Shakespearian Study.
Furnivall = F. J. Furnivall's Introduction to The Leopold Shake
speare.
Cotgrave = Cotgrave's Dictionarie of the French and English
Tongues, 1611.
Schmidt = Schmidt's Shakespeare Lexicon.
Skeat = Skeat's An Etymological Dictionary.
Murray = A New English Dictionary ( The Oxford Dictionary],
Iv
publication
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
Michelangelo died.
Calvin died. Marlowe
born. Galileo born
Philip II of Spain gave
his name to Philippine
Islands
Murder of Rizzio
Mary of Scots a prisoner
in England. Ascham
died. Coverdale died.
Netherlands War of
Liberation
Knox died. Massacre
of St. Bartholomew
Ben Jonson born?
Donne born
Earl of Leicester's
players licensed
Queen Elizabeth at
Kenilworth. Palissy
lectured on Natural
History
" The Theatre " opened
in Finsbury Fields,
London, followed by
" The Curtain." Hans
Sachs died
Drake sailed to circum
navigate globe
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BRITISH AND
FOREIGN LITERAI
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The Bishops Bi
La Taille's Sa
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Camoens' OS Lusi
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Tasso's Aminta
Mirror for Magisti
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Ovid (complete)
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RITISH AND
GN LITERATURE
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Merry Wives of
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Much Ado About
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As You Like It
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estate
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house property.
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lix
DISTRIBUTION OF CHARACTERS
In this analysis are shown the acts and scenes in which the char
acters (see Dramatis Personae, page 2) appear, with the number of
speeches and lines given to each.
NOTE. Parts of lines are counted as whole lines.
NO. OF
NO. OF
NO. OF
NO. OF
SPEECHES
LINES
SPEECHES
LINES
DON PEDRO
I, i
21
63
LEONATO
I, i
15
33
II i
28
62
I, ii
4
II
III iii
25
61
II, i
37
III ii
22
45
II, iii
11
42
IV, i
3
ii
III.H
3
4
V, i
29
63
III.v
ii
13
V, iii
2
7
IV, i
IQ
68
V,iv
4
6
V, i
25
108
— ~
V, iv
II
2c
*34
3 **
— -
121
341
DON JOHN
Ij i
r
2
I, iii
II, i
II, ii
II
5
9
38
ANTONIO
W
3
6
12
7
12
33
V, i
ii
32
IV,'i
3
8
V, iv
3
3
41
108
23
54
CLAUDIO
I'M
19
39
28
BALTHASAR
II, i
5
6
11, iii
ti
33
II, iii
6
23
Ill.ii
18
ii
29
IV, i
14
54
V, i
28
54
V, iii
5
IS
CONRADE
I, iii
6
r4
V, iv
8
21
II I, iii
12
I7
124
275
IV, ii
5
6
23
37
BENEDICK
I, i
26
88
II, i
20
74
II, iii
II
74
BORACHIO
I, iii
6
J4
III, ii
5
9
II, i
2
4
IV, i
30
5°
II, ii
8
33
V, i
8
22
1 1 1, iii
14
43
V, ii
16
58
IV, ii
4
4
V, iv
18
43
V, i
5
20
134
418
39
118
lx
DISTRIBUTION OF CHARACTERS
Ixi
NO. OF
NO. OF
NO. OF
NO. OF
SPEECHES
LINES
SPEECHES
LINES
FRIAR FRANCIS
IV, i
12
75
MARGARET
II, i
4
6
V, iv
4
9
III,i
I
I
l6
84
Ill.iv
16
51
V, U
_5
10
26
"68
DOGBERRY
III, Hi
'7
60
III, V
12
36
IV, ii
V, i
16
__7
44
JO
URSULA
II, i
III, i
4
ii
9
29
52
170
Ill.iv
3
5
V, ii
i
5
VERGES
Ill.iii
8
13
*9
48
III, V
5
8
IV, ii
4
s
V,i
i -
2
MESSENGER
1.1
15
29
~7s
Is
III, V
i
2
V, iv
i
2
SEXTON
IV, ii
7
14
17
33
BOY
II, Hi
2
2
i WATCH
1 1 1, Hi
4
7
IV, ii
2
_5
' 5
HERO
I, i
I
I
II, i
6
10
Ill.i
13
78
Ill.iv
12
'7
2 WATCH
III, Hi
IO
16
IV, i
9
18
IV, ii
2
3
IV, iv
_3
8
12
19
44
132
BEATRICE
If i
i7
S3
WATCH
1 1 1, Hi
3
5
II, i
30
1 02
II, Hi
3
8
Ill.i
10
A LORD
V, iii
,
i
Ill.iv
I I
'7
IV, i
27
53
V, ii
10
20
V, iv
7
IO
SONG
V, iii
I
IO
106
273
THE COMEDY OF
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
DRAMATIS PERSON^1
DON PEDRO,2 prince of Arragon
DON JOHN, bastard brother to Don Pedro
CLAUDIO, a young lord of Florence
BENEDICK,8 a young lord of Padua
LEONATO,* governor of Messina
ANTONIO, brother to Leonato
BALTHASAR,6 attendant on Don Pedro
CONRADE, \fojlowers of
BORACHIO,6 J
FRIAR FRANCIS
DOGBERRY,7 a constable
VERGES,7 a headborough
Sexton
Boy
HERO, daughter to Leonato
BEATRICE,8 niece to Leonato
MARGARET,
URSULA,
' I- gentlewomen attending on Hero
Messengers, Watch, Attendants, etc.
SCENE: Messina
1 DRAMATIS PERSONS. Rowe was the first to give a list of the
characters. He and Pope included ' Innogen, wife to Leonato.' See note,
I, i, i, Enter LEONATO . . . Some editors add Hugh Oat-cake, George Sea-
coal, and Francis Sea-coal. See III, iii, n ; III, v, 52-53.
2 DON PEDRO. Bandello, in his novella, gives the name as ' Re Piero '
(King Piero). See Introduction, Sources.
8 BENEDICK. From Latin benedictus, 'he who is blessed.'
4 LEONATO. Bandello has ' Lionato.' See Introduction, Sources.
5 BALTHASAR. Pronounced bal'tha-sar. So in The Merchant of Venice
and Romeo and Juliet.
6 BORACHIO. Pronounced bo-ratch'yo. From Spanish borracho, ' drunk.'
7 See note, III, iii, i, Enter DOGBERRY and VERGES. The descriptive
term 'headborough,' meaning a parish officer, is taken from the original
stage direction, III, v, i. See textual variants.
8 BEATRICE. From Latin beatrix, ' she who blesses.' There is evidence
that the Elizabethan pronunciation of ' Beatrice ' was bet'ris or bet'er-is.
2
ACT I
SCENE I. Before LEONATO'S house
Enter LEONATO, HERO, and BEATRICE, with a Messenger
LEONATO. I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Ar-
ragon comes this night to Messina.
MESSENGER. He is very near by this : he was not three
leagues off when I left him.
LEONATO. How many gentlemen have you lost in this
action ? 6
MESSENGER. But few of any sort, and none of name.
ACT I. SCENE I | Actus Primus. i. Enter LEONATO . . . (see note
Scena prima Ff | Q omits. — Before below).
LEONATO'S house Capell | QFf omit. i, 9. Pedro Rowe I Peter QFf.
For the dramatic construction and analysis of scenes, and the
characters, see Introduction.
i. Enter LEONATO ... In both the Quarto and the Folios the
stage direction is, " Enter Leonato Governour of Messina, Innogen
his wife, Hero his daughter, and Beatrice his neece with a messenger, "
and at the beginning of Act II, Scene i, occurs "Enter Leonato, his
brother, his wife," etc. Innogen does not appear in the play. Either
Shakespeare intended to use the character, or it is a trace of an
earlier play. As a rule, Shakespeare's heroines are motherless.
i, 9. Pedro. It is possible that in the * Peter' of the Quarto and
Folios may be another trace of an earlier play.
$-6. this action. Probably the suppression of Don John's rebellion.
7. sort. Either ' kind ' or ' rank.' If the messenger is answering
the question directly, the word means ' rank.' Leonato apparently
understands him to mean ' We have lost few men of any kind,' etc.
Of. line 31.
3
4 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
LEONATO. A victory is twice itself when the achiever
brings home full numbers : I find here that Don Pedro
hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine, called
Claudio. ii
MESSENGER. Much deserv'd on his part, and equally
rememb'red by Don Pedro : he hath borne himself beyond
the promise of his age, doing in the figure of a lamb the
feats of a lion: he hath indeed better bett'red expectation
than you must expect of me to tell you how. 16
LEONATO. He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very
much glad of it.
MESSENGER. I have already delivered him letters, and
there appears much joy in him, even so much that joy
could not show Itself modest enough without a badge of
bitterness. 22
LEONATO. Did he break out into tears ?
MESSENGER. In great measure.
LEONATO. A kind overflow of kindness : there are
13. rememb'red : mentioned. Cf. The Tempest, I, ii, 404 : " The
ditty does remember my drown'd father."
15. bett'red: surpassed. Cf. The Winter's Tale, IV, iv, 136.
17. uncle . . . will : uncle who will. The apparent omission of the
relative is common in Shakespeare. See Abbott, § 244.
21-22. badge of bitterness : livery of sorrow. A touch of euphuism.
With lines 20-25 compare Macbeth, I, iv, 33-35 :
My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow.
25. kind : natural. The original meaning. — kindness : tenderness.
Cf. Twelfth Night, 11,1,40-43: "my bosom is full of kindness, and I
am yet so near the manners of my mother, that upon the least occa
sion more mine eyes will tell tales of me." There is a play on words
in ' kind ' and * kindness.'
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 5
no faces truer than those that are so wash'd. How much
better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping I 27
BEATRICE. I pray you, is Signior Mountanto return'd
from the wars, or no?
MESSENGER. I know none of that name, lady: there was
none such in the army of any sort.
LEONATO. What is he that you ask for, niece ?
HERO. My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua.
MESSENGER. O, he 's return'd, and as pleasant as ever
he was. 35
BEATRICE. He set up his bills here in Messina, and chal-
leng'd Cupid at the flight; and my uncle's fool, reading the
challenge, subscrib'd for Cupid, and challeng'd him at the
bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath he kill'd and eaten
in these wars ? But how many hath he kill'd ? for indeed
I promis'd to eat all of his killing. 41
a8. Mountanto QFf Camb Globe | 39. bird-bolt Pope Theobald | Bur-
Montanto Pope Johnson Delius. bolt QFf Rowe.
28. Mountanto. The name is borrowed from an old term of the
Italian fencing school, and means ' upward thrust.' It is used here
humorously or sarcastically in the sense of ' bravado.'
31. sort: rank. Cf. line 7, and see note. Cf. Julius Ceesar, I, ij62.
34. pleasant : amusing, ridiculous. Cf. The Winters Tale, IV, iv, 190.
36. set up his bills : posted a challenge.
37. at the flight : at long-distance shooting. The flight, or flight-
arrow, was a light, well-feathered arrow.
38-39. at the bird-bolt : at short-distance shooting. The bird-bolt
was a blunt-headed arrow that brought down birds without destroying
the plumage, and fools were allowed to use it. Cf. the proverb, "A
fool's bolt is soon shot." Cupid's arrow was often called a bird-bolt.
Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, IV, iii, 25.
41. Cf. Henry V, III, vii, 99-100: " RAMBURES. He longs to eat
the English. CONSTABLE. I think he will eat all he kills."
6 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT i
LEONATO. 'Faith, niece, you tax Signior Benedick too
much, but he'll be meet with you, I doubt it not.
MESSENGER. He hath done good service, lady, in these
wars. 45
BEATRICE. You had musty victual, and he hath holp to
eat it : he 's a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an excel
lent stomach.
MESSENGER. And a good soldier too, lady.
BEATRICE. And a good soldier to a lady. But what is he
to a lord? 51
MESSENGER. A lord to a lord, a man to a man, stuff 'd with
all honourable virtues.
BEATRICE. It is so, indeed; he is no less than a stuff'd
man: but for the stuffing, well, we are all mortal. 55
LEONATO. You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is
a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her:
they never meet but there 's a skirmish of wit between them.
BEATRICE. Alas ! he gets nothing by that. In our last
conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and now is
44. these QFi I those F:zFsF4. 47- eat FaF4 I eate QF2 I ease Fi.
43. meet with you : even with you, quits with you. The original
meaning of ' meet ' is ' commensurate.'
48. stomach. A play on the word. Cf. Henry V, III, vii, 165-166 :
" they have only stomachs to eat and none to fight."
52-53. stuff'd . . . virtues. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, III, v, 183.
55. stuffing, well. Theobald's punctuation, " stuffing, — well," is ac
cepted by most editors. The Quarto and Folios have " stuffing well,"
which suggests a play on words lost by the introduction of the dash.
60. The ' wits,' five in number to match the five ' senses ' (cf.
Sonnets, CXLI, 9-10), are, according to Stephen Hawes (in The
Pastime of Pleasure, xxiv, 2), common wit, imagination, fantasy,
estimation, and memory.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 7
the whole man govern'd with one : so that if he have wit
enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a differ
ence between himself and his horse : for it is all the wealth
that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature. Who
is his companion now? he hath every month a new sworn
brother. 66
MESSENGER. Is 't possible ?
BEATRICE. Very easily possible: he wears his faith but
as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next
block. 70
MESSENGER. I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your
books.
BEATRICE. No; and he were, I would burn my study.
But I pray you, who is his companion ? Is there no young
73. and he QFf | an he Theobald | if he Pope.
62-63. bear it for a difference : wear it as a distinguishing mark.
Cf. Hamlet^ IV, v, 183, "wear your rue with a difference."
65~<S6. sworn brother. In mediaeval chivalry the brothers in arms
(fratres jurati) vowed to share each other's fortunes.
68. faith : fidelity, constancy. Often so. Cf. II, i, 164.
70. block: mold for shaping a hat. Hence 'fashion' (of hat). Cf.
King Lear, IV, vi, 187. Dekker, in Seven Deadly Sinnes of London,
1606, says, " the blocke for his head alters faster then the feltmaker
can fitte him, and thereupon we are called in scorne blockheads."
71-72. The origin of the expression ' in a person's books,' mean
ing ' in favor with him,' is perhaps the sixteenth century custom of
keeping records of friends, or that of servants and retainers being
entered in the records of those to whom they were attached. Cf.
i Henry VI, II, iv, 101.
73. and: if. So in lines 128, 179, 188 ; II, iii, 75, 147 ; III, iii, 77;
III, iv, 30, 32, 50 ; III, v, 35 ; V, i, 134, 171, 210. When ' and ' means
f if,' most modern editors follow Theobald and substitute ' an.' Ex
cept in the combination ' an V ' an ' occurs only once in the First
Folio (Love's Labour's Lost,V, ii, 232).
8 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT i
squarer now that will make a voyage with him to the
devil ? 76
MESSENGER. He is most in the company of the right
noble Claudio.
BEATRICE. O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease :
he is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs
presently mad. God help the noble Claudio ! if he have
caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere
a be cur'd.
MESSENGER. I will hold friends with you, lady.
: BEATRICE. Do, good friend. 85
LEG-NATO. You will never run mad, niece.
BEATRICE. No, not till a hot January.
MESSENGER. Don Pedro is approach'd.
Enter DON PEDRO, DON JOHN, CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, and
BALTHASAR
DON PEDRO. Good Signior Leonato, you are come to
meet your trouble: the fashion of the world is to avoid
cost, and you encounter it. 91
83. a Q | he Fi | it FaFaF^ Claudio, Benedicke, Balthasar, and
86. will never Q | '1 ne're Ff. lohn the bastard QFf. — Scene II
89. Enter . . . | Enter don Pedro, Pope, — you are Ff | are you Q.
75. squarer: quarrelsome fellow. Cf. 'square,' meaning 'quarrel,'
A Midsummer Nighfs Dream, II, i, 30.
81. presently: immediately. So in lines 285, 307; II, ii, 50; III,
i, 14; III, iii, 27; IV, i, 246; V, ii, 89; V, iv, 68.
83. a: he. A dialectic form often written 'a or a'. So in II, i, 15;
II, iii, 178; III, ii, 37, 45; III, iii, 25, 71, 114, 115, 151; IV, i, 294;
V, iv, 99.
84. hold friends : keep on good terms.
88. is approach'd : has come. Cf. 2 Henry IV, I, i, 4 : " His lordship
is walk'd forth into the orchard."
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 9
LEONATO. Never came trouble to my house in the like
ness of your grace : for trouble being gone, comfort should
remain ; but when you depart from me, sorrow abides, and
happiness takes his leave. 95
DON PEDRO. You embrace your charge too willingly.
I think this is your daughter.
LEONATO. Her mother hath many times told me so.
BENEDICK. Were you in doubt, sir, that you ask'd her ? 99
LEONATO. Signior Benedick, no ; for then were you a
child.
DON PEDRO. You have it full, Benedick : we may guess
by this what you are, being a man : truly, the lady fathers
herself. Be happy, lady, for you are like an honourable
father. 105
BENEDICK. If Signior Leonato be her father, she would
not have his head on her shoulders for all Messina, as like
him as she is.
BEATRICE. I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior
Benedick: nobody marks you. no
BENEDICK. What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet
living ?
BEATRICE. Is it possible disdain should die while she
hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick?
89. sir Q | Ff omit. 114. it | on (Keightley conj.).
•95. his : its. 'Its' was just coming into use in Shakespeare's day.
96. embrace your charge. Literally or figuratively : ' embrace your
ward ' or ' assume your burden.'
103-104. fathers herself : shows who her father is.
106-108. Benedick apparently means that the youthful Hero would
be unwilling to have her father's years at any price.
109. still: continually. So in line 125. Often so.
10 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT i
Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come in
her presence. 116
BENEDICK. Then is courtesy a turncoat ; but it is certain
I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted : and I would
I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for
truly I love none. 120
/""""' BEATRICE. A dear happiness to women : they would else
I have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God and
\ my cold blood, I am of your humour for that : I had rather
/ hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.
V BENEDICK. God keep your ladyship still in that mind!
] so some gentleman or other shall scape a predestinate
[ scratch'd face. 127
BEATRICE. Scratching could not make it worse, and 't were
such a face as yours were.
BENEDICK. Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher. 130
BEATRICE. A bird of my tongue is better than a beast
of yours.
BENEDICK. I would my horse had the speed of your
tongue, and so good a continuer: but keep your way a'
God's name; I have done. 135
BEATRICE. You always end with a jade's trick : I know
you of old.
xa8. and QFf | an Rowe | if Pope. i34-i35- *' God's I a Gods QFf I i'
138. yours QFaFsF* | your Fi. God's Capell I o' God's Theobald.
115. convert. Intransitive. Cf. Richard II, V, i, 66 : " The love of
wicked men converts to fear."
121. dear happiness : precious piece of good fortune.
126. scape. An aphetic form of 'escape.' Like 'squire 'for 'esquire,'
' down ' for ' adown.' Cf. ' fore,' IV, ii, 29. — predestinate : predes
tined. See Abbott, § 342.
136. a jade's trick : a balky horse's trick of slipping its collar.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING II
DON PEDRO. This is the sum of all: Leonato, Signior
Claudio, and Signior Benedick, my dear friend Leonato,
hath invited you all: I tell him we shall stay here, at the
least a month, and he heartily prays some occasion may
detain us longer: I dare swear he is no hypocrite, but
prays from his heart. 143
LEONATO. If you swear, my lord, you shall not be for
sworn. [To DON JOHN] Let me bid you welcome, my lord :
being reconciled to the prince your brother, I owe you all
duty.
DON JOHN. I thank you : I am not of many words, but I
thank you.
LEONATO. Please it your grace lead on? 150
DON PEDRO. Your hand, Leonato ; we will go together.
[Exeunt all except BENEDICK and CLAUDIO]
CLAUDIO. Benedick, didst thou note the daughter of
Signior Leonato?
BENEDICK. I noted her not ; but I look'd on her.
CLAUDIO. Is she not a modest young lady ? 155
BENEDICK. Do you question me as an honest man should
138. This is Ff I That is Qq. Manent ... Q | ... Manet . . . Ff .
145. [To DON JOHN] Hanmer. 153. Scene III Pope.
151. [. . . all except ... | ...
138-140. The punctuation here is that of the Quarto (1600). It
has puzzled editors from the time of the First Folio (1623) to the
present, but it is quite correct. ' Leonato ' is in the nominative case,
the subject of 'hath invited'; 'Signior Claudio' and 'Signior Bene
dick ' are in the vocative ; ' my dear friend Leonato ' repeats as with
a gesture of courtesy the previous ' Leonato.' Most editors punctuate
as follows : " all, Leonato. Signior . . ." Collier, who originated this
punctuation, subsequently abandoned it.
152. thou. Claudio uses ' thou ' (the intimate and familiar word)
from now to the end of the scene.
12 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
do, for my simple true judgment? or would you have me
speak after my custom, as being a professed tyrant to
their sex?
CLAUDIO. No ; I pray thee speak in sober judgment. 160
BENEDICK. Why, i' faith, methinks she 's too low for a
high praise, too brown for a fair praise, and too little for a
great praise, only this commendation I can afford her, that
were she other than she is, she were unhandsome, and
being no other but as she is, I do not like her. 165
CLAUDIO. Thou think'st I am in sport: I pray thee
tell me truly how thou lik'st her.
BENEDICK. Would you buy her, that you inquire after^
her?
CLAUDIO. Can the world buy such a jewel ? 170
BENEDICK. Yea, and a case to put it into, but speak you
this with a sad brow ? or do you play the flouting Jack, to
tell us Cupid is a good hare-finder, and Vulcan a rare car
penter ? Come, in what key shall a man take you, to go in
the song? 175
CLAUDIO. In mine eye, she is the sweetest lady that
ever I look'd on.
BENEDICK. I can see yet without spectacles, and I see
163. praise, QFf | praise : Globe.
162. brown. Fair hair was the fashion in Elizabeth's reign.
163. only this . . . afford her : except that I can commend her
thus far. The punctuation of the Quarto and Folios, as given here,
closely connects 'commendation' and 'praise.'
172. sad: serious. So in I, iii, 54 ; 11,1,314,315; II, iii, 203 ('sadly');
V, i, 198. — flouting Jack: ironical knave. Cf. V, i, 91.
173-174. The idea that the blindly acting Cupid is especially sharp-
sighted, and Vulcan, the artificer in metals, a deft carpenter !
174-175. go in the song : join you in singing.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 13
no such matter : there 's her cousin, and she were not pos-
sess'd with a fury, exceeds her as much in beauty as the
first of May doth the last of December: but I hope you
have no intent to turn husband, have you? 182
CLAUDIO. I would scarce trust myself, though I had
sworn the contrary, if Hero would be my wife.
BENEDICK. Is 't come to this ? In faith, hath not the
world one man but he will wear his cap with suspicion?
Shall I never see a bachelor of threescore again? Go to,
i' faith, and thou wilt needs thrust thy neck into a yoke,
wear the print of it, and sigh away Sundays. Look ! Don
Pedro is returned to seek you. 190
Re-enter DON PEDRO
DON PEDRO. What secret hath held you here, that you
followed not to Leonato's?
BENEDICK. I would your grace would constrain me to tell.
DON PEDRO. I charge thee on thy allegiance. 194
BENEDICK. You hear, Count Claudio : I can be secret
as a dumb man, I would have you think so (but on my
allegiance, mark you this, on my allegiance) he is in love,
with who ? now that is your grace's part. Mark how short
his answer is, * With Hero, Leonato's short daughter.'
179. and QFf I an Rowe I if Pope. Pedro, lohn the Bastard QFf. —
188. and QFf | an Capell I if Pope. Scene IV Pope.
191. Re-enter ... I Enter Don 192. Leonato's | Leonato FgF*.
186. wear his cap with suspicion : marry and subject himself to the
disquiet of jealousy.
189. Perhaps an allusion to the Puritans' observance of Sunday.
196-197. The punctuation (that of the Quarto and Folios) indicates
that Benedick purposely leaves his humorous parenthesis to be
taken either with what precedes or with what follows.
14 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
CLAUDIO. If this were so, so were it utt'red. 200
BENEDICK. Like the old tale, my lord : * It is not so, nor
'twas not so : but indeed, God forbid it should be so.'
CLAUDIO. If my passion change not shortly, God forbid
it should be otherwise.
DON PEDRO. Amen, if you love her, for the lady is
very well worthy. 206
CLAUDIO. You speak this to fetch me in, my lord.
DON PEDRO. By my troth, I speak my thought.
CLAUDIO. And, in faith, my lord, I spoke mine.
BENEDICK. And by my two faiths and troths, my lord, I
spoke mine. 211
CLAUDIO. That I love her, I feel.
DON PEDRO. That she is worthy, I know.
BENEDICK. That I neither feel how she should be loved,
nor know how she should be worthy, is the opinion that fire
cannot melt out of me : I will die in it at the stake. 216
DON PEDRO. Thou wast ever an obstinate heretic in the
despite of beauty.
CLAUDIO. And never could maintain his part, but in the
force of his will. 220
BENEDICK. That a woman conceived me, I thank her:
that she brought me up, I likewise give her most humble
an. spoke Q | speake
200. utt'red : made known. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, V, i, 67.
201-202. Blakeway contributed to Malone's Variomm Shakespeare
a version of an « old tale," in which " Mr. Fox," a kind of Bluebeard,
repeats the expression, " It is not so, nor," etc., as an ironical com-
ment when the heroine recounts the horrors seen in his house.
207. fetch me in : lead me to a confession.
219-220. the force of his will : wilful obstinacy. Heresy was denned
in the schools as ' wilful choice.'
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 15
thanks : but that I will have a recheat winded in my fore
head, or hang my bugle in an invisible baldrick, all women
shall pardon me. Because I will not do them the wrong to
mistrust any, I will do myself the right to trust none : and
the fine is (for the which I may go the finer) I will live a
bachelor. 228
DON PEDRO. I shall see thee, ere I die, look pale with
love.
BENEDICK. With anger, with sickness, or with hunger,
my lord, not with love: prove that ever I lose more blood
with love than I will get again with drinking, pick out mine
eyes with a ballad-maker's pen, and hang me up for the
sign of blind Cupid. 235
DON PEDRO. Well, if ever thou dost fall from this faith,
thou wilt prove a notable argument.
BENEDICK. If I do, hang me in a bottle like a cat, and
shoot at me, and he that hits me, let him be clapp'd on the
shoulder, and called Adam. 240
a«3. recheat I rechate QFf .
223-225. Benedick refers to the risk of disappointment and jeal
ousy in marriage. * To wind a recheat ' was to sound a blast on the
hunting horn to call the hounds together when the chase was to
begin or continue, or when the hunt was over ; the ' baldrick ' was
the belt in which the horn was hung.
227. fine : conclusion. Cf . Hamlet, V, i, 1 1 5 : " the fine of his fines."
' Go the finer,' in the sense of ' go the better dressed,' contains an
obvious pun.
237. notable argument : excellent subject for discussion.
238. Probably the 'bottle' was of wood or wicker. Cf. 'twiggen
bottle, 'Othello, II, iii, 1 52. From Warres, or the Peace is broken Steevens
quotes, " arrowes flew faster than they did at a catte in a basket."
240. Theobald and Bishop Percy identified ' Adam ' here with the
famous outlaw and archer, Adam Bell, whose exploits are celebrated
16 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
DON PEDRO. Well, as time shall try :
* In time the savage bull doth bear the yoke.'
BENEDICK. The savage bull may, but if ever the sensible
Benedick bear it, pluck off the bull's horns, and set them
in my forehead, and let me be vilely painted, and in such
great letters as they write ' Here is good horse to hire,' let
them signify under my sign, * Here you may see Benedick
the married man.'
CLAUDIO. If this should ever happen, thou wouldst be
horn-mad. 250
DON PEDRO. Nay, if Cupid have not spent all his quiver
in Venice, thou wilt quake for this shortly.
BENEDICK. I look for an earthquake too, then.
DON PEDRO. Well, you will temporize with the hours. In
the meantime, good Signior Benedick, repair to Leonato's:
commend me to him, and tell him I will not fail him at
supper, for indeed he hath made great preparation. 257
BENEDICK. I have almost matter enough in me for such
an embassage, and so I commit you.
345. vilely Rowe | vildly QF4 I vildely FiFaFs.
in the ballad of Adam Bell, Clim of the dough, and William of
Cloudesly, printed in the sixteenth century. Collier suggested that
the man who hit the bottle was to be called, by way of distinction,
the first man, that is, Adam.
241. try : prove. Cf. 2 Henry IV, II, ii, 50.
242. Undoubtedly a reminiscence of a line in Kyd's The Spanish
Tragedie, II, i, 3: "In time the sauage bull sustaines the yoake."
Still earlier is Watson's Ecatompathia, where, as printed in 1582,
occurs the line, " In time the Bull is brought to weare the yoake."
250. horn-mad : like a furious bull.
251-252. Venice was proverbial for gaiety and gallantry.
259. so I commit you : thus you stand committed by me (that is, to
this engagement). Here and in line 261 the Quarto and Folios end
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING I/
CLAUDIO. To the tuition of God. From my house, if I
had it. 261
DON PEDRO. The sixth of July. Your loving friend,
Benedick.
BENEDICK. Nay, mock not, mock not. The body of your
discourse is sometime guarded with fragments, and the
guards are but slightly basted on neither : ere you flout old
ends any further, examine your conscience, and so I leave
you. [Exit]
CLAUDIO. My liege, your highness now may do me good.
DON PEDRO. My love is thine to teach : teach it but how,
And thou shalt see how apt it is to learn 271
Any hard lesson that may do thee good.
CLAUDIO. Hath Leonato any son, my lord ?
DON PEDRO. No child but Hero, she 's his only heir :
Dost thou affect her, Claudio ?
CLAUDIO. O my lord, 275
When you went onward on this ended action,
I look'd upon her with a soldier's eye,
That lik'd, but had a rougher task in hand
269. Scene V Pope.
the speeches with a period. Most editors substitute a dash, thus
taking the edge off the speeches that follow.
[260. tuition: protection. The original (Latin) meaning. — From
my house. In imitation of a formal letter.
262. sixth of July. Midsummer Day, which, since the adoption of
the Gregorian calendar, falls on June 24. The eve of this day came
to be celebrated amid the wildest revelry. Cf. Twelfth Night, III,
v, 61 : " Why, this is very midsummer madness."
265. guarded : ornamentally trimmed, braided.
266-267. flout old ends : quote sarcastically scraps and tags, bits
of familiar verse and formal letter endings.
18 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
Than to drive liking to the name of love :
But now I am return'd and that war-thoughts 280
Have left their places vacant, in their rooms
Come thronging soft and delicate desires,
All prompting me how fair young Hero is,
Saying I lik'd her ere I went to wars.
DON PEDRO. Thou wilt be like a lover presently, 285
And tire the hearer with a book of words :
If thou dost love fair Hero, cherish it,
And I will break with her and with her father,
And thou shalt have her. Was 't not to this end
That thou began'st to twist so fine a story ? 290
CLAUDIO. How sweetly you do minister to love,
That know love's grief by his complexion I
But lest my liking might too sudden seem,
I would have salv'd it with a longer treatise.
DON PEDRO. What need the bridge much broader than
the flood ? 295
The fairest grant is the necessity.
284. wars. QFf |wars— Staunton. thou shalt have her Q | Ff omit.
388-289. and with her father, And 291. you do Q | do you Ff.
288. break : break (broach) the subject. So in line 305.
292. complexion: appearance. Cf. Richard II, III, ii, 194. Shake
speare uses the word 'complexion' in several senses : 'bodily habit,'
'constitution,' Hamlet, V, ii, 102; 'temperament,' The Merchant of
Venice, III, i, 32; 'natural colour' (especially of the face), II, i, 267 ;
The Merchant of Venice, II, i, i. These meanings have come directly
from the mediaeval physiology.
294. salv'd : mitigated. — treatise : discourse, talk. Cf. ' a dismal
treatise,' Macbeth, V, v, 12.
296. The best boon is that most necessary. The previous editions
of Hudson's Shakespeare adopted Hayley's conjecture : " The fairest
grant is to necessity."
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 19
Look, what will serve is fit : 't is once, thou lovest,
And I will fit thee with the remedy.
I know we shall have revelling to-night :
I will assume thy part in some disguise, 300
And tell fair Hero I am Claudio,
And in her bosom I '11 unclasp my heart,
And take her hearing prisoner with the force
And strong encounter of my amorous tale :
Then after to her father will I break ; 305
And the conclusion is, she shall be thine.
In practice let us put it presently. [Exeunt]
SCENE II. A room in LEONATO'S house
Enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, meeting
LEONATO. How now, brother 1 Where is my cousin your
son ? hath he provided this music ?
ANTONIO. He is very busy about it ; but, brother, I can
tell you strange news that you yet dreamt not of.
LEONATO. Are they good ? 5
SCENE II. A room . . . Capell | Leonato QFf I Re-enter Antonio and
QFf omit. Leonato Pope.
i. Enter .. .meeting Globe | Enter 4. strange news Q Capell Stee-
Leonato and an old man, brother to vens Globe | newes Ff.
297. once : once for all, in short. Cf. Coriolanus, II, iii, i ; Dryden's
Maiden Queen, IV, i : " For if I have him not, I am resolved to die a
maid, that 's once, mother."
i. cousin. This word denoted especially nephew or niece, but
was used loosely for any kinsmen, including the dependents of
great families, who were little more than attendants.
5. Are. ' News ' is singular or plural in Shakespeare. Cf. ' these
ill news,' II, i, 157 ; ' this news,' V, ii, 90.
20 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
ANTONIO. As the event stamps them: but they have a
good cover ; they show well outward. The prince and Count
Claudio, walking in a thick-pleached alley in mine orchard,
were thus much overheard by a man of mine : the prince
discovered to Claudio that he loved my niece your daughter,
and meant to acknowledge it this night in a dance, and if
he found her accordant, he meant to take the present time
by the top, and instantly break with you of it. 13
LEONATO. Hath the fellow any wit that told you this ?
ANTONIO. A good sharp fellow : I will send for him,
and question him yourself. 16
LEONATO. No, no; we will hold it as a dream till it
appear itself : but I will acquaint my daughter withal, that
she may be the better prepared for an answer, if perad-
venture this be true. Go you and tell her of it. [Enter
Attendants.] Cousins, you know what you have to do. O,
6. event stamps F2FsF4 Rowe | 9. thus much Q | thus Ff.
euents stamps QFi. 20-21. [Enter Attendants.] Globe
8. mine Q | my Ff. I QFf omit.
6. As the event stamps them : time alone will tell.
8. thick-pleached : thickly intertwined. Cf. Ill, i, 7 ; Antony and
Cleopatra, IV, xiv, 73. — orchard: garden. The original meaning, as
commonly in Shakespeare. Cf. II, iii, 4; III, i, 5.
13. top : forelock. Cf. All's Well that Ends Well, V, iii, 39.
17-18. it appear itself. Possibly a euphonious arrangement for * it
itself appear.' The view that ' appear ' is used transitively here in
the sense of ' show ' is supported by Cymbeline, III, iv, 148, w That
which, t' appear itself, must not yet be," and Coriolanus, IV, iii, 9,
" Your favour is well appear'd by your tongue," though some editors
read in these instances 'approve* and 'approv'd.' Cf. also Cymbe-
line, IV, ii, 47-48, " This youth, howe'er distress'd, appears he hath
had Good ancestors." Murray gives no transitive use of ' appear.'
Abbott, § 296, suggests that ' appear ' may be used reflexively.
21. Cousins : friends. This is probably addressed to the attendants.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 21
I cry you mercy, friend ; go you with me, and I will use your
skill. Good cousin, have a care this busy time. [Exeunt] 23
SCENE III. The same
Enter DON JOHN and CONRADE
CONRADE. What the good-year, my lord 1 why are you
thus out of measure sad?
DON JOHN. There is no measure in the occasion that
breeds; therefore the sadness is without limit.
CONRADE. You should hear reason. 5
DON JOHN. And when I have heard it, what blessing
brings it?
CONRADE. If not a present remedy, at least a patient
sufferance. 9
SCENE III Capell I Scene VI and Conrade his companion QFf.
Pope | QFf omit. — The same \ QFf 4. breeds QFf I breeds it Theobald,
omit. 7. brings Q | bringeth Ff.
x. Enter DON JOHN and CON- 8. at least Q Camb Globe I yet
RADE | Enter Sir lohn the Bastard, Ff Rowe Capell Delius.
22. cry you mercy : ask your pardon.
23. Good cousin. Probably Antonio's son, mentioned in line I. In
V, i, 277, Leonato, in speaking to Claudio of Hero, uses the ex
pression "she alone is heir to both of us." Several suggestions have
been made in explanation. Halliwell-Phillipps comments thus : " per
haps the present statement is purposely overdrawn. Claudio is not
to be supposed sufficiently acquainted with the families to render a
deception improbable of being believed by him. He had even asked
Don Pedro whether Leonato had a son." See V, i, 277, and note.
i. good-year. A petty oath. This expression " came to be used in
imprecatory phrases as denoting some undefined malefic power or
agency." — Murray. Cf. King Lear, V, iii, 24 : " The good:years shall
devour them, flesh and fell."
4. breeds : multiplies itself. Cf. Measure for Measure^ II, ii, 142.
22 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
DON JOHN. I wonder that thou (being as thou say'st
thou art, born under Saturn) goest about to apply a moral
medicine to a mortifying mischief. I cannot hide what I am .:
I must be sad when I have cause, and smile at no man's
jests ; eat when I have stomach, and wait for no man's lei
sure ; sleep when I am drowsy, and tend on no man's busi
ness; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his
humour. 17
CONRADE. Yea, but you must not make the full show
of this, till you may do it without controlment. You have
of late stood out against your brother, and he hath ta'en
you newly into his grace, where it is impossible you should
take true root but by the fair weather that you make your
self : it is needful that you frame the season for your own
harvest. 24
DON JOHN. I had rather be a canker in a hedge than
a rose in his grace, and it better fits my blood to be dis-
dain'd of all than to fashion a carriage to rob love from
any: in this (though I cannot be said to be a flattering hon
est man) it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing
villain. I am trusted with a muzzle, and enfranchis'd with a
ii. moral QFi | mortall FaFaF^ aa. true Q | Ff omit.
ii. born under Saturn : of a saturnine, naturally melancholy, dis
position. An astrological allusion.
11-12. moral . . . mischief. The double alliteration and balanced
antithesis, and Don John's diction generally, are euphuistic. —
mortifying: destructive. The original (Latin) meaning.
16. claw : flatter, fawn upon.
19. controlment: restraint. Cf. Titus Andronicus, II, i, 68: "With
out controlment, justice, or revenge."
25. canker : dog-rose. The contrast between the wild rose and the
cultivated is also brought out in Sonnets, Liv, 5-12, and / Henry IVt
I, iii, 175-176.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 23
clog, therefore I have decreed not to sing in my cage. If
I had my mouth, I would bite; if I had my liberty, I
would do my liking: in the meantime, let me be that I
am, and seek not to alter me.
CONRADE. Can you make no use of your discontent ? 35
DON JOHN. I make all use of it, for I use it only.
Who comes here ? what news, Borachio ?
Enter BORACHIO
BORACHIO. I came yonder from a great supper: the
prince your brother is royally entertained by Leonato, and
I can give you intelligence of an intended marriage. 40
DON JOHN. Will itjserve for any model to build mischief on ?
What is he for a fool that betrolHsliimseirtolinquietness ?
BORACHIO. Marry, it is your brother's right hand.
DON JOHN. Who ? the most exquisite Claudio ?
BORACHIO. Even he. 45
DON JOHN. A proper squire ! and who, and who ? which
way looks he?
BORACHIO. Marry, on Hero, the daughter and heir of
Leonato.
DON JOHN. A very forward March-chick ! How came you
to this ? 51
36. make Q | will make Ff. 48. on Ff | one Q.
43. brother's Ff | bothers Q. 50. came QFi | come FaFsF^
38. Enter BORACHIO. So in the Quarto and Folios. Don John
has caught sight of Borachio before he enters.
41. model : ground plan, foundation. Cf. 2 Henry IV, I, iii, 42.
42. What is he for a : what kind of. Cf. the German ttmS fur cin.
46. proper : handsome. Used ironically, as in IV, i, 301.
50. forward March-chick : presumptuous youngster. If Hero is
referred to, ' forward ' will mean ' precocious.'
24 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT I
BORACHIO. Being entertain'd for a perfumer, as I was
smoking a musty room, comes me the prince and Claudio,
hand in hand, in sad conference : I whipt me behind the
arras, and there heard it agreed upon that the prince should
woo Hero for himself, and having obtain'd her, give her to
Count Claudio. 57
DON JOHN. Come, come, let us thither : this may prove
food to my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the
glory of my overthrow : if I can cross him any way, I bless
myself every way. You are both sure, and will assist me ?
CONRADE. To the death, my lord. 62
DON JOHN. Let us to the great supper: their cheer is the
greater that I am subdued. Would the cook were o' my
mind! Shall we go prove what's to be done?
BORACHIO. We '11 wait upon your lordship. [Exeunt]
53. me Q | Ff omit. 64. o' | a Q I of Ff.
53. smoking . . . room. Cf. The Taming of the Shrew, Induction,
I, 49. Burton, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, says : " the smoake
of juniper is in greate request with us at Oxford, to sweeten our
chambers." Rowe, followed by Pope, made Borachio say, " smoking
in a musty room." Shakespeare is supposed never to allude to
tobacco, but may Rowe not have stumbled on Borachio's meaning ?
— comes. For the inflection in -s preceding a plural subject, see
Abbott, § 335. — me: bless me! An ethical dative. Cf. Coriolanus,
I, i, 131.
55. arras : tapestry. From Arras, a town in Artois.
61. sure: to be relied on. Cf. Coriolanus, I, i, 176.
65- go prove. For the simple infinitive with 'go' and 'come' see
Abbott, § 349. Cf. II, ii, 50; II, iii, 240; III, iii, 81-82 ; IV, i, 326;
V,i,83; V,ii,9o.
ACT II
SCENE I. A hall in LEONATO'S house
Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, HERO, BEATRICE, and others
LEONATO. Was not Count John here at supper ?
ANTONIO. I saw him not.
BEATRICE. How tartly that gentleman looks ! I never can
see him but I am heart-burn'd an hour after.
HERO. He is of a very melancholy disposition. 5
BEATRICE. He were an excellent man that were made
just in the midway between him and Benedick: the_iine-is
too like an image and says nothing, and the other too like
my lady's eldest son, evermore tattling. 9
LEONATO. Then half Signior Benedick's tongue in Count
John's mouth, and half Count John's melancholy in Signior
Benedick's face, —
BEATRICE. With a good leg and a good foot, uncle,
and money enough in his purse, such a man would win any
woman in the world, if a could get her good will. 15
ACT II I Actus Secundus Ff | Q brother, his wife, Hero his daughter,
omits. — SCENE I Pope | QFf omit. and Beatrice his neece, and a (and
— A hall . . . Globe | QFf omit. FsF4> kinsman QFiFa.
x. Enter. . . \ Enter Leonato, his 15. a Q | he Ff.
SCENE I. A hall ..." It may be doubted whether the author
did not intend this scene to take place in the garden." — Camb.
9. my lady's eldest son : a spoiled child. Proverbial.
12. The Quarto and Folios close the speech with a period.
25
26 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
LEONATO. By my troth, niece, thou wilt never get thee a
husband, if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue. 17
ANTONIO. In faith, she 's too curst.
BEATRICE. Too curst is more than curst : I shall lessen
God's sending that way, for it is said, ' God sends a curst
cow short horns,' but to a cow too curst he sends none.
LEONATO. So, by being too curst, God will send you
no horns. 23
BEATRICE. Just, if he send me no husband, for the which
blessing I am at him upon my knees every morning and
evening. Lord, I could not endure a husband with a beard
on his face ! I had rather lie in the woollen.
LEONATO. You may light on a husband that hath no
beard. 29
BEATRICE. What should I do with him ? dress him in my
apparel, and make him my waiting gentlewoman ? He that
hath a beard is_jnore than a youth, and he that hath no
fcgftfd is I^SS than a rnLgZLLJJT1^ 1hft~thatjs_mnre tharTayrmth
is not for m% and he that is less-than_a man, I~am~rIoT
-for-him : therefore I will even take sixpence in earnest of
the bear-ward, and lead his apes into hell 36
28. on Q | upon Ff. QFiFa | Bearherd F3F4.
36. bear-ward Collier | Berrord
17. ' Shrewd ' is properly the past participle of ' shrew,' meaning
'curse.' Cf. 'curst and shrewd,' The Taming of the Shrew, I, i, 185.
24. Just : exactly so. So in V, i, 1 59.
27. in the woollen. 'Between the blankets,' or perhaps 'in my
shroud.' Burial in woolen was as early as the sixteenth century, and
in 1678 was required by law.
36. bear- ward : bear-keeper. The spelling of the Quarto and Folios
probably indicates the popular pronunciation. — lead . . . hell. Apes
often rode on the bears led by the bear-ward. To " lead apes in hell "
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 2/
LEONATO. Well then, go you into hell.
BEATRICE. No, but to the gate, and there will the devil
meet me with horns on his head, and say, * Get you to
heaven, Beatrice, get you to heaven, here's no place for
you maids': so deliver I up my apes, and away to Saint
Peter: for the heavens, he shows me where the bachelors
sit, and there live we as merry as the day is long.
ANTONIO. [To HERO] Well, niece, I trust you will be
rul'd by your father. 45
BEATRICE. Yes, faith, it is my cousin's duty to make
curtsy, and say, 'Father, as it please you': but yet for
all that, cousin, let him be a handsome fellow, or else make
another curtsy, and say, * Father, as it please me.'
LEONATO. Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted
with a husband. 51
BEATRICE. Not till God make men of some other metal
than earth. Would it not grieve a woman to be overmaster'd
with a piece of valiant dust ? to make an account of her life
to a clod of wayward marl ? No, uncle, I '11 none : Adam's
sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match
in my kindred. 57
39. horns | his horns F*. 47. Father Q | Ff omit.
44. [To HERO] Rowe | QFf omit. 49. please QFi | pleases FaFsFi.
47, 49. curtsy | curtsie FflcursieQ. 54. make an Q | make Ff.
was the proverbial fate of an old maid (cf. The Taming of the Shrew,
II, i, 34), a fit punishment, suggests Dr. Aldis Wright, for those who
had escaped the plague of children in this life. Beatrice substitutes
' into ' for * in.'
37. The punctuation of the Quarto and Folios.
41-42. Saint Peter : for the heavens, he. So in the Quarto and Folios.
Most editors punctuate, " Saint Peter for the heavens ; he." ' For
the heavens' was a petty oath (cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, ii, 12).
47, 49. curtsy. Steevens and some modern editors print 'courtesy.'
28 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
LEONATO. Daughter, remember what I told you : if the
prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer.
BEATRICE. The fault will be in the music, cousin, if you
be not wooed in good time : if the prince be too important,
tell him there is measure in every thing, and so dance out
the answer. For, hear me, Hero: wooing, wedding, and re
penting, is as a Scotch jig, a measure, and a cinquepace : the
first suit is hot and hasty like a Scotch jig (and full as fan
tastical), the wedding mannerly modest (as a measure), full
) of state and ancientry, and then comes repentance, and with
his bad legs falls into the cinquepace faster and faster, till
: he sink into his grave.
LEONATO. Cousin, you apprehend passing shrewdly. 70
BEATRICE. I have a good eye, uncle : I can see a church
by daylight.
LEONATO. The revellers are entering, brother: make good
room. [All put on their masks]
Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, BALTHASAR, DON
JOHN, BORACHIO, MARGARET, URSULA, and others, masked
DON PEDRO. Lady, will you walk about with your friend ?
HERO. So you walk softly, and look sweetly, and say
69. sink I sincke Q | sinkes FiF2. Pedro, Claudio, and Benedicke, and
74- [All . . .] Globe | QFf omit. Balthasar, or dumbe lohn, Maskers
75- Enter . . . | Enter Prince, with a drum Ff. — Scene II Pope.
59. kind: way. Here probably pronounced 'kinn'd' and used
with a punning reference to 'kindred,' line 57. Cf. I, i, 25.
61. time. A double meaning, as in ' measure ' in the next line. —
important : importunate. Cf. King Lear, IV, iv, 26.
64. The ' measure ' (as in line 66) was a formal court dance. Cf.
Richard 77, I, iii, 291. The 'cinquepace,' colloquially pronounced
' sink apace,' and used here punningly, seems to have been the
first five steps of the 'nimble galliard ' in Henry V, I, ii, 252.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 29
nothing, I am yours for the walk, and especially when I
walk away.
DON PEDRO. With me in your company.
HERO. I may say so when I please. 80
DON PEDRO. And when please you to say so ?
HERO. When I like your favour, for God defend the
lute should be like the case.
DON PEDRO. My visor is Philemon's roof, within the
house is Jove. 85
HERO. Why, then your visor should be thatch'd.
DON PEDRO. Speak low if you speak love.
[Drawing her aside]
BALTHASAR. Well, I would you did like me.
MARGARET. So would not I for your own sake, for I
have many ill qualities. 90
BALTHASAR. Which is one ?
MARGARET. I say my prayers aloud.
BALTHASAR. I love you the better: the hearers may cry,
Amen.
79. company. QFf | company ? 87. [Drawing her aside] Capell.
Globe. 88,91,93. QFf give to Benedick |
85. Jove Q | Loue Fillove FaFsF^. Theobald gives to Balthasar.
82. favour : looks, appearance. Cf. As You Like //, IV, iii, 87. —
defend: forbid. Cf. Richard II, I, iii, 18.
84-87. These three speeches make up a rhymed couplet of the
seven-stress iambic verse in which Golding's translation of Ovid is
written. The reference is to the story in Ovid's Metamorphoses, viii,
of Jupiter and Mercury being entertained by an old couple, Baucis
and Philemon, who lived in a cottage, "the roofe thereof was thatched
all with straw and fennish reede. " — Golding. Cf. As You Like It,
III, iii, lo-n : "worse than Jove in a thatch'd house."
87. you. " I do not think that 'you' here refers to Hero; it is the
impersonal 'you.'" — Furness.
30 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
MARGARET. God match me with a good dancer ! 95
BALTHASAR. Amen.
MARGARET. And God keep him out of my sight when
the dance is done ! Answer, clerk.
BALTHASAR. No more words : the clerk is answered.
URSULA. I know you well enough; you are Signior
Antonio. 101
ANTONIO. At a word, I am not.
URSULA. I know you by the waggling of your head.
ANTONIO. To tell you true, I counterfeit him.
URSULA. You could never do him so ill-well, unless you
were the very man. Here 's his dry hand up and down : you
are he, you are he. 107
ANTONIO. At a word, I am not.
URSULA. Come, come, do you think I do not know you
by your excellent wit ? can virtue hide itself ? Go to, mum,
you are he : graces will appear, and there 's an end. 1 1 1
BEATRICE. Will you not tell me who told you so ?
BENEDICK. No, you shall pardon me.
BEATRICE. Nor will you not tell me who you are ?
BENEDICK. Not now. 115
BEATRICE. That I was disdainful, and that I had my
105. ill-well Theobald | ill well QFf.
98. clerk. The ' clerk ' led the responses in the Church service.
102. At a word : in a word, once for all. Cf. Coriolanus, I, iii, 122.
"No, at a word, madam."
105. do him so ill-well : act well such a bad part.
106. dry hand. A ' dry hand ' signified a cold nature. Cf. Twelfth
Night, I, iii, 79 ; Othello, III, iv, 36. — up and down : exactly. Cf. Titus
Andronicus, V, ii, 107. There is a play on words: his hand is like
his head (line 103).
116. That I was disdainful. Cf. I, i, in-n6.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 31
good wit out of the Hundred Merry Tales : well, this was
Signior Benedick that said so.
BENEDICK. What 's he ?
BEATRICE. I am sure you know him well enough. 120
BENEDICK. Not I, believe me.
BEATRICE. Did he never make you laugh ?
BENEDICK. I pray you, what is he ?
BEATRICE. Why, he is the prince's jester: jijrery dull
fool ; only his gift is in devising impossible slanders : none
but libertines delight in him, and the commendation is not
in his wit, but in his villainy, for he both pleases men and
angers them, and then they laugh at him and beat him. I
am sure he is in the fleet : I would he had boarded me. 129
BENEDICK. When I know the gentleman, I'll tell him
what you say.
BEATRICE. Do, do, he '11 but break a comparison or two
on me, which peradventure (not mark'd, or not laugh'd at)
strikes him into melancholy, and then there 's a partridge
wing saved, for the fool will eat no supper that night.
[Music.'] We must follow the leaders. 136
BENEDICK. In every good thing.
BEATRICE. Nay, if they lead to any ill, I will leave them
at the next turning. [Dance. Then exeunt all except DON
JOHN, BORACHIO, 0m/CLAUDio]
117. pleases Q | pleaseth Ff. 139. \Dance ...] Exeunt. Musicke
136. [Music.} QFf omit. for the dance Ff. — Scene III Pope.
117. Hundred Merry Tales. A sixteenth century jest book.
125. only his gift is : his gift is only. Such transpositions are
common in Elizabethan literature. Cf. Julius C<zsar,V, iv, 12. See
Abbott, § 420. — impossible : incredible.
129. fleet: company. — boarded: accosted. Cf. Hamlet, II, ii, 170.
132-136. The punctuation is that of the Folios.
4[ *
32 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT II
DoN JOHN. Sure my brother is amorous on Hero, and
hath withdrawn her father to break with him about it : the
ladies follow her, and but one visor remains. 142
CHio. And that is Claudio : I know him by his
bearing.
DON JOHN. Are not you Signior Benedick ?
CLAUDIO. You know me well ; I am he. 146
DON JOHN. Signior, you are very near my brother in his
love : he is enamour'd on Hero. I pray you dissuade him
from her: she is no equal for his birth: you may do the
part of an honest man in it. 150
CLAUDIO. How know you he loves her ?
DON JOHN. I heard him swear his affection.
BORACHIO. So did I too, and he swore he would marry
her to-night.
DON JOHN. Come, let us to the banquet. 155
[.Exeunt DON JOHN and BORACHIO]
CLAUDIO. Thus answer I in name of Benedick,
But hear these ill news with the ears of Claudio :
'T is certain so, the prince wooes for himself :
Friendship is constant in all other things,
Save in the office and affairs of love : 160
Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues.
Let every eye negotiate for itself,
And trust no agent : for beauty is a witch,
155. [Exeunt . . . ] Ex. manet Clau. Ff.
155. banquet: dessert. Cf. The Taming of the Shrew, V, 2, 9.
161. use. Either the subjunctive used imperatively (Abbott, § 364),
or the indicative in a simple statement of fact
163-164. Witches made and melted wax figures of the persons
whom they wished either to influence or to injure.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 33
Against whose charms faith melteth into blood.
This is an accident of hourly proof, 165
Which I mistrusted not. Farewell, therefore, Hero 1
Re-enter BENEDICK
BENEDICK. Count Claudio ?
CLAUDIO. Yea, the same.
BENEDICK. Come, will you go with me ?
CLAUDIO. Whither? 170
BENEDICK. Even to the next willow, about your own
business, county. What fashion will you wear the garland
of ? about your neck, like an usurer's chain ? or under your
arm, like a lieutenant's scarf ? You must wear it one way,
.for the-prince hath .got.,yoiu: Hero... . 175
CLAUDIO. I wish him joy of her.
BENEDICK. Why, that 's spoken like an honest drovier, so
they sell bullocks : but did you think the prince would have
served you thus ?
CLAUDIO. I pray you leave me. 180
173. county Q | count Ff.
164. faith: fidelity, constancy. Often so. Cf. I, i, 68. — blood:
passion. In I, i, 123, and I, iii, 26, it means 'temper,' 'disposition.'
165. accident: occurrence, event. The original (Latin) meaning.
171. The willow was the badge of forsaken lovers. Cf. lines 198-
199. So in Desdemona's song, Othello, IV, iii, 28-56. Cf. The Faerie
Queene, I, i, 9 : ^ Firre ^ weepeth stni:
The Willow, worne of forlorne Paramours.
172. county: count. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, III, v, 219.
173. Rich merchants, many of them bankers lending out money
at high interest, often wore obtrusive gold chains.
177. drovier: drover. A common form in Elizabethan literature.
Not elsewhere in Shakespeare. — so : just in the way in which.
34 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
BENEDICK. Ho ! now you strike like the blind man : 't was
the boy that stole your meat, and you '11 beat the post. 182
CLAUDIO. If it will not be, I '11 leave you. [Exit']
BENEDICK. Alas, poor hurt fowl! now will he creep into
sedges. But that my Lady Beatrice should know me, and
not know me ! The prince's fool 1 Ha ? It may be I go under
that title because I am merry: yea, but so I am apt to
do myself wrong: I am not so reputed, it is the base,
though bitter, disposition of Beatrice that puts the world
into her person, and so gives me out. Well, I '11 be re
venged as I may. 191
Re-enter DON PEDRO
DON PEDRO. Now, signior, where 's the count ? did you
see him?
BENEDICK. Troth, my lord, I have played the part of
181. blind man | blindman QFf. the Prince Ff (see note below).—
192. Re-enter DOT* PEDRO | Enter Scene IV Pope.
181-182. Probably an allusion to an anecdote well known in
Shakespeare's day. Eschenburg suggests that it may refer to an in
cident in the widely popular Spanish picaresque romance Lazarillo
de Tonnes, translated into English in 1586. Here Lazarillo in re
venge for being cheated out of a sausage makes a blind beggar
jump against a post.
188-190. it is the base . . . gives me out. On account of the im
plied inconsistency between 'base ' and 'bitter,' attempts have been
made to amend this passage. The general meaning is, Beatrice is
bitter enough to father her own thoughts on the world, and base
enough to quote the world as authority for them. For 'gives me
out' cf. The Comedy of Errors, I, ii, i.
192. Re-enter . . . The Quarto adds " Hero, Leonato, John and
Borachio, and Conrade." 'This' in line 196 led Capell to make
Hero and Leonato enter with Don Pedro.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 35
Lady Fame. I found him here as melancholy as a lodge in
a warren. I told him, and I think I told him true, that
your grace had got the good will of this young lady, and
I off'red him my company to a willow-tree, either to make
him a garland, as being forsaken, or to bind him up a rod,
as being worthy to be whipp'd. 200
DON PEDRO. To be whipp'd 1 what 's his fault ?
BENEDICK. The flat transgression of a school-boy, who
being overjoyed with finding a bird's nest, shows it his
companion, and he steals it.
DON PEDRO. Wilt thou make a trust a transgression ?
the transgression is in the stealer. 206
BENEDICK. Yet it had not been amiss the rod had been
made, and the garland too ; for the garland he might have
worn himself, and the rod he might have bestowed on you,
who, as I take it, have stol'n his bird's nest. 210
DON PEDRO. I will but teaghJjicm to sing, and restore
them to the owner.
BENEDICK. If their singing answer your saying, by my
faith you say honestly.
DON PEDRO. The Lady Beatrice hath a quarrel to you :
196. think I Q | thinke, Ff. Ff I the Rann | the Walker.
197. good Q | Ff omit. — this Q 199. up Q | Ff omit.
195-196. A most expressive image of dismal loneliness. A ' warren '
was a place for keeping wild animals, and secured by royal grant
against all intruders, for the owner's exclusive sport; so that the
special duty of the keeper of it was to maintain an utter solitude
about himself and his lodging. The figure suggested to Steevens
Isaiah, i, 8 : " The daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard,
AS a lodge in a garden of cucumbers."
215. quarrel to you. Cf. Coriolanus, IV, v, 133: "Had we no
quarrel also to Rome ?" See Abbott, § 187.
36 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
the gentleman that danc'd with her told her she is much
wrong'd by you. 217
BENEDICK. O, she misus'd me past the endurance of a
block ! an oak but with one green leaf on it would have
answered her: my very visor began to assume life and
scold with her. She told me, not thinking I had been
myself, that I was the prince's jester, and that I was duller
than a great thaw, huddling jest upon jest, with such impos
sible conveyance upon me, that I stood like a man at a
mark, with a whole army shooting at me: she speaks
poniards, and every word stabs : if her breath were as
terrible as her terminations, there were no living near her,
she would infect to the north star. I would not marry
her, though she were endowed with all that Adam had left
. him before he transgressed : she would have made Hercules
have turn'd spit, yea, and have cleft his club to make the
fire too: come, talk not of her, you shall find her the
infernal Ate in good apparel. I would to God some scholar
would conjure her, for certainly, while she is here, a man
222. and that Ff | that Q. 227. as her Q | as Ff.
218. misus'd : reviled. Cf. As You Like It, IV, i, 205.
219. but with: with but. See note, line 125.
223-224. impossible conveyance : incredible dexterity. ' Convey
ance' means 'management of a thing,' then 'skillful management,'
then 'underhand dealing.' Cf. i Henry VI, I, iii, 2.
226. poniards. Cf. Hamlet, III, ii, 414.
227. terminations : epithets. Not elsewhere in Shakespeare.
230-232. Hercules served three years with Omphale, who dressed
him as a woman and made him spin wool with her handmaidens.
233. Ate (dissyllabic) was the goddess of vengeance and discord.
— scholar. Latin, the scholar's tongue, was the usual language in
which evil spirits were exorcised. Cf. Hamlet, I, i, 42.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 37
may live as quiet in hell as in a sanctuary, and people sin
upon purpose, because they would go thither ; so indeed all
disquiet, horror, and perturbation follows her. 237
DON PEDRO. Look, here she comes.
Re-enter CLAUDIO, BEATRICE, HERO, and LEONATO
BENEDICK. Will your grace command me any service to
the world's end ? I will go on the slightest errand now to
the Antipodes that you can devise to send me on: I will
fetch you a toothpicker now from the furthest inch of Asia :
bring you the length of Prester John's foot: fetch you a
hair off the great Cham's beard : do you any embassage to
the Pigmies, rather than hold three words' conference with
this harpy. You have no employment for me? 246
DON PEDRO. None, but to desire your good company.
BENEDICK. O God, sir, here 's a dish I love not : I
cannot endure my Lady Tongue. [Exit]
DON PEDRO. Come, lady, come; you have lost the heart
of Signior Benedick. 251
339. Scene V Pope. tongue Fi Theobald Warburton | this
240. errand FsF4 I arrand QFiFa. Ladyes tongue F2FaF4 I this lady's
349. my Lady Tongue Q | this Lady tongue Rowe Pope Hanmer Capell.
237. follows. This form may be a real plural, a relic of the old
northern plural in -s ; or the three nominatives may be regarded as
expressing one condition.
243-245. In the Maundeville cycle of legend Prester (Presbyter,
Priest) John was a mythical Christian ruler of the Far East. In later
stories he was of Abyssinia, " from the red sea almost to the Aethi-
opike Occean." ' The great Cham ' (or Caan of Cathaya, the Khan of
Tartary) also belongs to the Maundeville legendary matter. Near his
realms was the " land of Pigmie," where are men " of little stature,
for they are but three spans long." — Voiage and Travaile of Syr
John Maundeville.
38 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
BEATRICE. Indeed, my lord, he lent it me awhile, and I
gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one :
marry, once before he won it of me, with false dice, there
fore your grace may well say I have lost it. 255
DON PEDRO. You have put him down, lady, you have
put him down.
BEATRICE. So I would not he should do me, my lord.
I have brought Count Claudio, whom you sent me to seek.
DON PEDRO. Why, how now, count ! wherefore are you
sad ? 261
CLAUDIO. Not sad, my lord.
DON PEDRO. How then ? sick ?
CLAUDIO. Neither, my lord.
BEATRICE. The count is neither sad, nor sick, nor merry,
nor well ; but civil count, civil as an orange, and something
of that jealous complexion. 267
DON PEDRO. I' faith, lady, I think your blazon to be
true ; though I '11 be sworn, if he be so, his conceit is false.
Here, Claudio, I have wooed in thy name, and fair Hero
5153. for his Q I for a Ff. 367. of that Q | of a Ff.
253- use: interest, usury. Cf. Sonnets, vi, 5. Beatrice, in this
speech, indicates that she and Benedick have had passages at arms
before the action of the present play. " Enough is here said to
explain Benedick's first greeting to Beatrice as ' Lady Disdain.'
Between the lines there can be almost discerned the plot of another
play." — Furness. See Introduction, Sources.
266. civil as an orange. A common Elizabethan pun on the Seville
orange, an orange that Cotgrave in his definition of aigredouce
describes as "between sweete and sower."
267. jealous complexion. Yellow is the traditional hue of jealousy.
268. blazon : description. A heraldic term, influenced by ' blaze '
in the sense of ' proclaim ' (as with a trumpet).
269. conceit : conception, notion.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 39
is won: I have broke with her father, and his good will
obtained. Name the day of marriage, and God give thee
joy ! 273
LEONATO. Count, take of me my daughter, and with
her my fortunes : his grace hath made the match, and all
grace say Amen to it. 276
BEATRICE. Speak, count, 'tis your cue.
CLAUDIO. Silence is the perfectest herald of joy : I were
but little happy if I could say how much. Lady, as you are
mine, I am yours : I give away myself for you, and dote
upon the exchange. 281
BEATRICE. Speak, cousin, or, if you cannot, stop his
mouth with a kiss, and let not him speak neither.
DON PEDRO. In faith, lady, you have a merry heart.
BEATRICE. Yea, my lord ; I thank it, poor fool, it keeps
on the windy side of care. My cousin tells him in his ear
that he is in her heart. 287
CLAUDIO. And so she doth, cousin.
BEATRICE. Good Lord, for alliance ! Thus goes every
379. much. | much ? QFf. 287. her Q | my Ff.
275-276. his grace ... all grace. Cf. Airs Well that Ends Well
II, i, 163. 'All grace' refers to God, the source of grace.
277. cue : catchword. The signal for an actor to speak.
289. Good Lord, for alliance I " Claudio has just called Beatrice
cousin. I suppose . . . the meaning is, ' Good Lord, here have I got
a new kinsman by marriage ! ' " — Malone. Boswell's interpretation
is, " Good Lord, how many alliances are forming ! "
289-290. goes . . . world. ' To go to the world ' (All 's Well that
Ends Well, I, Hi, 19-20) and ' to be a woman of the world ' (As You
Like It, V, iii, 4-5) were common expressions for ' to be married.'
They probably arose from contrast to the devotion to the Church,
which involved giving up the world.
40 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
one to the world but I, and I am sunburn'd: I may sit
in a corner and cry heigh-ho for a husband 1 291
DON PEDRO. Lady Beatrice, I will get you one.
BEATRICE. I would rather have one of your father's
getting. Hath your grace ne'er a brother like you? Your
father got excellent husbands, if a maid could come by
them. 296
DON PEDRO. Will you have me, lady ?
BEATRICE. No, my lord, unless I might have another for
working-days : your grace is too costly to wear every day :
but I beseech your grace, pardon me. I was born to speak
all mirth, and no matter. 301
DON PEDRO. Your silence most offends me, and to be
merry best becomes you, for out of question you were born
in a merry hour.
303. out of Ff | out a Q.
290. sunburn'd. The probable meaning is simply ' homely,' ' not
presentable,' and therefore ' neglected.' Cf. Troilus and Cressida,
I, iii, 282-283 : " The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not worth The
splinter of a lance " ; Hamlet, I, ii, 67 : "I am too much i' th' sun " ;
King Lear, II, ii, 168-169: " Thou out of heaven's benediction com'st
To the warm sun." Hunter, in his New Illustrations of Shakespeare, sug
gests that such expressions had their origin in Psalms, cxxi, 6, which
in the Psalter used in the old ritual for the churching of women
reads, " The sun shall not burn thee." " The matron surrounded by
her husband and children, was one who had received the benediction
that the sun should not burn her ; while the unmarried woman, who
had received no such benediction, was spoken of as one ' still left
exposed to the burning of the sun.' "
291. heigh-ho for a husband. Probably a reminiscence of a popular
song. Cf. Ill, iv, 47-48.
301. matter: sense. As in I, i, 258. Cf. As You Like It, II, i, 68:
"For then he 's full of matter."
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING '41
BEATRICE. No, sure, my lord, my mother cried, but then
there was a star danc'd, and under that was I born. Cousins,
God give you joy 1 3°7
LEONATO. Niece, will you look to those things I told
you of?
BEATRICE. I cry you mercy, uncle: by your grace's
pardon. [Exit] 311
DON PEDRO. By my troth, a pleasant-spirited lady.
LEONATO. There's little of the melancholy element in
her, my lord: she is never sad but when she sleeps, and
not ever sad then ; for I have heard my daughter say, she
hath often dreamt of unhappiness, and wak'd herself with
laughing. 3*7
DON PEDRO. She cannot endure to hear tell of a
husband.
LEONATO. O, by no means : she mocks all her wooers
out of suit. 321
DON PEDRO. She were an excellent wife for Benedick.
LEONATO. O Lord, my lord, if they were but a week
married, they would talk themselves mad.
DON PEDRO. County Claudio, when mean you to go to
church ? 3z6
3ia. Scene VI Pope. 325. County | Countie Q I Counte Fi.
306. star danc'd. It was a popular belief that the sun danced on
Easter Day. Another astrological allusion. See note I, iii, n. Cf.
Twelfth Night, I, iii, 142. In King Lear, I, ii, 128-144, Shakespeare
makes Edmund ridicule these astrological notions.
310-311. cry you mercy : beg your pardon. Beatrice then asks the
prince's pardon for withdrawing.
316. unhappiness. The ordinary meaning of the word yields ex
cellent sense, but Schmidt interprets it as 'mischief.' Theobald
reads ' an happiness.'
42 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
CLAUDIO. To-morrow, my lord: time goes on crutches
till love have all his rites.
LEONATO. Not till Monday, my dear son, which is hence
a just seven-night; and a time too brief, too, to have all
things answer my mind. 331
DON PEDRO. Come, you shake the head at so long a
breathing: but I warrant thee, Claudio, the time shall not
go dully by us. I will in_theinterim^ujidertake one olJHer^
culesMabours,^whichjs,_to bring Signior JBenedick^nd the
Lady Beatrice into a mniintejnjgf^ajfaf^njji* one with ±W
other. I would fain have it a match, and I doubt not but to
fashion it, if you three will but minister such assistance as I
shall give you direction.
LEONATO. My lord, I am for you, though it cost me ten
nights' watchings. 341
CLAUDIO. And I, my lord.
DON PEDRO. And you too, gentle Hero ?
HERO. I will do any modest office, my lord, to help my
cousin to a good husband. 345
DON PEDRO. And Benedick is not the unhopefullest
husband that I know. Thus far can I praise him : he is of
a noble strain, of approved valour, and connrm'd honesty:
I will teach you how to humour your cousin, that she shall
331. my Q | Ff omit.
330. just seven-night: exact week. Cf. 'a just pound,' The Mer
chant of Venice, IV, i, 327.
336. th' one. This, the reading of the Quarto and Folios, approxi
mates the Elizabethan pronunciation, the o being sounded as in alone.
344. modest : moderate, within bounds. The original (Latin) mean
ing. Cf. Macbeth, IV, iii, 119; King Lear, II, iv, 25.
348. strain: lineage, descent. Cf. Henry V, II, iv, 51.
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 43
fall in love with Benedick, and I, with your two helps, will
so practise on Benedick that in despite of his quick wit,
and his queasy stomach, he shall fall in love with Beatrice.
If we can do this, Cupid is no longer an archer: his glory
shall be ours, for we are the only love-gods. Go in with me,
and I will tell you my drift. \Exeunt~\ 355
SCENE II. The same
Enter DON JOHN and BORACHIO
DON JOHN. It is so : the Count Claudio shall marry the
daughter of Leonato.
BORACHIO. Yea, my lord, but I can cross it.
DON JOHN. Any bar, any cross, any impediment, will be
medicinable to me: I am sick in displeasure to him, and
whatsoever comes athwart his affection ranges evenly with
mine. How canst thou cross this marriage? 7
BORACHIO. J^ot honestly, my lord, but so covertly that
no dishonesty shall appear in me.
DON JOHN. Show me briefly how. 10
[Exeunt} Exit QFf. changes Pope | QFf omit.
x. Enter DON JOHN . . . Rowe |
355. xeunt Ext QF.
ScENEllCapell|SceneVII Pope I
Ff omit. — The same Globe | Scene
QFf omit. — The same Globe | Scene Enter lohn . . . QFf.
351. practise on : work upon, delude. Cf. The Taming of the Shrew,
Induction, i, 36 : " I will practise on this drunken man." Cf. ' practice
meaning ' scheming,' IV, i, 183, and ' practice ' in the ordinary sense,
V, i, 235-
352. queasy stomach : fastidious (squeamish) taste.
i. shall. Either ' is to ' or ' is going to.' See Abbott, § 315.
5. medicinable : medicinal. Cf. Cymbeline, III, ii, 33 : " Some griefs
are med'cinable, that is one of them." The passive form with the
active sense.
44 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT 11
BORACHIO. I think I told your lordship a year since,
how much I am in the favour of Margaret^ the waiting
gentlewoman- to -Hero.
DON JOHN. I remember.
BORACHIO. I can at any unseasonable instant of the night
appoint her to look out at her lady's chamber-window. 16
DON JOHN. What life is in that, to be the death of this
marriage ?
BORACHIO. The poison of that lies in you to temper : go
you to the prince your brother ; spare not to tell him that he
hath wronged his honour in marrying the renowned Claudio
(whose estimation do you mightily hold up) to a contaminated
stale, such a one as Hero. 23
DON JOHN. What proof shall I make of that ?
BORACHIO. Proof enough, to misuse the prince, to vex
Claudio, to undo Hero, and kill Leonato : look you for any
other issue ?
DON JOHN. Only to despite them, I will endeavour any
thing. 29
BORACHIO. Go, then ; find me a meet hour to draw Don
Pedro and the Count Claudio alone: tell them that you
knnw rhar TTprn loves mer intend a kind of zeal both to the
prince and Claudio, as (in love of your brother's honour,
30. Don Q | on Ff. 33. in Q | in a Ff.
19. temper : mix, compound. Cf . Hamlet, V, ii, 339 : " It is a poison
temp'red by himself" ; Cymbeline, V, v, 250 : " To temper poisons for
her"; Romeo and Juliet, III, v, 97-98: "if you could find out but a
man To bear a poison, I would temper it"
32. intend : pretend. In the sixteenth century ' intend ' and ' pre
tend ' were often interchanged. Cf. Richard ///, III, vii, 45.
33-35. In the Quarto and Folios the parentheses include ' as ' and
end with ' match ' (line 34).
SCENE II MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 45
who hath made this match, and his friend's reputation, who
is thus like to be cozen'd with the semblance of a maid)
that you have discovered thus : they will scarcely believe
this without trial : offer them instances which shall bear no
less likelihood than to see me at her chamber-window, hear
me call Margaret Hero, hear Margaret term me Claudio,
and bring them to see this the very night before the in
tended wedding, for in the meantime I will so fashion the
matter that Hero shall be absent, and there shall appear
such seeming truths of Hero's disloyalty that jealousy shall
be call'd assurance, and all the preparation overthrown. 44
DON JOHN. Grow this to what adverse issue it can, I
will put it in practice. Be cunning in the working this, and
thv fee is a thousand ducats.
39. Claudio QFf | Borachio Pope 41. so FiFa I FaF4 omit.
(Theobald conj.). 43. truths Ff | truth Q.
39. Claudio. Theobald's suggestion that this be changed to ' Bor
achio ' is adopted by many editors, and is found in most editions for
the stage. But it appears to be a part of the arrangement that, as
Borachio is to address Margaret by the name of Hero, so Margaret
is to receive him under the name of Claudio. So much is fairly im
plied in the expression " hear Margaret term me Claudio." Since
Claudio was to witness the encounter, he would of course know that
he was not himself the person talking with the supposed Hero, and
both he and the prince might well be persuaded that Hero received
a clandestine lover, whom she called Claudio, to deceive her attend
ants, should any be within hearing. This they would naturally deem
an aggravation of her offence. The source of the story of Ario-
dante and Genevra (Ginevra) as given in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso
strengthens this interpretation. See Introduction, Sources.
41-42. for in the meantime . . . absent. "Nothing more is said of
this. It is simply a difficulty which presents itself to Shakespeare's
mind in sketching the plot." — J. C. Smith.
43. truths : true proofs. — jealousy : suspicion.
46 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT II
BORACHIO. Be thou constant in the accusation, and my
cunning shall not shame me.
DON JOHN. I will presently go learn their day of mar
riage. [Exeunt} 51
SCENE III. LEONATO'S orchard
Enter BENEDICK alone
BENEDICK. Boy !
Enter Boy
BOY. Signior ?
BENEDICK. In my chamber-window lies a book : bring it
hither to me in the orchard.
BOY. I am here already, sir. 5
BENEDICK. I know that, but I would have thee hence,
and here again. [Exit Boy] I do much wonder that one
man, seeing how much another man is a fool when he
dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laugh'd
at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of
his own scorn by falling in love : and such a man is Claudio.
I have known when there was no music with him but the
drum and the fife, and now had he rather hear the tabor
and the pipe : I have known when he would have walk'd
48. thou Ff I you Q. omit.
51. [Exeunt] Rowe | Exit QFf. a. Enter Boy | QFf omit.
SCENE III Capell | Scene VIII 7. [Exit Boy] Exit QFf (after
Pope. — LEONATO'S orchard \ QFf line 5).
48. Furness suggests that the ' thou ' of the Folios indicates an
intimacy of evil here between the two. See Abbott, § 231.
vScENE III. Shakespeare's comic scenes are often out of doors.
4. orchard : garden. Cf. I, ii, 8, and see note.
io. argument of: subject for. Cf. I, i, 237.
SCENE m MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 47
ten mile afoot to see a good armour, and now will he lie ten
nights awake carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was
wont to speak plain, and to the purpose, like an honest
man and a soldier, and now is he turn'd orthography ; his
words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange
dishes. May I be so converted, and see with these eyes ? I
cannot tell ; I think not : I will not be sworn but love may
transform me to an oyster, but I'll take my oath on it, till
he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me
such a fool. One woman is fair, yet I am well : another is
wise, yet I am well : another virtuous, yet I am well : but
till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come
in my grace. Rich she shall be, that's certain : wise^or I'll
none: virtuous^ or I'll never cheapen her: fair, or I'll
never look on her : mild, or come not near me : noble, or
not I for an angel : of good discourse, an excellent musi-
cian, and her hair shall be of what colour it please God.
18. orthography Ff | ortography Q | orthographer Rowe.
18. is he turn'd orthography : in speech he has become precise-
ness itself. The abstract (' orthography ') has more point than the
concrete (' orthographer '). Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, I, ii, 190 : " for
I am sure I shall turn sonnet."
28. cheapen: bargain for. The original meaning, still found in
English dialect. Cf. Pericles, IV, vi, 10. 'Cheap' originally meant
'exchange of commodities'; in the modern sense it is shortened
from 'good cheap.'
29-30. A punning reference to the coins, 'noble' and 'angel.'
'Noble' is punned on similarly in Richard II, V, v, 67-68 ; 'angel,'
in 2 Henry IV, I, ii, 186-189.
31. her hair . . . please God. Usually interpreted as a hit either at
wearing false hair or at dyeing the hair. Cf. The Merchant oj Venice,
III, ii, 92-96 ; Love 's Labour's Lost, IV, iii, 258-260. Furness, how
ever, suggests that Benedick, in summing up his requirements in a
48 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT II
Ha ! the prince and Monsieur Love : I will hide me in the
arbour. [ Withdraws} 33
Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and LEONATO
DON PEDRO. Come, shall we hear this music ? J\^
CLAUDIO. Yea, my good lord: how still the evening is,
As hush'd on purpose to grace harmony !
DON PEDRa Jike^ujdiej&.J&eji^
CLAUDIO. O very well, my lord : the music ended,
We '11 fit the kid-fox with a pennyworth. 39
Enter BALTHASAR with music
DON PEDRO. Come, Balthasar, we '11 hear that song again.
BALTHASAR. O, good my lord, tax not so bad a voice
To slander music any more than once. 42
33- [ Withdraws} Theobald | QFf Wilson Ff | Enter prince, Leonato,
omit. Claudio,MusickeQ.— Scene IX Pope.
34. Enter . . . LEONATO | Enter 40. Enter . . . music Q | Ff omit.
Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and lacke 42, 43. Fi repeats these lines.
wife, was unconsciously describing Beatrice, but when he came to
the color of the hair, " of a sudden he became aware that he was
about to name the very tint of Beatrice's, and the dangerous tendency
of his heart flashed upon him. There was a long pause almost of
alarm, after ' her hair shall be,' then he adds with a sigh of relief
' — of what colour it please God.' "
34. Enter DON PEDRO . . . The * Jack Wilson ' mentioned in the
stage direction of the Folios was probably the actor who took the
part of Balthasar. This is one of the bits of evidence that the First
Folio was printed from a copy of the Quarto used in the theatre.
See note, IV, ii, i.
39. kid-fox : fox cub. Warburton suggested ' hid fox,' as probably
referring to the game alluded to in Hamlet, IV, ii, 32-33. — penny*
worth : bargain. Cf. Love's Labour's Lost, III, i, 103.
41. good my lord : my good lord. See Abbott, § 13.
SCENE m MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 49
DON PEDRO. It is the witness still of excellency
To put a strange face on his own perfection :
I pray thee, sing, and let me woo no more. 45
BALTHASAR. Because you talk of wooing, I will sing,
Since many a wooer doth commence his suit
To her he thinks not worthy, yet he wooes,
Yet will he swear he loves.
DON PEDRO. Nay, pray thee, come,
Or if thou wilt hold longer argument, 50
Do it in notes.
BALTHASAR. Note this before my notes ; \
There 's not a note of mine that 's worth the noting. »
DON PEDRO. Why, these are very crotchets that he speaks,
Note, notes, forsooth, and nothing. \Air\ 54
"R^NF.nrr^. Now, divine air ! now is his soul ravish 'd 1 Is
it not strange that sheep's guts should hale souls out of
men's bodies ? Well, a horn for my money, when all 's done.
THE SONG
BALTHASAR. Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever, 59
54. nothing QFf I noting Rowe. 58. BALTHASAR | Bah Capell |
— [Air] Capell I QFf omit. QFf omit.
54. nothing. In this pun may be suggested the Elizabethan pro
nunciation. The same pun occurs in The Winter's Tale, IV, iv, 625.
In Sonnets, xx, 12, 'nothing' rhymes with 'a-doting.'
56. sheep's guts. Topsell, in his Historic of Foure-footed Beastes
(1607), describing the uses to which sheep are put, says, "his guts
and intrals for Musicke." — hale. Etymologically the same as ' haul.'
In Twelfth Night, II, iii, 61, music is described as able to " draw
three souls out of one weaver."
57. when all 's done : after all. Cf. Twelfth Night, II, iii, 31.
5O THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT II
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never :
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey nonny, nonny. 65
Sing no more ditties, sing no moe,
Of dumps so dull and heavy ;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leavy :
Then sigh not so, &c. 70
DON PEDRO. By my troth, a good song.
BALTHASAR. And an ill singer, my lord.
DON PEDRO. Ha, no, no, faith ; thou sing'st well enough
for a shift. 74
BENEDICK. And he had been a dog that should have
howl'd thus, they would have hang'd him, and I pray God
his bad voice bode no mischief. I had as lief have heard
the night-raven, come what plague could have come after it.
68. was Q I were Ff. — been Ff | bin Q.
75. And QFf | An Capell | If Pope. 77- lief I Hefe Fi | Hue Q.
66. moe: more. The old comparative of 'many.' In Middle
English 'moe,' or 'mo,' was used of number, and with collective
nouns ; ' more ' had reference specifically to size. ' Ditties ' is under
stood after ' moe.' Cf. Macbeth, V, iii, 35.
67. dumps: melancholy. As in Romeo and Jiilitt, IV, v, 129. That
this is the meaning of ' dump ' here, and not * melancholy song,' is
made clear by ' moe ' and the construction generally.
75. been. The Quarto spelling shows the pronunciation.
78. night-raven : a bird of evil omen, identified as a screech owl,
night heron, or bittern. Perhaps " imagined as a distinct species."
— Murray.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 51
DON PEDRO. Yea, marry, dost thou hear, Balthasar? I
pray thee get us some excellent music ; fojr to-morrow night
we would have it at the Lady Hero's chamber-window. Hi
BALTHASAR. The best I can, my lord.
DON PEDRO. Do so: farewell. [Exit BALTHASAR]
Come hither, Leonato. What was it you told me of to
day, _thajt_jwir_jiiejc^^
Beneciick ? - . 86
j&' CL'A&DIO. O, ay, stalk on, stalk on, the fowl sits. I did
never think that lady would have loved any man.
LEONATO. No, nor I neither, but most wonderful that
she should so dote on Signior Benedick, whom she hath in
all outward behaviours seemed ever to abhor. 91
BENEDICK. Is 't possible ? sits the wind in that corner ?
LEONATO. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to
think of it but that she loves him with an enraged affection :
it is past the infinite of thought. 95
DON PEDRO. May be she doth but counterfeit.
CLAUDIO. Faith, like enough.
LEONATO. O God ! counterfeit ? there was never coun
terfeit of passion came so near the life of passion as she
discovers it. 100
83. [Exit . . . ] In QFf after line 82.
87-88. An allusion to the use of the ' stalking-horse ' in fowling, as
described, for example, by John Gee in New Shreds of the Old Snare :
M Methinks I behold the cunning fowler, such as I have knowne in
the fenne countries and elswhere, that doe shoot at woodcockes,
snipes, and wilde fowle, by sneaking behind a painted cloth which
they carrey before them, having pictured in it the shape of a horse ;
which while the silly fowle gazeth on, it is knock down with hale
shot, and so put in the fowler's budget."
100. discovers: reveals. Cf.I,ii, 10; The Merchant of 'Venice. ;II,vii,io.
52 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
DON PEDRO. Why, what effects of passion shows she ?
CLAUDIO. Bait the hook well ; this fish will bite.
LEONATO. What effects, my lord? she will sit you, you
heard my daughter tell you how.
CLAUDIO. She did, indeed. 105
DON PEDRO. How, how, I pray you ? You amaze me : I
would have thought her spirit had been invincible against all
assaults of affection.
LEONATO. I would have sworn it had, my lord ; especially
against Benedick. no
BENEDICK. I should think this a gull, but that the white-
bearded fellow speaks it : knavery cannot sure hide himself
in such reverence.
CLAUDIO. He hath ta'en th' infection : hold it up. 114
DON PEDRO. Hath she made her affection known to
Benedick ?
LEONATO. No, and swears she never will : that 's her
torment.
CLAUDIO. 'T is true indeed, so your daughter says :
' Shall I,' says she, * that have so oft encount'red him with
scorn, write to him that I love him?' 121
LEONATO. This says she now when she is beginning to
write to him ; for she '11 be up twenty times a night, and
there will she sit in her smock till she have writ a sheet
of paper: my daughter tells us all. 125
103. The first 'you' is an ethical dative with the force of 'believe
me.' Cf. 'me,' I, Hi, 53; HI, iii, 131.
in. gull: trick. Usually ' dupe,' and applied to the person tricked.
Cf. Othello, V, ii, 163.
114. hold it up : keep it going. Cf. A Midsummer Night's Dream,
III, ii, 239 : " Wink each at other, hold the sweet jest up."
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 53
CLAUDIO. Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember
a pretty jest your daughter told us of.
LEONATO. O, when she had writ it, and was reading it
over, she found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet ?
CLAUDIO. That. 13°
LEONATO. O, she tore the letter into a thousand half
pence ; rail'd at herself, that she should be so immodest to
write to one that she knew would flout her : 'I measure
him,' says she, ' by my own spirit, for I should flout him
if he writ to me, yea, though I love him, I should.' 135
CLAUDIO. Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps,
sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses ; * O sweet
Benedick ! God give me patience !' 138
LEONATO. She doth indeed ; my daughter says so : and
the ecstasy hath so much overborne her that my daughter is
sometime afeard she will do a desperate outrage to herself :
it is very true.
DON PEDRO. It were good that Benedick knew of it by
some other, if she. will not discover it. 144
CLAUDIO. To what end ? He would but make a sport of
it, and torment the poor lady worse.
DON PEDRO. And he should, 'it were an alms to hang
him : she 's an excellent sweet lady, and (out of all suspicion)
she is virtuous.
CLAUDIO. And she is exceeding wise. 150
DON PEDRO. In everything but in loving Benedick.
LEONATO. O, my lord, wisdom and blood combating in so
tender a body, we have ten proofs to one that blood hath
137. us of Ff | of vs Q. 145- but make Ff I make but Q.
141. afeard QFf | afraid Rowe. 147. And QFf | An Capell.
131-132. halfpence : tiny pieces. Silver halfpence were very small
54 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
the victory : I am sorry for her, as I have just cause, being
her uncle, and her guardian. 155
DON PEDRO. I would she had bestowed this dotage on
me: I would have daff'd all other respects, and made her
half myself. I pray you tell Benedick of it, and hear what a
will say.
LEONATO. Were it good, think you ? 160
CLAUDIO. Hero thinks surely she will die, for she says
she will die, if he love her not ; and she will die ere she make
her love known ; and she will die if he woo her, rather than
she will bate one breath of her accustomed crossness. 164
DON PEDRO. She doth well : if she should make tender
of her love, 't is very possible he '11 scorn it, for the man, as
you know all, hath a contemptible spirit.
CLAUDIO. He is a very proper man.
DON PEDRO. He hath indeed a good outward happiness.
CLAUDIO. Fore God, and, in my mind, very wise. 170
DON PEDRO. He doth indeed show some sparks that are
like wit.
LEONATO. And I take him to be valiant. 173
157. daff'd | daft QFf. 170. Fore Ff | Before Q.
158. a Q | he Ff. 173. LEONATO Ff I Claudio Q.
155. The punctuation after 'uncle' is that of the Quarto and
Folios. What follows the comma is an effective afterthought.
157. daff'd all other respects : put aside all other considerations.
' Daff ' is a variant of ' doff ' (i.e. ' do off '). Cf. V, i, 78.
167. contemptible: contemptuous.
168. proper : handsome. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, I, ii, 77.
169. good outward happiness : happy fortune of good looks.
172. wit: wisdom. Cf. line 213; III, v, 56.
173. The Quarto gives this speech to Claudio. " There should be
no doubt as to Benedick's valour in the estimation of Claudio, who
has been Benedick's companion in arms." — Furness.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 55
DON PEDRO. As Hector, I assure you : and in the man
aging of quarrels you may say he is wise, for either he
avoids them with great discretion, or undertakes them with
a most Christian-like fear. 177
LEONATO. If he do fear God, a must necessarily keep
peace: if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a
quarrel with fear and trembling. 180
DON PEDRO. And so will he do, for the man doth fear
God, howsoever it seems not in him by some large jests he
will make. Well, I am sorry for your niece. Shall we go
seek Benedick, and tell him of her love? 184
CLAUDIO. Never tell him, my lord : let her wear it out
with good counsel.
LEONATO. Nay, that 's impossible : she may wear her
heart out first. 188
DON PEDRO. Well, we will hear further of it by your
daughter : let it cool the while. I love Benedick well, and I
could wish he would modestly examine himself, to see how
much he is unworthy so good a lady. 192
LEONATO. My lord, will you walk ? dinner is ready.
CLAUDIO. If he do not dote on her upon this, I will never
trust my expectation. 195
DON PEDRO. Let there be the same net spread for her,
and that must your daughter and her gentlewomen carry.
The sport will be, when they hold one an opinion of another's
175. say Q | see Ff. 192. unworthy Q | unworthy to
177- most Q | Ff omit. haue Ff.
178. a must QFf | he must Rowe. 197. gentlewomen Q | gentle-
184. seek Q | see Ff. woman Ff.
174. Probably an allusion to Hector's running from Achilles.
182. large: broad. Cf. 'word too large,' IV, i, 47.
198. another's: the other's. Cf. King Lear, III, vii, 71.
56 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT n
dotage, and no such matter : that 's the scene that I would
see, which will be merely a dumb-show. Let us send her to
call him in to dinner. 201
\Exeunt DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and LEONATO]
BENEDICK. [Coming forward] This can be no trick: the
conference was sadly borne. They have the truth of this
from Hero : they seem to pity the lady : it seems her affections
have their full bent. Love me 1 why, it must be requited. I
hear how I am censur'd : they say I will bear myself proudly,
if I perceive the love come from her : they say too that she
will rather die than give any sign of affection. I did never
think to marry: I must not seem proud: happy are they
that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending.
They say the lady is fair; 'tis a truth, I can bear them wit
ness : and virtuous ; 't is so, I cannot reprove it, and wise,
but for loving me : by my troth, it is no addition to her wit,
nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in
love with her. I may chance have some odd quirks and
remnants of wit broken on me, because I have rail'd so long
201. [Exeunt . . . LEONATO] Exe- forward] Globe I B. advances from
unt Ff | Q omits. the Arbour Theobald | QFf omit.
202. Scene X Pope. — [Coming 205. their Q | the Ff.
199. no such matter : there is nothing of the kind. Cf. Sonnets,
LXXXVII, 14: "In sleep a king, but waking no such matter."
200. merely: purely, entirely, quite. Cf. Antony and Cleopatra,
III, vii, 8: "The horse was merely lost." The adjective 'mere'
(Latin merus, pure, unmixed, unqualified) is used similarly.
203. was sadly borne: was seriously carried on. Cf. 'with a sad
brow,' I, i, 172 ; 'in sad conference,' I, iii, 54.
205. bent : tension. The figure is from the bending of a bow. Cf.
IV, i, 181 ; The Winter's Tale, I, ii, 179.
206. censur'd : estimated, judged. The original (Latin) meaning.
212. reprove : disprove, confute. Cf. i Henry VI, III, i, 40.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 57
against marriage: but doth not the appetite alter? a; man
loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his
age. Shall quips and sentences, and these paper bullets of
the brain, awe a man from the career of his humour ? No,
the world must be peopled. When I said I would die a
bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.
Here comes Beatrice : by this day, she 's a fair lady ! I do
spy some marks of love in her. 224
Enter BEATRICE
BEATRICE. Against my will I am sent to bid you come
in to dinner.
BENEDICK. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains.
BEATRICE. I took no more pains for those thanks than
you take pains to thank me : if it had been painful, I would
not have come. 230
BENEDICK. You take pleasure, then, in the message ?
BEATRICE. Yea, just so much as you may take upon a
knife's point, and choke a daw withal : you have no stomach,
signior : fare you well. \Exif\ 234
BENEDICK. Hal 'Against my will I am sent to bid you
come in to dinner': there's a double meaning in that. 'I
took no more pains for those thanks than you took pains to
thank me ' : that 's as much as to say, Any pains that I take
for you is as easy as thanks. If I do not take pity of her, I
am a villain ; if I do not love her, I am a Jew. I will go get
her picture. \Exit~\ 241
333. knife's Pope | kniues QFf.
219. sentences : saws, maxims. From the Latin sententiae.
233. withal. The emphatic form of 'with.' Cf. Macbeth, II, i, 15.
240. I am a Jew. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, ii, 119-120: "for
I am a Jew, if I serve the Jew any longer."
ACT III
SCENE I. LEONATO'S orchard
3 Cv \ «c vu>£. -. ''^ *'*
Enter HERO, MARGARET, #«*/ URSULA
HERO. Good Margaret, run thee to the parlour :
There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice
Proposing with the Prince and Claudio :
Whisper her ear, and tell her I and Ursula
Walk in the orchard, and our whole discourse 5
Is all of her ; say that thou overheard'st us ;
And bid her steal into the pleached bower,
Where honeysuckles, ripened by the sun,
Forbid the sun to enter, like favourites,
Made proud by princes, that advance their pride 10
Against that power that bred it : there will she hide her,
To listen our propose. This is thy office :
Bear thee well in it, and leave us alone.
MARGARET. I '11 make her come, I warrant you, presently.
[JM]
ACT III | Actus Tertius Ff | Q (Gentlemen Ff), Margaret, and Vr-
omits.— SCENE I Pope | QFf omit.— sula (Vrsley Q) QFf.
LEONATO'S orchard Czmb \ QFf omit. 4. Ursula Ff | Ursley Q.
i. Enter'H.'E.KO . . . URSULA Rowe 12. propose Q | purpose Ff.
| Enter Hero and two Gentlewomen 14. \Exit~\ F2FaF4 I QFi omit.
i. run thee. Cf. " Stand thee by," IV, i, 23. See Abbott, § 212.
3. Proposing: talking. So 'propose' for 'conversation,' line 12.
4. Ursula. The Quarto spelling represents colloquial pronunciation.
5. orchard : garden. Cf. I, ii, 8, and see note.
7. pleached : close-roofed with interwoven boughs. Cf. I, ii, 8.
53
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 59
HERO. Now, Ursula, when Beatrice doth come, 15
As we do trace this alley up and down,
Our talk must only be of Benedick :
When I do name him, let it be thy part
To praise him more than ever man did merit :
My talk to thee must be how Benedick 20
Is sick in love with Beatrice : of this matter
Is little Cupid's crafty arrow made,
That only wounds by hearsay : now begin,
Enter BEATRICE, behind
For look where Beatrice, like a lapwing, runs
Close by the ground, to hear our conference. 25
URSULA. The pleasant'st angling is to see the fish
Cut with her golden oars the silver stream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait :
So angle we for Beatrice, who even now
Is couched in the woodbine coverture. 30
Fear you not my part of the dialogue.
HERO. Then go we near her, that her ear lose nothing
Of the false sweet bait that we lay for it :
[Approaching the bou>er\
No truly, Ursula, she is too disdainful,
I know her spirits are as coy and wild 35
As haggards of the rock.
URSULA. But are you sure
That Benedick loves Beatrice so entirely ?
24. Enter BEATRICE, behind Stet- Ff (after line 23).
yens | Enter Beatrice Q (after line 25) 33- [Approaching . . . ] QFf omit
23. oilly. Limits 'hearsay.' Cf. II, i, 125, and see note.
36. haggards: wild female hawks. Cf. Twelfth Night, III, i, 71.
60 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
HERO. So says the prince and my new-trothed lord.
URSULA. And did they bid you tell her of it, madam ?
HERO. They did entreat me to acquaint her of it, 40
But I persuaded them, if they lov'd Benedick,
To wish him wrestle with affection,
And never to let Beatrice know of it.
URSULA. Why did you so ? doth not the gentleman
Deserve as full as fortunate a bed 45
As ever Beatrice shall couch upon ?
HERO. O god of love ! I know he doth deserve
As much as may be yielded to a man :
But nature never fram'd a woman's heart
Of prouder stuff than that of Beatrice : 50
Disdain and scorn ride sparkling in her eyes,
Misprising what they look on, and her wit
Values itself so highly that to her
All matter else seems weak : she cannot love,
Nor take no shape nor project of""affection, 55
She is so self-endeared.
URSULA. Sure I think so,
And therefore certainly it were not good
She knew his love, lest she make sport at it.
HERO. Why, you speak truth : I never yet saw man,
How wise, how noble, young, how rarely featur'd, 60
But she would spell him backward : if fair-fac'd,
4a. wrestle | wrastle QFf. 58. she make Ff | sheele make Q.
45. as full as fortunate : as fully as fortunate, fully as fortunate.
52. Misprising: undervaluing. Cf. As You Like It, I, i, 177.
60. How: however. — featur'd: fashioned.
61. spell him backward : misconstrue him. " Alluding to the prac
tice of witches in uttering prayers." — Steevens.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 6l
She would swear the gentleman should be her sister :
If black, why, Nature, drawing of an antic,
Made a foul blot : if tall, a lance ill-headed :
If low, an agate very vilely cut : 65
If speaking, why, a vane blown with all winds :
If silent, why, a block moved with none.
So turns she every man the wrong side out,
AncTnever gives to truth and virtue that
Which simpleness and merit purchaseth. 70
URSULA^ Sure, sure, such carping is not commendable.
HERO. No, not to be so odd, and from all fashions,
As Beatrice is, cannot be commendable : /
But who dare tell her so ? if I should speak,
She would mock me into air ; O, she would laugh me 75
Out of myself, press me to death with wit 1
Therefore let Benedick, like covered fire, A
Consume away in sighs, waste inwardly :
It were a better death than die with mocks,
Which is as bad as die with tickling. 80
63. antic I anticke Fi | antique Q. 79. better death than | better
65. agate | agot QFf. — vilely death, then Q I better death, to Fi |
Pope | vildly Q | vildlie Fi. bitter death, to F2FsF4.
63. black : of dark complexion. — antic : buffoon.
65. agate. An allusion to the diminutive figures cut in agates for
rings. In Romeo and Juliet, I, iv, 55, Mercutio describes Queen Mab
as "In shape no bigger than an agate-stone "; and in 2 Henry IV,
I, ii, 19, Falstaff comparing himself with Page says, "I was never
mann'd with an agate till now."
7<5. The allusion is to the peine forte et dure, a punishment in
flicted on those who refused to plead when brought to trial. If
they continued silent, they were pressed to death by heavy weights.
" Hero means that Beatrice would first reduce her to silence by her
mockery, and then punish her for not speaking." — Clar.
62 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
URSULA. Yet tell her of it : hear what she will say.
HERO. No, rather I will go to Benedick,
And counsel him to fight against his passion.
And, truly, I .'11 devise ^ some honest^landers
To stain my cousin with : one doth not know 85
How much an ill word may empoison liking.
URSULA. O, do not do your cousin such a wrong !
She cannot be so much without true judgment
(Having so swift and excellent a wit
As she is priz'd to have) as to refuse 90
So rare a gentleman as Signior Benedick.
HERO. He is the only man of Italy,
Always excepted my dear Claudio.
URSULA. I pray you, be not angry with me, madam,
Speaking my fancy : Signior Benedick, 95
For shape, for bearing, argument, and valour,
Goes foremost in report through Italy.
HERO. Indeed, he hath an excellent good name.
URSULA. His excellence did earn it, ere he had it.
When are you married, madam ? 100
HERO. Why, every 4ayf to-morrow. Come, go in :
I '11 show thee some attires, and have thy counsel
Which is the best to furnish me to-morrow.
URSULA. She 's lim'd, I warrant you : we have caught
her, madam.
89. swift QFf | sweet Rowe. ing argument QFiF2Fs.
91. Signior QFf | Pope omits. 104. Two lines in QFf. — lim'd |
96. bearing, argument F* | bear- limed Q | tane Ff.
96. argument: discourse. Cf. I, i, 237, and see note.
101. every day, to-morrow : every day, beginning to-morrow. Her
playful answer is both indirect and direct.
104. lim'd : taken as with birdlime. Cf. Twelfth Night, III, iv, 82.
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 63
HERO. If it prove so, then loving goes by haps : 105
Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps.
[Exeunt HERO and URSULA]
BEATRICE. [Coming forward} What fire is in mine ears ?
can this be true ?
Stand I condemn 'd for pride and scorn so much ?
Contempt, farewell ! and maiden pride, adieu !
No glory lives behind the back of such. no
And, Benedick, love on ; I will requite thee,
Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand :
If thou dost love, my kindness shall incite thee
To bind our loves up in a holy band ;
For others say thou dost deserve, and I 1 1 5 /
Believe it better than reportingly. [Exit']
SCENE II. A room in LEONATO'S house
Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, and LEONATO
DON PEDRO. I do but stay till your marriage be con
summate, and then go I toward Arragon.
106. \Exeunt HERO««^/URSULA] room . . . | QFf omit.
Exit Ff 1 Q omits. i. Enter Don PEDRO . . . | Enter
107. [Corn'msr fotward} QFf omit. Prince . . . QFf.
SCENE II Pope | QFf omit. — A 2. go I QFiFa I I go FsF4.
107. There is probably an allusion to a belief, common to folk
lore, which says, "when our ears do glow and tingle, some there be
that in our absence doe talk of us" (Holland's Pliny). But Shake
speare adds to this ; he exalts the glowing and tingling into a fire
of purification and illumination.
112. Again the thought of the ' haggards of the rock,' lines 35—36.
116. better than reportingly: on better evidence than hearsay.
1-2. consummate. The past participle. Cf. 'predestinate,' I, i, 126.
64 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
CLAUDIO. I '11 bring you thither, my lord, if you '11 vouch
safe me. 4
DON PEDRO. Nay, that would be as great a soil in the
new gloss of your marriage as to show a child his new coat
and forbid him to wear it. I will only be bold with Benedick
for his company, for from the crown of his head to the sole
of his foot, he is all mirth : he hath twice or thrice cut
Cupid's bowstring, and the little hangman dare not shoot at
him : he hath a heart as sound as a bell, and his tongue is
the fJapP61*- *or what his heart thinks his tongue speaks. 12
BENEDICK. Gallants, I am not as I have been.
LEONATO. So say I : methinks you are sadder.
CLAUDIO. I hope he be in love. 15
DON PEDRO. Hang him, truant ! there 's no true drop of
blood in him to be truly touch'd with love : if he be sad, he
wants money.
BENEDICK. I have the toothache.
DON PEDRO. Draw it. 20
13. been F4 I bin QFiFaFs.
3. bring: escort, accompany. Cf. Measure for Measure, I, i, 62.
So in Genesis, xviii, 16; Acts, xxi, 25.
6-7. Steevens compares the figure in Romeo and Juliet, III, ii,
28-31 :
so tedious is this day,
As is the night before some festival,
To an impatient child that hath new robes
And may not wear them.
7. only. Limits Benedick. Cf. II, i, 125, and see note.
10. hangman : executioner (perhaps with a punning reference to
the ' fatal knot '), rogue. Cf. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, IV, iv,
59-60 : "stolen from me by the hangman boys."
19. Boswell quotes from Beaumont and Fletcher's The False One:
" You had best be troubled with the toothache too, for lovers ever are."
&CENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 65
BENEDICK. Hang it !
CLAUDIO. You mnct hang it first, anH draw it afterwards.
DON PEDRO. What 1 sigh for the toothache ?
LEONATO. Where is but a humour or a worm ?
BENEDICK. Well, every one can master a grief, but he
that has it. 26
CLAUDIO. Yet say I, he is in love.
DON PEDRO. There is no appearance of fancy in him,
unless it be a fancy that he hath to strange disguises, as to
be a Dutchman to-day, a Frenchman to-morrow, or in the
shape of two countries at once, as a German from the waist
downward, all slops, and a Spaniard from the hip upward,
no doublet: unless he have a fancy to this foolery, as it
appears he hath, heJs^no fool for fancy, as you would have
it appear he is. 35
CLAUDIO. If he be not in love with some woman, there
fs no believing old signs : a brushes his hat o' mornings :
what should that bode ? 38
25. can Pope | cannot QFf. 35. appear Q | to appear Ff.
30-33. or in the shape ... no 37, 45. a QFf | he Rowe.
doublet Q | Ff omit. 37. o' Theobald | a QFf.
22. A punning allusion to the old custom of drawing and quarter
ing criminals after hanging them.
24. "Of the teeth . . . The cause of ... aking is humors . . . some
times teeth be pearced with holes sometime by worms." — S. Batman
(in Batman vppon Bartholome, London, 1582).
28-29. A quibble on two common Elizabethan meanings of 'fancy':
( i ) ' love,' as in The Merchant of Venice, III, ii, 68 ; (2) ' caprice,' * whim,'
as in Hamlet, I, Hi, 71.
29-33- This passage was omitted from the First Folio, possibly to
avoid offence to King James and foreign dignitaries at court.
32. slops : baggy breeches. Cf. Romeo and Juliet, II, iv, 46-47 :
tLonjour! there's a French salutation to your French slop."
66 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
DON PEDRO. Hath any man seen him at the barber's ?
CLAUDIO. No, but the barber's man hath been seen with
him, and the old ornament of his cheek hath already stuff'd
tennis-balls. 42
LEONATO. Indeed, he looks younger than he did, by the
loss of a beard.
DON PEDRO. Nay, a rubs himself with civet: can you
smell him out by that?
CLAUDIO. That 's as much as to say, the sweet youth 's
in love.
DON PEDRO. The greatest note of it is his melancholy.
CLAUDIO. And when was he wont to wash his face ? 50
DON PEDRO. Yea, or to paint himself ? for the which I
hear what they say of him.
CLAUDIO. Nay, but his jesting spirit, which is now crept
into a lute-string, and now govern'd by stops.
DON PEDRO. Indeed, that tells a heavy tale for him:
conclude, conclude, he is in love. 56
CLAUDIO. Nay, but I know who loves him.
DON PEDRO. That would I know too : I warrant, one
that knows him not.
CLAUDIO. Yes, and his ill conditions, and, in despite of
all, dies for him. 61
49. DON PEDRO | Prin. Ff | Bene. governed Dyce.
Q. 56. conclude, conclude Q I con-
54. now govern'd QFf | new- elude Ff.
50. wash his face : use cosmetics. Lines 45-46 suggest this.
54. Love-songs were usually sung to the lute. Cf. i Henry IV,
I, ii, 84. ' Stops,' used here punningly, or ' frets ' (cf. Hamlet, III,
ii, 388), were ridges of wire or other material, placed on the finger
board to regulate the fingering.
60. conditions: qualities. Cf. Henry V, IV, i, 108.
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 67
DON PEDRO. She shall be buried with her face upwards.
BENEDICK. Yet is this no charm for the toothache. Old
signior, walk aside with me: I have studied eight or nine
wise words to speak to you, which these hobby-horses must
not hear. [Exeunt BENEDICK and LEONATO] 66
DON PEDRO. For my life, to break with him about Beatrice.
CLAUDIO. 'T is even so : Hero and Margaret have by this
played their parts with Beatrice, and then the two bears will
not bite one another when they meet. 70
• Enter DON JOHN
DON JOHN. My lord and brother, God save you 1
DON PEDRO. Good den, brother.
DON JOHN. If your leisure serv'd, I would speak with you.
DON PEDRO. In private ? 74
DON JOHN. If it please you: yet Count Claudio may
hear, for what I would speak of concerns him.
DON PEDRO. What 's the matter ?
DON JOHN. [To CLAUDIO] Means your lordship to be
married to-morrow?
DON PEDRO. You know he does. 80
DON JOHN. I know not that, when he knows what I know.
CLAUDIO. If there be any impediment, I pray you dis
cover it. 83
62. face QF | heels Theobald. DON JOHN Rowe | Enter lohn the
66. [Exeunt . . . LEONATO] Theo- Bastard QFf .
bald | QFf omit. 78. [To CLAUDIO] Rowe | QFf
71. Scene III Pope. — Enter omit.
62. with her face upwards : gazing at her lover, while dying for
love. Theobald's reading of * heels ' would mean ' as a suicide.'
65. hobby-horses : buffoons. Cf. Love's Labour's Lost* III, i, 30-33.
72. Good den : good evening. A salutation after midday. Mutilated
from ' God give you good even.'
68 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
DON JOHN. You may think I love you not: let that
appear hereafter, and aim better at me by that I now will
manifest: for my brother (I think he holds you well, and in
dearness of heart) hath holp to effect your ensuing marriage :
surely suit ill spent and labour ill bestowed. 88
DON PEDRO. Why, what 's the matter ?
DON JOHN. I came hither to tell you, and, circumstances
short'ned (for she hath been too long a talking of), the lady
is disloyal.
CLAUDIO. Who, Hero ?
DON JOHN. Even she, Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every
man's Hero. 95
CLAUDIO. Disloyal ?
/ DON JOHN. The word is too good to paint out her wicked
ness ; I could say she were worse : think you of a worse title,
and I will fit her to it. Wonder not till further warrant : go
but with me to-night, you shall see her chamber-window
ent'red, even the night before her wedding-day : if you love
her, then to-morrow wed her ; but it would better fit your
honour to change your mind.
CLAUDIO. May this be so ?
DON PEDRO. I will not think it. 105
DON JOHN. If you dare not trust that you see, confess
not that you know : if you will follow me, I will show you
enough, and when you have seen more, and heard more,
proceed accordingly. 109
86-87. (I think ... of heart) 87. hath Ff | has Q.
QFf | no parenthesis in Rowe Han- 102. her, then QFf | her then,
mer Camb Globe. Hanmer Globe.
85. aim better at me : hit nearer the mark concerning me.
90. circumstances : circumlocutions, needless details. Cf. Hamlet,
I, v, 127 : "without more circumstance at all."
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 69
CLAUDIO. If I see any thing to-night why I should not
marry her to-morrow in the congregation, where I should
wed, there will I shame her.
DON PEDRO. And as I wooed for thee to obtain her, I
will join with thee to disgrace her. 114
PON JOHN. I will disparage her no farther, till you are
my witnesses: bear it coldly but till midnight, and let the
issue show itself.
DON PEDRO. O day untowardly turned !
CLAUDIO. O mischief strangely thwarting I 119
DON JOHN. O plague right well prevented 1 so will you
say, when you have seen the sequel. \Exeunt}
SCENE III. A street
Cc i, 1$ "V O- V> t- '"- '/, V <•" A'fcX * ° '* ^ "
Enter DOGBERRY and VERGES with the Watch
DOGBERRY. Are you good men and true ?
VERGES. Yea, or else it were pity but they should suffer
salvation body and soul.
116. midnight Q | night Ff. | QFf omit. — A street QFf omit,
xai. [Exeunt] FaFsF* | Exit Fi. x. Enter . . . VERGES . . . | Enter
SCENE I II Capell I Scene IV Pope ... his compartner . . . QFf.
116. coldlj : coolly, calmly. Cf. Romeo and Juliet^ III, i, 55: "And
reason coldly of your grievances."
i. Enter DOGBERRY and VERGES. " The first of these worthies
had his name from the dogberry, i.e. the female cornel, a shrub that
grows in the hedges in every county in England. 'Verges' is only
the provincial pronunciation of verjuice." — Steevens. Halliwell-
Phillipps notes that Dogberry occurs as a surname in a charter of
the time of Richard II, and quotes from MS. Ashmol. 38 a couplet
on a usurer, " Here lyes father Varges, Who died to save charges."
3. salvation. Of course he means * damnation.' The speeches of
Dogberry and Verges abound in malapropisms.
70 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
DOGBERRY. Nay, that were a punishment too good for
them, if they should have any allegiance in them, being
chosen for the prince's watch. 6
VERGES. Well, give them their charge, neighbour Dog
berry.
DOGBERRY. First, who think you the most desartless
man to be constable?
1 WATCH. Hugh Oat-cake, sir, or George Sea-coal, for
they can write and read. 12
DOGBERRY. Come hither, neighbour Sea-coal, God hath
bless'd you with a good name : tr> he a welUfflvomned pian is
the gift of fortune, but to write and read comes by nature.
2 WATCH. Both which, master constable. 16
DOGBERRY. You have : I knew it would be your answer.
Well, for your favour, sir, why, give God thanks, and make
no boast of it, and for your writing and reading, let that
appear when there is no need of such vanity. You are
thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the
constable of the watch: therefore bear you the lanthorn:
this is your charge : you shall comprehend all vagrom men ;
you are to bid any man stand, in the prince's name.
2 WATCH. How if a will not stand ? 25
ix. Oat- | Ote- QFf. — Sea-coal | Sea-coale Ff | Sea-cole Q.
ix. George. Halliwell-Phillipps changed this to ' Francis,' identi
fying the character with him "of the pen and inkhorn," in III,
v, 52-53. " But Francis Seacole there mentioned is not necessarily
the same person. If this is a slip of Shakespeare's, it is one easily
made. In the Merry Wives, Page is called Thomas in I, i, 46, and
George in II, i, 153." — Clar.
16. Both which : both of them. The omission of the verb enables
Dogberry to turn this affirmation cleverly. To insert a dash after
'constable,' as many editors do, weakens the effect.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 71
DOGBERRY. Why, then take no note of him, but let him
go, and presently call the rest of the watch together, and
thank God you are rid of a knave.
VERGES. If he will not stand when he is bidden, he is
none of the prince's subjects. 30
DOGBERRY. True, and they are to meddle with none but
the prince's subjects : you shall also make no noise in the
streets: for for the watch to babble and to talk is most
tolerable, and not to be endured.
2 WATCH. We will rather sleep than talk : we know what
belongs to a watch. 36
DOGBERRY. Why, you speak like an ancient and most
quiet watchman, for I cannot see how sleeping should
offend : only have a care that your bills be not stolen : well,
you are to call at all the ale-houses, and bid them that are
drunk get them to bed. 41
2 WATCH. How if they will not ?
DOGBERRY. Why, then let them alone till they are sober :
if they make you not then the better answer, you may say
they are not the men you took them for. 45
2 WATCH. Well, sir.
DOGBERRY. If you meet a thief, you may suspect him,
by virtue of your office, to be no true man : and for such
kind of men, the less you meddle or make with them, why,
the more is for your honesty. 50
2 WATCH. If we know him to be a thief, shall we not
lay hands on him ?
33. to talk Q I talk Ff. Watch QFf.
35, 43, 46, 51, etc. 2 WATCH | 40- them Ff | those Q.
39. bills. The ' bill ' was a kind of halberd used by constables.
72 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT in
DOGBERRY. Truly by your office you may, but I think
they that touch pitch will be defiPd : the most peaceable way
for you, if you do take a thief, is to let him show himself
what he is, and steal out of your company. 56
VERGES. You have been always call'd a merciful man,
partner.
DOGBERRY. Tmty T would Tint hangr a dog by my will,
much more a man who hath any honesty in him. 60
VERGES. If you hear a child cry in the night, you must
call to the nurse, and bid her still it.
2 WATCH. How if the nurse be asleep and will not hear us ?
DOGBERRY. Why, then depart in peace, and let the child
wake her with crying, for the ewe that will not hear her
lamb when it baes will never answer a calf when he bleats.
VERGES. 'T is very true. 67
DOGBERRY. This is the end of the charge : you, con
stable, are to present the prince's own person : if you meet
the prince in the night, you may stay him. 70
VERGES. Nay, by 'r lady, that I think a cannot.
DOGBERRY. Five shillings to one on 't with any man that
knows the statues, he may stay him : marry, not without the
56. your QFiFz I his FsF4. Capell | birlady Q | birladie Ff. — a
66. he QFiFa I it F8F4. cannot QFiF2F3 I I cannot F4.
71. by 'r lady Camb | by'r — lady 73. statues Fi | statutes QFaFsF^
54. From Ecclesiasticus, xiii, i. Cf. i Henry IV, II, iv, 456-457.
61-62. Probably a burlesque on The Statutes of the Streets, printed
in 1595, one of which reads : " No man shall, after the hour of nyne
at night, keep any rule, whereby any such suddaine outcry be made
in the still of the night, as making any affray, or beating his wyfe,
or servant, or singing, or revyling in his house," etc.
69. present: represent. Cf. The Tempest, IV, i, 167.
71. by 'r lady. Like 'marry' (i.e. Mary), a petty oath by the Vir
gin. Cf. 'Mass,' line 91, and ' by th' mass,' IV, ii, 47.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 73
prince be willing, for indeed the watch ought to offend no
man, and it is an offence to stay a man against his will. 75
VERGES. By 'r lady, I think it be so.
DOGBERRY. Ha, ah ha! Well, masters, good night, and
there be any matter of weight chances, call up me: keep
your fellows' counsels, and your own, and good night.
Come, neighbour. 80
2 WATCH. Well, masters, we hear our charge : let us go
sit here upon the church-bench till two, and then all to bed.
DOGBERRY. One word more, honest neighbours. I pray
you watch about Signior Leonata's Hnnr, fnr the, wedding
JjfJggLthere to-morrow, there is., a. great-Coil to-night. Adieu :
be vigitant, I beseech you. [Exeunt DOGBERRY and VERGES]
Enter BORACHIO and CONRADE
BORACHIO. What, Conrade 1 87
WATCH. \Aside~\ Peace I stir not.
BORACHIO. Conrade, I say !
CONRADE. Here, man, I am at thy elbow. 90
BORACHIO. Mass, and my elbow itch'd ; I thought there
would a scab follow.
77. and QFf I an Rowe. 87. Scene V Pope.
86. vigitant QFi | vigilant FaFs 88, 98. WATCH QFf | 2. W. Ca-
F4 Rowe Knight— [Exeunt . . . pell.— [Aside} Rowe | QFf omit.
VERGES] Rowe | Exeunt QFi.
82. church-bench. This bench was inside the church porch.
85. coil : bustle, confusion, turmoil. Cf. V, ii, 86.
91. Mass : by the mass. See note, line 71. — elbow itch'd. Cf. Ma£-
beth, IV, i, 44-45 : " By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked
this way comes."
92. scab. Used punningly in the sense of (i) 'scab* and (2) 'con
temptible fellow.' Cf. Twelfth Night, II, v, 82.
74 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT in
CONRADE. I will owe thee an answer for that: and now
forward with thy tale. 94
BORACHIO. Stand thee close then under this pent-house,
for it drizzles rain, and I will, like a true drunkard, utter all
to thee.
" WATCH. \Aside\ Some treason, masters: yet stand close.
BORACHIO. Therefore know I have earned of Don John
thousand ducats. 100
CONRADE. Is it possible that any villainy should be so dear?
BORACHIO. Thou shouldst rather ask if it were possible
any villainy should be so rich, for when rich villains have
need of poor ones, poor ones may make what price they will.
CONRADE. I wonder at it. 105
BORACHIO. That shows thou art unconfirm'd: thou
knowest that the fashion of a doublet, or a hat, or a cloak,
is nothing to a man.
CONRADE. Yes, it is apparel.
BORACHIO. I mean, the fashion. no
CONRADE. Yes, the fashion is the fashion.
BORACHIO. Tush 1 I may as well say the fool 's the fool :
but seest thou not what a deformed thief this fashion is?
WATCH. \Aside\ I know that Deformed : a has been a vile
thief this seven year : a goes up and down like a gentleman :
I remember his name. 116
114. [Aside] Capell | QFf omit. he has ... he goes Pope. — year Q |
114-115. a has ... a goes QFf | years Ff.
96. true drunkard. That Borachio here refers to the significance
of his own name is possible (see note 6, Dramatis Personae), but " the
chief allusion is to the fact, expressed in the familiar in vino veritas,
that a ' true drunkard will utter all.' " — Furness.
103. villainy: villain. A play on 'villainy,' line 101.
106. unconfirm'd : unpractised in the ways of the world.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 75
BORACHIO. Didst thou not hear somebody ?
CONRADE. No ; 't was the vane on the house.
BORACHIO. Seest thou not, I say, what a deformed thief
this fashion is ? how giddily a turns about all the hot-bloods
between fourteen and five-and-thirty ? sometimes fashioning
them like Pharaoh's soldiers in the reechy painting, sometime
like god Bel's priests in the old church-window, sometime like
the shaven Hercules in the smirch'd worm-eaten tapestry?
CONRADE. All this I see, and I see that the fashion wears
out more apparel than the man: but art not thou thyself
giddy with the fashion too, that thou hast shifted out of thy
tale into telling me of the fashion? 128
BORACHIO. Not so, neither, but know that I have to-night
wooed Margaret, the Lady Hero's gentlewoman, by the name
of Hero : she leans me out at her mistress' chamber-window,
bids me a thousand times good night : I tell this tale vilely,
I should first tell thee how the prince, Claudio, and my
master planted, and placed, and possessed by my master
Don John, saw afar off in the orchard this amiable encounter.
CONRADE. And thought they Margaret was Hero ? 136
BORACHIO. Two of them did, the prince and Claudio, but
the devil my master knew she was Margaret, and partly
MS. and I Q I and Ff. 135. afar QFf | far Pope.
133. vilely Hanmer | vildly QFf. 136. they Q | thy Ff.
122. reechy : discolored with smoke, dirty. Cf. ' reeky,' ' reeking.'
124. Hercules is usually represented with a beard, but here the
reference may be to a tapestry picture of him shaven and disguised
in the service of Omphale (see note, II, i, 230).
131. me. An ethical dative. Here the 'me' has the force of 'bless
me!' Cf. I, iii, 53; II, iii, 103.
134. possessed: influenced (or 'informed,' as in line 139).
135- orchard : garden. Cf. I, ii, 8, and see note.
76 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
by his oaths, which first possessed them, partly by the dark
night, which did deceive them, but chiefly by my villainy,
which did confirm any slander that Don John had made,
away went Claudio enraged, swore he._Hznnld meelLher. as
was appomted7~next morning at the temple, and there^
before the whole, congregntirm,
o'pr night, and s^nTdLhgg-4n>iiiH a^arrKvrithont^a husband. 145
1 WATCH. We charge you in the prince's name^starKH
2 WATCH. Call up the right master constable : we have
here recovered the most dangerous piece of lechery that
ever was known in the commonwealth.
1 WATCH. And one Deformed is one of them : I know
him ; a wears a lock. 151
CONRADE. Masters, masters.
2 WATCH. You '11 be made bring Deformed forth, I war
rant you.
CONRADE. Masters. 155
i WATCH. Never speak : we charge you let us obey you
to go with us.
BORACHIO. We are like to prove a goodly commodity,
being taken up of these men's bills.
CONRADE. A commodity in question, I warrant you.
Come, we '11 obey you. [Exeunt] 161
142. enraged Ff | enragde Q. 156-157. See note below.
151. lock : lovelock, tied with ribbon and hanging at the ear.
*5&-*S?' The Quarto and Folios have " Conr. Masters, neuer speake,
we charge you," etc. Theobald arranged the speeches as given above.
I58-i59- "A cluster of conceits." — Malone. 'Commodity' means
'merchandise' or 'a bargain'; 'taken up' means 'got on credit' or
'apprehended'; 'bills' means 'bonds' or 'halberds.'
160. in question : subject to judicial examination. Ci.Tke Winter'*
Tale, V, i, 198 : "Has these poor men in question? "
SCENE iv MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 77
SCENE IV. HERO'S apartment
Enter HERO, MARGARET, and URSULA
HERO. Good Ursula, wake my cousin Beatrice, and desire
her to rise.
URSULA. I will, lady.
HERO. And bid her come hither.
URSULA. Well. [Exit] 5
MARGARET. Troth, I think your other rabato were better.
HERO. No, pray thee, good Meg, I '11 wear this.
MARGARET. By my troth 's, not so good, and I warrant
your cousin will say so.
HERO. My cousin 's a fool, and thou art another : I '11
wear none but this. n
MARGARET. I like the new tire within excellently, if the
hair were a thought browner : and your gown 's a most rare
fashion, i' faith. I saw the Duchess of Milan's gown that
they praise so. 15
HERO. O, that exceeds, they say.
MARGARET. By my troth, 's but a night-gown in respect
ScENElVCapelllSceneVI Pope | 5. [Exit Hanmer | QFf omit.
QFf omit— HERO'S apartment Globe 6. rabato Hanmer | rebate QFf.
I Leonato's House Pope I QFf omit. 17. in Ff I it Q.
6. rabato : ruff, collar. Sometimes ' wired support for a ruff.'
8. '6 : it is. So in line 17. The subject is sometimes omitted with
such forms as 'is,' 'was,' 'has,' 'will.' See Abbott, §§ 400-402.
12-13. tire within . . . hair. The reference is probably to the
inner part of a headdress trimmed with false hair.
16. that exceeds : that is surpassing. "As in the French of to-day :
' cela surpasse ! '" — Furness.
17-18. night-gown in respect of: dressing gown in comparison
with. For ' night-gown,' see Macbeth, V, i, 5.
78 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
of yours: cloth o' gold, and cuts, and lac'd with silver, set
with pearls, down sleeves, side sleeves, and skirts, round
underborne with a bluish tinsel : but for a fine, quaint, grace
ful and excellent fashion, yours is worth ten on 't. 21
HERO. God give me joy to wear it! for my heart is
exceeding1 heavy.
MARGARET. 'T will be heavier soon by the weight of a
man. 25
HERO. Fie upon thee 1 art not asham'd ?
MARGARET. Of what, lady ? of speaking honourably ? Is
not marriage honourable in a beggar? Is not your lord
honourable without marriage ? I think you would have me
say, ' saving your reverence, a husband ' : and bad thinking
do not wrest true speaking, I '11 offend nobody : is there any
harm in ' the heavier for a husband ? ' None, I think, and it
be the right husband, and the right wife ; otherwise 't is light,
and not heavy : ask my Lady Beatrice else; here she comes.
Enter BEATRICE
HERO. Good morrow, coz. 35
BEATRICE. Good morrow, sweet Here.
HERO. Why, how now ? do you speak in the sick tune ?
BEATRICE. I am out of all other tune, methinks.
*
18. o' gold | a gold QFf. 33. and QFf | an Capell.
30. and Ff | & Q | an Capell. 35. Scene VII Pope.
18-20. cuts. These, different from * slashes ' and often called ' dags,'
were the shaped or indented edges of the skirt and long sleeves, often
made to resemble letters of the alphabet, leaves, flowers, etc. — down
sleeves : close undersleeves. — side sleeves : wide, hanging sleeves.
' Side ' (Anglo-Saxon sid) still retains in English and Scottish dialect
the sense of 'long,' 'trailing.' — round underborne: trimmed round
about. — quaint : dainty, elegant.
SCENE iv MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 79
MARGARET. Clap's into 'Light o' love'; that goes with-
L: do you sing it, and I '11 dance it. 40
BEATRICE. Ye light o' love with your heels ! then, if your
husband have stables enough, you '11 see he shall lack no
barns.
MARGARET. O illegitimate construction! I scorn that
with my heels. 45
BEATRICE. 'T is almost five o'clock, cousin ; 't is time you
were ready : by my troth, I am exceeding, ill.; heigh-ho !
MARGARET. For a hawk, a horse, or a husband ?
BEATRICE. For the letter that begins them all, H.
MARGARET. Well, and you be not turn'd Turk, there's
no more sailing by the star. 51
BEATRICE. What means the fool, trow ?
MARGARET. Nothing I ; but God send every one their
heart's desire!
HERO. These gloves the count sent me; they are an
excellent perfume. 56
41. Ye QFf I Yes Rowe | Yea 4*. see Q I looke FiFa I look F8F4.
Steevens.— o' love Rowe laloue QFi. 50. and QFf | an Capell | if Pope.
39-40. Clap 's : clap us, let us strike briskly. — ' Light o' love.' A
popular old dance tune, mentioned also in The Two Gentlemen of
Verona, I, ii, 83. — burden : bass accompaniment.
43. barns. A punning reference to 'bairns,' children. Cf. The
Winter's Tale, III, iii, 70 ; All 's Well that Ends Well, I, iii, 28.
48-49. Margaret's 'for' means 'for the sake of; Beatrice's means
'because of.' 'Ache,' the noun, was often pronounced as the letter
' H ' is to-day. Cf. Antony and Cleopatra, IV, vii, 8.
50. turn'd Turk : changed for the worse. Cf. Hamlet, III, ii, 287.
Margaret refers to the success of the trick played on Beatrice.
51. star : polestar. The one sure guide in the heavens.
52. trow : I trow, I wonder. Cf. Cymbeline, I, vi, 47 ; The Merry
Wives of Windsor, I, iv, 140.
80 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
BEATRICE. I am stuff' d, cousin ; I cannot smell.
MARGARET. A maid, and stuff'd ! there 's goodly catching
of cold.
BEATRICE. O, God help me ! God help me ! how long have
you profess'd apprehension ? 61
MARGARET. Ever since you left it. Doth not my wit be
come me rarely ?
BEATRICE. It is not seen enough ; you should wear it in
your cap. By my troth, I am sick. 65
MARGARET. Get you some of this distilPd Carduus Bene-
dictus, and lay it to your heart: it is the only thing for a
qualm.
HERO. There thou prick'st her with a thistle. 69
BEATRICE. Bene^ictus ! why Benedictus ? you have some
moral in this Benedictus.
MARGARET. Moral? no, by my troth, I have no moral
meaning; I meant plain holy-thistle. You may think per
chance that I think you are in love: nay, by 'r lady, I am not
such a fool to think what I list, nor I list not to think what
I can, nor, indeed, I cannot think, if I would think my heart
61. apprehension: wit, repartee. Cf. 'apprehend,' II, i, 70.
66-67. "Carduus benedictus, or blessed Thistell so worthily named
for the singular vertues that it hath. . . . Howsoeuer it be vsed it
strengtheneth all the principall partes of the bodie, it sharpeneth
both the wit and the memorie, quickeneth all the senses. . . . For
which notable effects this herbe may worthily be called Benedictus
or Omnimorbia, that is a salue for euery sore." — Cogan, Haven
of Health (1584).
72. Moral: inner significance. "Some secret meaning, like the
moral of a fable." — Johnson. Cf. The Taming of the Shrew, IV,
iv, 78-80: "but has left me here behind to expound the meaning
or moral of his signs and tokens."
SCENE v MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 8l
out of thinking, that you are in love, or that you will be in
love, or that you can be in love. Yet Benedick was such
another, and now is he become a man : he swore he would
never marry, and yet now in despite of his heart, he eats his
meat without grudging : and how you may be converted, I
know not, but»methinks you look with your eyes as other
women do.
BEATRICE. What pace is this that thy tongue keeps ?
MARGARET. Not a false gallop. 85
Re-enter URSULA
URSULA. Madam, withdraw : the prince, the count, Signior
Benedick, Don John, and all the gallants of the town, are
come to fetch you to church.
HERO. Help to dress me, good coz, good Meg, good
Ursula. [Exeunt] 90
SCENE V. Another room in LEONATO'S house
Enter LEONATO, with DOGBERRY and VERGES
LEONATO. What would you with me, honest neighbour ?
DOGBERRY. Marry, sir, I would have some confidence
with you that decems you nearly.
go. [Exeunt] Rowe | QFf omit. i. Enter LEONATO . . . VERGES
ScENEVCapell I Scene VI 1 1 Pope. Rowe | Enter Leonato, and the Con-
— Another. ..house \ QFf omit. stable, and the Headborough QFf.
81. grudging : murmuring. The original meaning. — how you may
be converted. Cf. Benedick's " May I be so converted," II, iii, 20.
84. Most editors adopt a too formal punctuation in lines 72-83,
thus robbing this line of its meaning.
85. false gallop : artificial canter. Cf. As You Like It, III, ii, 119.
3. nearly : particularly. Cf. King Lear, I, i, 287.
82 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT in
LEONATO. Brief, I pray you, for you see it is a busy time
with me. 5
DOGBERRY. Marry, this it is, sir.
VERGES. Yes, in truth it is, sir.
LEONATO. What is it, my good friends ? 8
DOGBERRY. Goodman Verges, sir, speaks a little of the
matter, an old man, sir, and his wits are not so blunt, as God
help I would desire they were, but in faith honest as the skin
between his brows. 12
VERGES. Yes, I thank God, I am as honest as any man
living, that is an old man, and no honester than I.
DOGBERRY. Comparisons are odorous: palabras, neigh
bour Verges. t Qo 16
LEONATO. Neighbours, you are tedious. - HiL-jz&ta
DOGBERRY. It pleases your worship to say so, but we
are the poor duke's officers, but truly for mine own part, if
I were as tedious as a king, I could find in my heart to
bestow it all of your worship. 21
LEONATO. All thy tediousness on me, ah ?
DOGBERRY. Yea, and 't were a thousand pound more
9. of QFf | off Steevens Globe. 23. pound Q | times Ff.
9. of. Dogberry's use of 'of for 'off' is quite in keeping with
his other blunders. See the textual variants.
15. palabras. Probably Dogberry's blunder iorpocas palabras, 'few
words.' Cf. Christopher Sly's 'paucas pallabris,' The Taming of
the Shrew, Induction, i, 5-6. This scrap of Spanish seems to have
been proverbial in Elizabethan London, and was variously corrupted.
* Palaver ' is one modern form.
19. poor duke's : duke's poor. The blundering transposition is
found also in Measure for Measure, II, i, 47-48, 186.
21. of. ' Of ' after ' bestow ' is found in Twelfth Night, III, iv, 2, and
All's Well that Ends Well, III, v, 103. Cf. 'ride of a horse,' line 35.
SCENE v MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 83
than 't is, for I hear as good exclamation on your worship
as of any man in the city, and though I be but a poor man,
I am glad to hear it. 26
VERGES. And so am I.
LEONATO. I would fain know what you have to say.
VERGES. Marry, sir, our watch to-night, excepting your
worship's presence, ha' ta'en a couple of as arrant knaves as
any in Messina. 31
DOGBERRY. A good old man, sir, he will be talking as
they say, when the age is in, the wit is out, God help us, it
is a world to see : well said i' faith, neighbour Verges, well,
God 's a good man, and two men ride of a horse, one must
ride behind, an honest soul i' faith, sir, by my troth he is, as
ever broke bread, but God is to be worshipp'd, all men are
not alike, alas, good neighbour. 38
LEONATO. Indeed, neighbour, he comes too short of you.
DOGBERRY. Gifts that God gives.
LEONATO. I must leave you.
DOGBERRY. One word, sir, our watch, sir, have indeed
comprehended two aspicious persons, and we would have
them this morning examined before your worship. 44
30. ha' | ha Q I have Ff. 43. aspicious Globe | aspitious
35. and QFf I an Pope. QFf I auspicious Rowe.
29. to-night : last night. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, v, 18.
33. The punctuation of the Quarto and Folios in this speech brings
out admirably the rambling, ill-connected talk of Dogberry. The
chatter of Flora Pitching in Little Dorrit is similarly punctuated.
33-34. "When ale is in, wit is out." — Heywood' (Epigrammes
vppon Proverbes, 1577). — a world to see: well worth seeing.
35. God 's a good man. A proverbial tag.
35-36. Here in stage business Dogberry illustrates the proverb
by pushing Verges behind him.
84 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT m
LEONATO. Take their examination yourself, and bring it
me : I am now in great haste, as it may appear unto you.
DOGBERRY. It shall be suffigance.
LEONATO. Drink some wine ere you go : fare you well.
Enter a Messenger
MESSENGER. My lord, they stay for you to give your
daughter to her husband. 50
LEONATO. I '11 wait upon them, I am ready.
[Exeunt LEONATO and Messenger]
DOGBERRY. Go, good partner, go get you to Francis Sea-
coal, bid him bring his pen and inkhorn to the jail : we are
now to examination these men.
VERGES. And we must do it wisely. 55
DOGBERRY. We will spare for no wit, I warrant you :
here 's that shall drive some of them to a non-come, only
get the learned writer to set down our excommunication,
and meet me at the jail. [Exeunt] 59
45- it Q | Ff omit. 51. [Exeunt . . .] Capell | QFf omit.
47. Exit QFf. 54. examination these Q | examine
49. Enter . . . Rowe I QFf omit. those Ff.
5^-53. Francis Sea-coal. See note, III, iii, n.
57. here's that. Johnson's stage direction is. "touching his fore
head." — non-come. A characteristic blunder for 'non compos mentis,'
with perhaps a humorous suggestion of ' nonplus.'
ACT IV
SCENE I. A chtirch
Enter DON PEDRO, DON JOHN, LEONATO, FRIAR FRANCIS,
CLAUDIO, BENEDICK, HERO, BEATRICE, and Attendants '~)~
LEONATO. Come, Friar Francis, be brief; only to the plain
form of marriage, and you shall recount their particular duties
afterwards.
FRIAR FRANCIS. You come hither, my lord, to marry this
lady. 5
CLAUDIO. No.
LEONATO. To be married to her: friar, you come to
marry her.
FRIAR FRANCIS. Lady, you come hither to be married to
this count. 10
HERO. I do.
FRIAR FRANCIS. If either of you know any inward im
pediment why you should not be conjoined, I charge you on
your souls to utter it.
CLAUDIO. Know you any, Hero ? 1 5
ACT IV | Actus Quartus Ff | Q TRICE, and Attendants [Enter Prince,
omits. — SCENE I. A church Pope | Bastard, Leonato, Frier . . . and Bea-
QFf omit. trice QFf.
x. Enter DON PEDRO . . . BEA- 5. lady. QFf | lady? Rowe.
12-14. " This is from our Marriage Ceremony, which (with a few
slight changes in phraseology) is the same as was used in the time
of Shakespeare." — Douce.
85
86 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
HERO. None, my lord.
FRIAR FRANCIS. Know you any, count ?
LEONATO. I dare make his answer, none.
CLAUDIO. O what men dare do ! what men may do !
what men daily do, not knowing what they do ! 20
BENEDICK. How now ! interjections ? Why, then, some
be of laughing, as, ah, ha, he !
CLAUDIO. Stand thee by, friar : father, by your leave,
Will you with free and unconstrained soul
Give me this maid, your daughter ? 25
LEONATO. As freely, son, as God did give her me.
CLAUDIO. And what have I to give you back, whose worth
May counterpoise this rich and precious gift ?
DON PEDRO. Nothing, unless you render her again.
CLAUDIO. Sweet prince, you learn me noble thankfulness.
There, Leonato, take her back again : 31
Give not this rotten orange to your friend ;
She 's but the sign and semblance of her honour.
Behold how like a maid she blushes here I
O, what authority and show of truth 35
Can cunning sin cover itself withal !
Comes not that blood as modest evidence
To witness simple virtue ? would you not swear,
All you that see her, that she were a maid,
By these exterior shows ? But she is none : 40
Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty.
ao. not . . . do Q I Ff omit. aa. ah, ha, he Q | ha, ha, he Ff.
21-22. The phraseology is that used in Elizabethan school gram
mars. Cf. Lyly's Endymion, III, iii, 5: "An interjection, whereof
some are of mourning: as eho, vah!"
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 87
LEONATO. What do you mean, my lord ?
CLAUDIO. Not to be married,
Not to knit my soul to an approved wanton.
LEONATO. Dear my lord, if you in your own proof
Have vanquished the resistance of her youth — 45
CLAUDIO. I know what you would say : no, Leonato,
I never tempted her with word too large,
But, as a brother to his sister, showed
Bashful sincerity and comely love.
HERO. And seem'd I ever otherwise to you ? 50
CLAUDIO. Out on thee seeming ! I will write against it,
' You seem to me as Dian in her orb,
As chaste as is the bud ere it be blown :
But you are more intemperate in your blood
Than Venus, or those pamp'red animals 55
That rage in savage sensuality.'
HERO. Is my lord well, that he doth speak so wide ?
LEONATO. Sweet prince, why speak not you ?
DON PEDRO. What should I speak ?
I stand dishonoured, that have gone about
To link my dear friend to a common stale. 60
LEONATO. Are these things spoken, or do I but dream ?
DON JOHN. Sir, they are spoken, and these things are true^
BENEDICK. This looks not like a nuptial.
43. Not to QFi I Not F2FsF4. Seeming ! Grant White Globe.
51. thee seeming ! | thee seem- 52- seem QFf | seem'd Hanmer.
ing, QFf | thy seeming, Pope I thee ! — Dian | Diane QFiF2 I Diana FsF4.
47. large: free, unrestrained. Cf. 'large jests,' II, iii, 182.
51. Out on thee seeming : away with thy hypocrisy ! — against : over
against. The comma at the end of the line is in both the Quarto and
the Folios, and introduces lines 52-56 as an object clause.
52. Dian . . . orb : chaste moon in her orbit.
88 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
HERO. ' True ' ! O God !
CLAUDIO. Leonato, stand I here ?
Is this the prince ? is this the -prince's brother? 65
Is this face Hero's ? are our eyes our own ?
LEONATO. All this is so, but what of this, my lord ?
CLAUDIO. Let me but move one question to your daughter,
And by that fatherly and kindly power
That you have in her bid her answer truly. 70
LEONATO. I charge thee do so, as thou art my child.
HERO. O God, defend me ! how am I beset !
What kind of catechising call you this ?
CLAUDIO. To make you answer truly to your name.
HERO. Is it not Hero ? who can blot that name 75
With any just reproach ?
CLAUDIO. Marry, that can Hero :
Hero itself can blot out Hero's virtue.
What man was he talk'd with you* yesternight
Out at your window betwixt twelve and one ?
Now if you are a maid, answer to this. 80
HERO. I talk'd with no man at that hour, my lord.
DON PEDRO. Why, then are you no maiden. Leonato,
I am sorry you must hear : upon mine honour,
Myself, my brother, and this grieved count
Did see her, hear her, at that hour last night 85
Talk with a ruffian at her chamber-window,
71. do so QF2|doe Filto do FsF4. F2FsF4 Rowe Pope Hanmer.
74. CLAUDIO | Claw. QFi | Leon. 82. are you Q I you are Ff.
63. Hero's ' True ' is repeated from the speech of Don John.
69. kindly: natural. Cf. I, i, 25, and see note.
77. Hero itself : the very name Hero (by becoming a byword).
78. For the omission of the relative see Abbott, § 244.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 89
Who hath indeed most like a liberal villain
Confess'd the vile encounters they have had.
DON JOHN. Fie, fie ! they are not to be named, my lord,
Not to be spoke of ; 9°
There is not chastity enough in language,
Without offence to utter them : thus, pretty lady,
I am sorry for thy much misgovernment.
CLAUDIO. O Hero, what a Hero hadst thou been,
If half thy outward graces had been placed 95
About thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart !
"Rut fare thpp wpU} most fn»lr most fair 1 farewell.
Thou pure impiety, and impious purity 1
For thee I '11 lock up all the gates of love,
And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang, 100
To turn all beauty into thoughts of harm,
And never shall it more be gracious.
LEONATO. Hath no man's dagger here a point for me ?
[HERO swoons']
BEATRICE. Why, how now, cousin I wherefore sink you down ?
DON JOHN. Come, let us go : these things, come thus to light,
Smother her spirits up. 106
[Exeunt DON PEDRO, DON JOHN, CLAUDIO, and Attendants]
BENEDICK. How doth the lady ?
BEATRICE. Dead, I think: help, uncle!
Hero! why, Hero! Uncle! Signior Benedick! Friar!
90. spoke Q | spoken Ff. 103. [HERO swoons] QFf omit
96. thy thoughts QFf | the 106. [Exeunt . . .]QFf omit,
thoughts Rowe. 107. Scene II Pope.
87. liberal: unrestrained, loose-tongued. Cf. Othello, II, i, 165.
97. The alliterative rhythm suggests a lingering farewell.
100. conjecture: suspicion. Cf. Hamlet, IV, v, 14-15: "for she
may strew Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds."-
90 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT IV
LEONATO. O Fate ! take not away thy heavy hand :
Death is the fairest cover for her shame ITO
That may be wish'd for.
BEATRICE. How now, cousin Hero 1
FRIAR FRANCIS. Have comfort, lady.
LEONATO. Dost thou look up ?
FRIAR FRANCIS. Yea, wherefore should she not ?
LEONATO. Wherefore ! why, doth not every earthly thing-
Cry shame upon her ? could she here deny 1 1 6
The story that is printed in her blood ?
Do not live, Hero ; do not ope thine eyes :
For did I think thou wouldst not quickly die,
Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames, 120
Myself would on the rearward of reproaches
Strike at thy life. Griev'd I, I had but one ?
Chid I for that at frugal nature's frame ?
O, one too much by thee ! why had I one ?
Why ever wast thou lovely in my eyes ? 125
Why had I not with charitable hand
Took up a beggar's issue at my gates,
Who smirched thus, and mir'd with infamy,
I might have said, ' No part of it is mine :
This shame derives itself from unknown loins ? ' 130
But mine, and mine I lov'd, and mine I prais'd,
And mine that I was proud on, mine so much
iai. rearward FaF4 1 rereward Q | ia8. smirched Q | smeered FiFa
reward Fi | reareward Fa. Fa | smeer'd F4.
117. " The story which her blushes discover to be true." — Johnson.
121. on the rearward of : in the rear of, after.
123. frame: framing, devising. So in line 184.
132. proud on: proud of. See note, III, v, 21.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 91
That I myself was to myself not mine,
Valuing of her, why, she, O, she is fall'n
Into a pit of ink, that the wide sea 135
Hath drops too few to wash her clean again,
And salt too little, which may season give
To her foul-tainted flesh !
BENEDICK. Sir, sir, be patient :
For my part, I am so attired in wonder,
I know not what to say. 140
BEATRICE. O, on my soul, my cousin is belied.
BENEDICK. Lady, were you her bedfellow last night ?
BEATRICE. No, truly not, although, until last night,
I have this twelvemonth been her bedfellow.
LEONATO. Confirm 'd, confirm'd ! O, that is stronger made
Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron ! 146
Would the two princes lie, and^Qaudio.Hej,,
Who lov'd her so. tfrat speaking of her foulness,.
Wash'd it with tears ? Hence from her! let her die.
FRIAR FRANCIS. Hear me a little ; 150
For I have only been silent so long,
And given way unto this course of fortune,
By noting of the lady : I have mark'd
A thousand blushing apparitions
To start into her face, a thousand innocent shames 155
In angel whiteness beat away those blushes,
138-140. Sir ... say | QFf print 150-153. Hear . . . mark'd | QFf
as prose. print as prose.
147. the two princes Q | the Princes 156. beat | beate Q I beare FiF2 I
Fi | the Prince F2FsF4. bear FsF4.
151-153. For . . . lady. For I have only been silent so long and
allowed things to take their own way because I was watching the lady.
For 'by' in the sense of 'in consequence of see Abbott, § 146.
92 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
And in her eye there hath appear'd a fire
To burn the errors that these princes hold
Against her maiden truth. Call me a fool ;
Trust not my reading, nor my observations, 160
Which with experimental seal doth warrant
The tenour of my book : trust not my age,
My reverence, calling, nor divinity,
I If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here
Under some biting error.
LEONATO. Friar, it cannot be : 165
Thou seest that all the grace that she hath left
Is, that she will not add to her damnation
A sin of perjury : she not denies it :
Why seek'st thou then to cover with excuse
That which appears in proper nakedness ? 170
FRIAR FRANCIS. Lady, what man is he you are accus'd of ?
HERO. They know that do accuse me ; I know none :
If I know more of any man alive
Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant,
Let all my sins lack mercy ! O my father, 175
Prove you that any man with me convers'd
At hours unmeet, or that I yesternight
Maintain'd the change of words with any creature,
Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death !
FRIAR FRANCIS. There is some strange misprision in the
princes. 180
i6a. tenour Theobald | tenure QFf. 180. princes QFi | prince F2FsF4.
161-162. with experimental ... my book: sets the seal of ex
perience on my reading.
163. reverence, calling. Collier changed to ' reverend calling.'
180. misprision : mistake, misapprehension.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 93
BENEDICK. Two of them have the very bent of honour ;
And if their wisdoms be misled in this,
The practice of it lives in John the bastard,
- •*• — — - — — -• ••-—— * "— —
Whose spirits toil in frame of villainies.
LEONATO. I know not : if they speak but truth of her,
These hands shall tear her ; if they wrong her honour, 186
The proudest of them shall well hear of it.
Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine,
Nor age so eat up my invention,
Nor fortune made such havoc of my means, 190
Nor my bad life reft me so much of friends,
But they shall find, awak'd in such a kind,
Both strength of limb and policy of mind,
Ability in means, and choice of friends,
To quit me of them throughly.
FRIAR FRANCIS. Pause awhile, 195
And let my counsel sway you in this case.
Your daughter here the princess (left for dead), ft
Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed :
195. throughly | thoroughly F4. cesse (left for dead) QFf | princes
197. princess (left for dead) | Prin- left for dead Theobald Camb.
181. bent. For the metaphor see note, II, iii, 205.
183. practice: scheming. Cf. 'practise,' II, i, 351.
184. frame. Cf. line 130, and see note.
195. quit me of : requite myself regarding.
15X7. The parentheses are in the Quarto and Folios. That the friar
should call Hero ' princess ' is in harmony with the formal dignity of
his speech. The high standing of Hero's house is indicated by
'family's old monument '(line 201). The term ' princess ' was " applied
to a female . . . that is likened to a princess in pre-eminence or
authority ; formerly often to the Virgin Mary, also to female deities,
etc." — Murray.
94 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
Maintain a mourning ostentation, 200
And on your family's old monument
Hang mournful epitaphs, and do all rites
That appertain unto a burial.
LEONATO. What shall become of this ? what will this do ?
FRIAR FRANCIS. Marry, this well carried shall on her behalf
Change jlander to remorse: that is some good: 206
But not for that dream I on this strange course,
But on this travail look for greater birth.
She dying, as it must be so maintain'd,
Upon the instant that she was accus'd, 210
Shall be lamented, pitied, and excus'd
Of every hearer : for it so falls out,
That what we have we prize not to the worth,
Whiles we enjoy it ; but being lack'd and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find 215
The virtue that possession would not show us
Whiles it was ours : so will it fare with Claudio :
When he shall hear she died upon his words,
Th' idea of her life shall sweetly creep
Into his study of imagination, 220
And every lovely organ of her life
Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit,
More moving delicate, and full of life,
200. mourning ostentation : show of mourning.
204. shall become of : is destined to result from.
206. remorse : pity, compassion. Cf. King Lear, IV, ii, 73.
215. rack : strain. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, I, i, 182.
220. study of imagination : imaginative reverie.
223. moving delicate. The punctuation is that of the Quarto and
the First Folio. Most modern editors hyphen the words. The
Second Folio has a comma after 'moving.' For 'moving' in the
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 95
Into the eye and prospect of his soul
Than when she liv'd indeed : then shall he mourn, j 225
If ever love had interest in his liver,
And wish he had not so accused her :
No, though he thought his accusation true.
Let this be so, and doubt not but success
Will fashion the event in better shape 230
Than I can lay it down in likelihood.
But if all aim but this be levelPd false,
The supposition of the lady's death
Will quench the wonder of her infamy:
And if it sort not well, you may conceal her, 235
As best befits her wounded reputation,
In some reclusive and religious life,
Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries.
BENEDICK. Signior Leonato, let the friar advise you,
And though you know my inwardness and love 240
Is very much unto the prince and Claudio,
sense of ' what stirs the emotions ' cf . Richard 77, V, i, 47 ; Measure
for Measure, II, ii, 36.
224. eye and prospect. So in King John, II, i, 208.
226. In the mediaeval physiology the liver was the seat of the pas
sions. Cf. Twelfth Night, II, iv, 101.
229. success : that which follows, outcome, result. The original
(Latin) meaning. Cf. 'good success' (Coriolanus, I, i, 264), 'bad suc
cess' (Troilus and Cressida, II, ii, 117).
232. but this. The reference is to what follows. " But if (though
I hope for better things) we should not in any other respect hit
the mark at which we aim, i.e. if we altogether fail to re-establish
Hero's character, the supposition of her death will, at all events,
stop the tongues of those who would otherwise be exclaiming at
her guilt." — Deighton.
235. sort : turn out. Cf. V, iv, 7 : "all things sort so well."
240. inwardness: intimacy.
96 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
Yet, by mine honour, I will deal in this
As secretly and justly as your soul
Should with your body.
LEONATO. Being that I flow in grief,
The smallest twine may lead me. 245
FRIAR FRANCIS. 'T is well consented : presently away,
For to strange sores strangely they strain the cure.
Come, lady, die to live : this wedding-day
Perhaps is but prolong'd : have patience and endure.
\Exeunt all but BENEDICK and BEATRICE]
BENEDICK. Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while ?
BEATRICE. Yea, and I will weep a while longer. 251
BENEDICK. I will not desire that.
BEATRICE. You have no reason : I do it freely.
BENEDICK. Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wrong'd.
BEATRICE. Ah, how much might the man deserve of me
that would right her !
BENEDICK. Is there any way to show such friendship ?
BEATRICE. A very even way, but no such friend. 258
BENEDICK. May a man do it ?
249- [Exeunt . . .] Exit QFf. 250. Scene III Pope.
244-245. " Men overpowered by distress eagerly listen to the first
offers of relief, close with every scheme, and believe every promise.
He that has no longer any confidence in himself is glad to repose
his trust in any other that will undertake to guide him." — Johnson.
247. Cf. Hamlet, IV, iii, 9-1 1 :
diseases desperate grown
By desperate appliance are reliev'd,
Or not at all.
249. An Alexandrine, or iambic hexameter verse. — prolong'd :
postponed, deferred. Cf. Richard III, III, iv, 47.
258. even : plain, straightforward. Cf. Hamlet, II, ii, 298.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 97
BEATRICE. It is a man's office, but not yours. 260
BENEDICK. I do love nothing in the world so well as you : :
is not that strange ?
BEATRICE. As strange as the thing I know not. It were j
as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you : but '
believe me not, and yet I lie not ; I confess nothing, nor I
deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin. 266
BENEDICK. By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me.
BEATRICE. Do not swear by it, and eat it.
BENEDICK. I will swear by it that you love me, and I will
make him eat it that says I love not you. 270
BEATRICE. Will you not eat your word ?
BENEDICK. With no sauce that can be devised to it: I
protest I love thee.
BEATRICE. Why, then God forgive me !
BENEDICK. What offence, sweet Beatrice ? 275
BEATRICE. You have stayed me in a happy hour: I was
about to protest I loved you.
BENEDICK. And do it with all thy heart.
BEATRICE. I love you with so much of my heart that
none is left to protest. 280
BENEDICK. Come, bid me do any thing for thee.
BEATRICE. Kill Claudio.
BENEDICK. Ha ! not for the wide world.
BEATRICE. You kill me to deny it : farewell.
BENEDICK. Tarry, sweet Beatrice. 285
a68. by it Ff I Q omits. 284. it Q | Ff omit
268. eat it. Beatrice refers to the oath. Cf. As You Like //, V,
iv, 1 55. In line 269 Benedick refers to the sword.
085. In the stage business here Benedick holds Beatrice by the
arm, and in the following speech she struggles to free herself.
98 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
BEATRICE. I am gone, though I am here: there is no
love in you : nay, I pray you, let me go.
BENEDICK. Beatrice —
BEATRICE. In faith, I will go.
BENEDICK. We '11 be friends first. 290
BEATRICE. You dare easier be friends with me than fight
with mine enemy.
BENEDICK. Is Claudio thine enemy?
BEATRICE. Is a not approved in the height a villain, that
hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman? O,
that I were a man ! what, bear her in hand until they come
to take hands, and then with public accusation uncovered
slander, unmitigated rancour ? O God, that I were a man I
I would eat his heart in the market-place.
BENEDICK. Hear me, Beatrice — 300
BEATRICE. Talk with a man out at a window I a proper
saying 1
BENEDICK. Nay, but, Beatrice —
BEATRICE. Sweet Hero, she is wrong'd, she is sland'red,
she is undone. 305
BENEDICK. Beat — ?
BEATRICE. Princes and counties ! surely a princely testi
mony, a goodly count, Count Comfect, a sweet gallant,
surely 1 O that I were a man for his sake! or that I had
294. a QFf | he Rowe Globe. But — Rowe Pope Hanmer.
306. Beat — ? | Beat — Theobald | 308. count, Count Comfect I counte,
Beat ? QFi | Bett ? FzFs I But ? F4 | counte comfect Q | count, comfect FI.
286. I am gone : my heart is gone from you.
296. bear her in hand : delude her with false hopes. Cf. Macbeth,
III, i, 81 : "How you were borne in hand."
307. counties: counts. So in II, i, 172.
308. Count Comfect : w My Lord Lollipop." — Staunton.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 99
any friend would be a man for my sake ! But manhood
is melted into courtesies, valour into compliment, and men
are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too : he is now
as valiant as Hercules, that only tells a lie, and swears it :
I cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a
woman with grieving. 315
BENEDICK. Tarry, good Beatrice : by this hand, I love
thee.
BEATRICE. Use it for my love some other way than
swearing by it.
BENEDICK. Think you in your soul the Count Claudio
hath wrong'd Hero? 321
BEATRICE. Yea, as sure as I have a thought, or a soul.
BENEDICK. Enough, I am engag'd ; I will challenge him.
I will kiss your hand, and so leave you. By this hand,
Claudio shall render me a dear account: as you hear of
me, so think of me. Go comfort your cousin : I must say
she is dead : and so, farewell. \Exeunt\ 327
311. courtesies | cursies QFilcurt- 324. leave Ff I I leave Q.
eies Fz \ curtesies FzF*. 337. {Exeunt} FaFsF4 I QFi omit.
311. melted into courtesies. " Beatrice is still playing on the con
fectionery metaphor. Cf. / Henry IV, I, iii, 251 : " Why, what a candy
deal of courtesy This fawning greyhound then did proffer me ! " In
Hamlet, III, ii, 65, "the candied tongue" was the tongue of courtesy
and compliment, as sweet and unsubstantial as comfits and sugar-
candy."— Clar.
312. trim ones. 'Trim* used ironically with the connotation of
smooth-spoken deceit. 'Ones' refers to 'tongue,' with a change of
number not unusual in Elizabethan English.
316. by this hand. His own hand ; in line 324, Beatrice's.
100 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
SCENE II. A prison
Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and Sexton, in gowns, and the
Watch, with CONRADE and BORACHIO
DOGBERRY. Is our whole dissembly appear'd ?
VERGES. O, a stool and a cushion for the sexton.
SEXTON. Which be the malefactors ?
DOGBERRY. Marry, that am I and my partner.
VERGES. Nay, that's certain: we have the exhibition to
examine.
SCENE II Capell | Scene IV Pope Keeper (Kemp., Kee., Kern.) QFf |
I QFf omit. — A prison Theobald | To. Cl. Rowe. (See note below.)
8Ff omit. — Enter . . . | Enter the a, 5, etc. VERGES Capell I Cowley
onstables, Borachio, and the Towne QFiFaFs I Cowly F4 I Dog. Rowe.
Clerke (clearke Q) in gownes QFf. 4. DOGBERRY Capell | Andrew Q
i, 9, la, etc. DOGBERRY Capell | Ff I Verg. Rowe.
i. Enter DOGBERRY . . . The ' Towne Clerke ' of the original stage
direction is obviously the sexton of line 2. Malone quotes from The
Black Book (1604), to show that the official dress of a constable was
a black gown.
In this scene the Quarto and Folios give almost all Dogberry's
speeches to the famous comic actor Kemp, whose name appears
as Keeper, Kee., Kem., etc., and in line 4 as 'Andrew,' probably
a nickname given to Kemp from his playing the part of Merry
Andrew. The speeches of Verges are given to Cowley. 'William
Kempt' and 'Richard Cowly' are in the list of the "Principal!
Actors in all these Playes" prefixed to the First Folio. "It is
possible that this portion of the MS. had got torn or otherwise de
faced; perhaps the margin containing the names of the speakers
had been torn away, and it had been re-copied by the prompter or
some other member of the company, who put the name of the actor
instead of the name of the character he represented." — Frank A.
Marshall.
5. exhibition. A legal term used by Dogberry for 'commission'
or 'permission.' Steevens suggests that 'examination to exhibit'
is meant.
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING IOI
SEXTON. But which are the offenders that are to be
examined? let them come before master constable.
DOGBERRY. Yea, marry, let them come before me : what
is your name, friend ? 10
BORACHIO. Borachio.
DOGBERRY. Pray write down Borachio. Yours, sirrah ?
CONRADE. I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Con-
rade.
DOGBERRY. Write down master gentleman Conrade :
masters, do you serve God? 16
CONRADE. } ^.r
_ > Yea, sir, we hope.
BORACHIO. J
DOGBERRY. Write down that they hope they serve God :
and write God first, for God defend but God should go
before such villains ! Masters, it is proved already that you
are little better than false knaves, and it will go near to be
thought so shortly : how answer you for yourselves ? 22
CONRADE. Marry, sir, we say we are none.
DOGBERRY. A marvellous witty fellow, I assure you, but
I will go about with him: come you hither, sirrah, a word
in your ear, sir, I say to you, it is thought you are false
knaves. 27
BORACHIO. Sir, I say to you, we are none.
DOGBERRY. Well, stand aside : fore God they are both
in a tale : have you writ down that they are none ? 30
17-20. Yea . . . villains Q I Ff omit
13. Conrade resents the implication of inferiority in 'sirrah.'
17-20. Blackstone suggested that the omission of this passage
from the Folios was due to King James's statute against profanity.
25. will go about with : will outwit.
29-30. they are both in a tale : both tell one story.
102 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
SEXTON. Master constable, you go not the way to exam
ine : you must call forth the watch that are their accusers.
DOGBERRY. Yea, marry, that 's the eftest way, let the
watch come forth : masters, I charge you in the prince's
name, accuse these men. 35
1 WATCH. This man said, sir, that Don John, the prince's
brother, was a villain.
DOGBERRY. Write down Prince John a villain : why, this
is flat perjury, to call a prince's brother villain.
BORACHIO. Master constable — 40
DOGBERRY. Pray thee, fellow, peace, I do not like thy
look, I promise thee.
SEXTON. What heard you him say else ?
2 WATCH. Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats
of Don John for accusing the Lady Hero wrongfully. 45
DOGBERRY. Flat burglary as ever was committed.
VERGES. Yea by th' mass, that it is.
SEXTON. What else, fellow ?
1 WATCH. And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his
words, to disgrace Hero before the whole assembly, and
not marry her. 51
DOGBERRY. O villain ! thou wilt be condemn'd into ever
lasting redemption for this.
SEXTON. What else ?
2 WATCH. This is all. 55
SEXTON. And this is more, masters, than you can deny :
Prince John is this morning secretly stolen away : Hero was
47- VERGES | Const. QFf. — by 55. 2 WATCH Rowe | Watch QFf.
th' mass Ff | by masse Q. Camb Globe.
33. eftest. Dogberry probably confuses ' eftsoons ' and ' deftest.'
49. upon his : in consequence of his (Borachio's). Cf. IV, i, 2iS
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 103
in this manner accus'd, in this very manner refus'd, and upon
the grief of this suddenly died : master constable, let these
men be bound, and brought to Leonato's : I will go before,
and show him their examination. \Exit\ 61
DOGBERRY. Come, let them be opinion'd.
VERGES. Let them be in the hands —
CONRADE. Off, coxcomb!
DOGBERRY. God 's my life, where 's the sexton ? let him
write down the prince's officer coxcomb : come, bind them :
thou naughty varlet !
CONRADE. Away, you are an ass, you are an ass. 68
DOGBERRY. Dost thou not suspect my place ? dost thou
not suspect my years ? O that he were here to write me
down an ass ! but, masters, remember that I am an ass :
though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an
ass. No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be prov'd
upon thee by good witness, I am a wise fellow, and which is
more, an officer, and which is more, a householder, and which
is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina, and
60. Leonato's Q | Leonato Ff. be in the hands of Coxcombe Q I
6z. [Exit] QFf omit. Sex. Let them be in the hands of
6a. DOGBERRY Rowe | Constable Coxcombe Ff.
Q | Const. Ff. 68. CONRADE I Conr. Rowe | Cou-
63-64. VERGES. Let them ... Off , ley QFiFaFs I Cowley F4.
coxcomb! Malone | Couley. Let them 76. is in Q | in Ff.
63-64. " The first words may be a corruption of a stage-direction
[Let them bind them] or [Let them bind their hands]." — Camb.
65. God 's my life : God save my life. * God save ' is contracted into
' God sa' ' and then into ' God's.' Cf. ' God 's me,' i Henry IV, II, iii, 97.
67. thou naughty varlet. Addressed to Conrade. * Naughty ' means
' having naught,' ' worthless,' the original signification. So in V, 1, 284 ;
The Merchant of Venice, III, ii, 18. Cf. 'naught,' V, i, 153.
76. as pretty a piece of flesh. Cf. Twelfth Night, I, v, 30 : " as witty
a piece of Eve's flesh as any in Illyria."
104 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT iv
one that knows the law, go to, and a rich fellow enough, go
to, and a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two
gowns, and every thing handsome about him: bring him
away : O that I had been writ down an ass ! \Exeunt\ 80
80. \_Exeuni\ Exit QFf.
78. hath had losses. " I therefore put in my proud claim to share
in the distresses which affect only the wealthy; and write myself
down, with Dogberry, 'a fellow rich enough,' but still 'one who hath
had losses.' " — Scott, Quentin Durward, Introduction.
ACT V
SCENE I. Before LEONATO'S house
Enter LEONATO and ANTONIO
ANTONIO. If you go on thus, you will kill yourself
And 't is not wisdom thus to second grief
Against yourself.
LEONATO. I pray thee, cease thy counsel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a sieve : give not me counsel,
Nor let no comforter delight mine ear
But such a one whose wrongs do suit with mine.
Bring me a father that so lov'd his child,
Whose joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid him speak of patience,
Measure his woe the length and breadth of mine,
And let it answer every strain for strain,
As thus for thus, and such a grief for such,
In every lineament, branch, shape, and form :
ACT V | Actus Quintus Ff | Q 6. comforter Q | comfort Fi | corn-
omits. — SCENE . . . house Pope | QFf fort els FaFs I comfort else F4.
omit. 7. do Theobald | doe Q | doth Ff
i. Enter... ANTONIO I Enter Leo- Rowe Pope,
nato and his brother QFf. 10. speak QFf | speak to me Han-
i, 33, etc. ANTONIO I Brother QFf. mer Collier Dyce.
10. A line that is metrically incomplete is not unusual in pas
sionate speech. See the textual variants for Hanmer's reading.
105
106 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
If such a one will smile, and stroke his beard, , 15
And sorrow, wag, cry hem, when he should groan,
Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk
With candle-wasters : bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience :
But there is no such man, for, brother, men 20
Can counsel, and speak comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel, but, tasting it,
Their counsel turns to passion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage,
Fetter strong madness in a silken thread, 25
Charm ache with air, and agony with words :
No, no, 't is all men's office to speak patience
To those that wring under the load of sorrow,
16. And sorrow, wag, cry hem | Pope | And hollow, wag, cry hem F4 1
And sorrow, wagge, crie hem QFiFa Bid sorrow, wag; cry, hem I Capell.
I And hallow, wag, cry hem Fa Rowe ai. speak QFiF2 I give FsF4.
16. And sorrow, wag, cry hem. This is generally regarded as the
textual crux of the play. Among the many readings suggested bjl
modern editors, Dyce's, based upon Capell's, is the most popular:
"Bid sorrow wag, cry 'hem.' " But the text of the Quarto and First
and Second Folios yields a satisfactory meaning: he sorrows, but
at the same time wags his head, etc. With ' wag ' compare ' waggling
of your head,' applied to Antonio by Ursula, II, i, 103. To stroke
the beard and cry hem was often represented as a common gesture
preparatory to the utterance of a wise saying, or to a display of pro
found book learning. Cf. 'hum' (changed to 'hem' by most editors)
in Troilus and Cressida, I, iii, 165 : " Now play me Nestor ; hum, and
stroke thy beard."
18. candle-wasters: candle-wasting bookworms. Schmidt gives the
general idea of the text as that of drowning grief with the wise saws
of pedants. Malone, Staunton, and Dyce hold that the reference is
to drunkenness and revelry.
23. passion : suffering, sorrow. The original (Latin) meaning.
24. preceptial medicine : the medicine of precepts.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING IO/
But no man's virtue nor sufficiency
To be so moral when he shall endure 30
The like himself. Therefore give me no counsel :
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.
ANTONIO. Therein do men from children nothing differ.
LEONATO. I pray thee, peace : I will be flesh and blood,
For there was never yet philosopher 35
That could endure the toothache patiently,
However they have writ the style of gods,
And made a push at chance and sufferance.
ANTONIO. Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself ;
Make those that do offend you suffer too. 40
LEONATO. There thou speak'st reason : nay, I will do so.
My soul doth tell me Hero is belied,
And that shall Claudio know, so shall the prince, «
And all of them that thus dishonour her.
Enter DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO"
ANTONIO. Here comes the prince and Claudio hastily. 45
DON PEDRO. Good den, good den.
CLAUDIO. Good day to both of you.
LEONATO. Hear you, my lords ?
DON PEDRO. We have some haste, Leonato.
45. Scene II Pope. 47- lords ? QFf | lords, — Capell.
30. so moral : so ready to moralize. Cf. King Lear, IV, ii, 58.
32. advertisement* admonition. Leonato's reply indicates this.
37. style of gods: divine style (poetry and philosophy).
38. made a push at : pooh-poohed. ' Push ' as an interjection was
used like 'pish' or 'tush.' Cf. Timon of Athens, III, vi, 119. Some
editors interpret the expression in the sense of ' shove aside.' —
chance: misfortune. Cf. Antony and Cleopatra, V, ii, 174. — suffer
ance : suffering. Cf . The Merchant of Venice, I, iii, 1 1 1 .
108 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
LEONATO. Some haste, my lord! well, fare you well,
my lord :
Are you so hasty now ? well, all is one.
DON PEDRO. Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man.
ANTONIO. If he could right himself with quarrelling, 51
Some of us would lie low.
CLAUDIO. Who wrongs him ?
LEONATO. Marry, thou dost wrong me, thou dissembler
thou :
Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy sword,
I fear thee not.
CLAUDIO. Marry, beshrew my hand, 55
If it should give your age such cause of fear :
In faith, my hand meant nothing to my sword.
LEONATO. Tush, tush, man, never fleer and jest at me :
I speak not like a dotard nor a fool,
As under privilege of age to brag 60
What I have done being young, or what would do,
Were I not old. Know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou hast so wrong'd mine innocent child and me
That I am forc'd to lay my reverence by,
And with grey hairs and bruise of many days, 65
Do challenge thee to trial of a man :
I say thou hast belied mine innocent child.
Thy slander hath gone through and through her heart,
63. mine Q | my Ff.
49. Are you so hasty now? Cf. Don Pedro's words, I, i, 140-141
53. thou. The familiar form indicates contempt.
57. to : in moving toward.
62. to thy head : to thy face. Cf. Measure for Measure, IV, iii, 147
66. trial of a man : manly combat.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 109
And she lies buried with her ancestors,
O, in a tomb where never scandal slept, 70
Save this of hers, fram'd by thy villainy.
CLAUDIO. My villainy ?
LEONATO. Thine, Claudio, thine, I say.
DON PEDRO. You say not right, old man.
LEONATO. My lord, my lord,
I '11 prove it on his body if he dare,
Despite his nice fence and his active practice, 75
His May of youth and bloom of lustihood.
CLAUDIO. Away ! I will not have to do with you.
LEONATO. Canst thou so daff me ? Thou hast kill'd my child :
If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man.
ANTONIO. He shall kill two of us, and men indeed, 80
But that 's no matter, let him kill one first :
Win me and wear me, let him answer me :
Come follow me, boy, come, sir boy, come follow me,
Sir boy, I '11 whip you from your foining fence ;
Nay, as I am a gentleman, I will. 85
LEONATO. Brother —
ANTONIO. Content yourself. God knows I lov'd my niece,
And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains,
That dare as well answer a man indeed
As I dare take a serpent by the tongue : 90
Boys, apes, braggarts, Jacks, milk-sops !
•J2J. nice fence : skill in fencing.
78. daff me: put me aside. See note, II, iii, 157.
82. Win me and wear me : defeat me and wear the spoils. A pro
verbial expression from chivalry, used here as a petty oath in the
sense of 'come what may.' — answer: meet. Cf. Hamlet,V, ii, 176.
84. foining : thrusting. Cf. 2 Henry IV, II, i, 17.
89. a man indeed : one who is indeed a man.
1 10 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
LEONATO. Brother Antony —
ANTONIO. Hold you content. What, man ! I knowthem, yea
And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple,
Scambling, out-facing, fashion-monging boys,
That lie, and cog, and flout, deprave, and slander, 95
Go antiquely, and show outward hideousness,
And speak off half a dozen dang'rous words,
How they might hurt their enemies, if they durst,
And this is all.
LEONATO. But, brother Antony —
ANTONIO. Come, 't is no matter : 100
Do not you meddle, let me deal in this.
DON PEDRO. Gentlemen both, we will not wake your pa
tience :
My heart is sorry for your daughter's death :
But, on my honour, she was charg'd with nothing
But what was true, and very full of proof. 105
LEONATO. My lord, my lord —
DON PEDRO. I will not hear you.
LEONATO. No ? come, brother, away ! I will be heard.
ANTONIO. And shall, or some of us will smart for it.
[Exeunt LEONATO and ANTONIO]
94. fashion-monging QFi | fash- 97. speak off Theobald | speak of Q
ion-mongring F2FsF4. Ff. — dang'rous Ff | dangerous Rowe.
96. antiquely QFiFa I antickly 109. [Exeunt . . . ] Exeunt ambo
FsF4 Rowe | anticly Globe. (amb. Q) QFf (after line 108).
94. Scambling : scrambling, shuffling. — out-facing : brazen-faced.
95. cog : " deceive, especially by smooth lies." — Schmidt. Cf. The
Merry Wives of Windsor, III, iii, 76.
96. antiquely : like an antic or buffoon. — show outward hideous-
ness. Cf. As You Like It, I, iii, 122-124.
102. wake your patience : rouse your patience into anger. Cf . * wake
our peace,' Richard 77, I, iii, 132.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING III
Enter BENEDICK
DON PEDRO. See, see ; here comes the man we went to seek.
CLAUDIO. Now, signior, what news ? 1 1 1
BENEDICK. Good day, my lord.
DON PEDRO. Welcome, signior: you are almost come to
part almost a fray.
CLAUDIO. We had like to have had our two noses snapp'd
off with two old men without teeth. 116
DON PEDRO. Leonato and his brother. What think'st
thou ? Had we fought, I doubt we should have been too
young for them.
BENEDICK. In a false quarrel there is no true valour : I
came to seek you both. 121
CLAUDIO. We have been up and down to seek thee, for
we are high-proof melancholy, and would fain have it beaten
away. Wilt thou use thy wit ?
BENEDICK. It is in my scabbard : shall I draw it ? 125
DON PEDRO. Dost thou wear thy wit by thy side ?
CLAUDIO. Never any did so, though very many have been
beside their wit : I will bid thee draw, as we do the minstrels :
draw to pleasure us.
no. Scene III Pope. — Enter 117. brother. What Globe I brother,
BENEDICK I Enter Ben. Q I Enter what Ff | brother what Q.
Benedicke Ff (after line 107). 123. high-proof Theobald | high
115. like F2FsF4 I likt QFi. proofe QFf.
118. doubt: suspect. Cf. / Henry IV, I, ii, 203-204: "Yea, but I
doubt they will be too hard for us."
123. high-proof : in a high degree. The figure is from the testing
of arms and armour.
128. draw. The reference is either to the taking of the musical
instruments from the cases, or to the passing of the bow across
the strings.
112 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
DON PEDRO. As I am an honest man, he looks pale. Art
thou sick, or angry ? 13 l
CLAUDIO. What, courage, man ! What though care kill'd
a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.
BENEDICK. Sir, I shall meet your wit in the career, and
you charge it against me : I pray you choose another subject.
CLAUDIO. Nay then, give him another staff : this last was
broke cross. 13?
DON PEDRO. By this light, he changes more and more :
I think he be angry indeed.
CLAUDIO. If he be, he knows how to turn his girdle. 140
BENEDICK. Shall I speak a word in your ear ?
CLAUDIO. God bless me from a challenge !
BENEDICK. [Aside to CLAUDIO] You are a villain : I jest
134. and QFf | an Capell | if Pope. 143. [Aside to CLAUDIO] Camb |
QFf omit.
134-137. 'Career,' 'charge,' 'staff,' and 'broke cross' are from the
language of the tilting field. It was held disgraceful for a tilter to
have his spear broken across the body of his adversary, instead of
by a push of the point. Cf. As You Like It, III, iv, 45-49. In Ivanhoe,
chap, viii, this kind of mischance is described.
138. By this light. A common asseverative phrase. Cf . V, iv, 89 ;
The Tempest, II, ii, 1 54.
139. think he be. " ' Be ' expresses more doubt than ' is ' after a
verb of thinking." — Abbott, § 299. Cf. Othello, III, iii, 384.
140. turn his girdle. This proverbial phrase may be used here in
the double sense of * fuss on till he change his humour ' and * offer
a challenge.' Cf. Rob Roy, chap, xxv: "if ye're angry, ye ken how
to turn the buckle o' your belt behind you." Holt White explains
the phrase as follows : " Large belts were worn with the buckle be
fore, but for wrestling the buckle was turned behind, to give the
adversary a fairer grasp at the girdle. To turn the buckle behind,
therefore, was a challenge."
143. "We have introduced the words ' [Aside to Clatidio],' because
it appears from what Don Pedro says, line 150, 'What, a feast, a
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 113
not : I will make it good how you dare, with what you dare,
and when you dare: do me right, or I will protest your
cowardice : you have kilTd a sweet lady, and her death shall
fall heavy on you. Let me hear from you.
CLAUDIO. Well, I will meet you, so I may have good
cheer.
DON PEDRO. What, a feast, a feast ? 1 50
CLAUDIO. I' faith I thank him, he hath bid me to a calf 's-
head and a capon, the which if I do not carve most curiously,
say my knife's naught : shall I not find a woodcock too ?
BENEDICK. Sir, your wit ambles well, it goes easily. 1 54
DON PEDRO. I '11 tell thee how Beatrice prais'd thy wit
the other day : I said thou hadst a fine wit : ' True,' says
she, * a fine little one ' : ' No,' said I, * a great wit ' : ' Right,'
says she, * a great gross one ': ' Nay,' said I, ' a good wit ':
f Just,' said she, ' it hurts nobody ' : ' Nay,' said I, * the
gentleman is wise ' : ' Certain,' said she, ' a wise gentleman ' :
'Nay,' said I, 'he hath the tongues': 'That I believe,'
said she, ' for he swore a thing to me on Monday night,
which he forswore on Tuesday morning : there 's a double
156. says F4 | sales FiFaFa | said 157. ' Right ' | right QFf | just
Q. Rowe.
feast?' and from the tone of his banter . . . that he had not over
heard more than Claudio's reply about ' good cheer.' " — Camb.
153. capon. Possibly there is a play on 'cap on* (i.e. fool's cap).
Cf. Cymbeline, II, i, 25-26. — curiously: skillfully.
153. naught: good for nothing. See note, IV, ii, 67. — woodcock.
A woodcock was a term for a foolish fellow, that savory bird being
supposed to have no brains. Claudio alludes to the stratagem
whereby Benedick has been made to fall in love.
159. Just: exactly so. This is the very expression used by
Beatrice in II, i, 24.
161. hath the tongues : knows foreign languages.
114 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
tongue, there's two tongues': thus did she an hour
together trans-shape thy particular virtues, yet at last she
concluded with a sigh, thou wast the prop'rest man in
Italy. 167
CLAUDIO. For the which she wept heartily, and said
she car'd not.
DON PEDRO. Yea, that she did, but yet for all that,
and if she did not hate him deadly, she would love him
dearly: the old man's daughter told us all. 172
CLAUDIO. All, all, and moreover God saw him when he
was hid in the garden.
DON PEDRO. But when shall we set the savage bull's
horns on the sensible Benedick's head?
CLAUDIO. Yea, and text underneath, ' Here dwells Bene
dick the married man '? 178
BENEDICK. Fare you well, boy, you know my mind :
I will leave you now to your gossip-like humour: you
break jests as braggarts do their blades, which God
be thanked hurt not. My lord, for your many courtesies
I thank you: I must discontinue your company: your brother
the bastard is fled from Messina: you have among you
kill'd a sweet and innocent lady. For my Lord Lackbeard
there, he and I shall meet, and till then peace be with
him. [Exit]
DON PEDRO. He is in earnest.
166. prop'rest | proprest FiFaFa I 175. savage QFiFa I salvage FsF*
properest F4 I properst Q. 187. [Exit} Rowe | QFf omit.
171. and QFf | an Hanmer.
165. trans-shape : transform, caricature. Cf. Ill, i, 6r.
I73-174- God saw him . . . garden. An allusion to Genesis, iii. 8.
175-178. savage bull's horns . . . Benedick's head. Cf. I, i, 242-248.
SCENE I MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 115
CLAUDIO. In most profound earnest ; and, I '11 warrant
you, for the love of Beatrice. 190
DON PEDRO. And hath challenged thee.
CLAUDIO. Most sincerely.
DON PEDRO. What a pretty thing man is, when he
goes in his doublet and hose, and leaves off his wit. 194
Enter DOGBERRY, VERGES, and the Watch, with CONRADE
and BORACHIO
CLAUDIO. He is then a giant to an ape, but then is an
ape a doctor to such a man.
DON PEDRO. But soft you, let me be: pluck up, my
heart, and be sad 1 Did he not say my brother was fled ?
DOGBERRY. Come you, sir, if justice cannot tame you,
she shall ne'er weigh more reasons in her balance : nay, and
you be a cursing hypocrite once, you must be look'd to. 201
DON PEDRO. How now ? two of my brother's men bound !
Borachio one !
CLAUDIO. Hearken after their offence, my lord.
DON PEDRO. Officers, what offence have these men done ?
195. Enter DOGBERRY . . . CON- Enter Constables, Conrade . . . Q. —
RADE . . . Hanmer (after line 198) I Scene IV Pope.
Enter Constable, Conrade . . . FiFz I aoo. and QFf | an Theobald.
193-194. when . . . hose : when he strips himself of his cloak of
good sense. 'To be in doublet and hose' also implied 'to be stripped
for a duel.'
196. doctor to : learned person compared with.
197-198. pluck up, my heart : let me take courage. Cf. The Taming
of the Shrew, IV, iii, 38.
200. ne'er weigh more reasons. Dogberry means ' ne'er more weigh,'
but is tangled up with 'raisins' and 'reasons.' This pun occurs in
/ Henry IV) II, iv, 265-266: "if reasons were as plentiful as black
berries."
Il6 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
DOGBERRY. Marry, sir, they .have, committed false report
moreover they have spoken untruths, secondarily they are
slanders, sixth and lastly they have belied a lady, thirdly
they have verified unjust things, and to conclude, they
are lying knaves. 210
DON PEDRO. First I ask thee what they have done ; thirdly
I ask thee what 's their offence; sixth and lastly why they are
committed ; and, to conclude, what you lay to their charge.
CLAUDIO. Rightly reasoned, and in his own division,
and by my troth there's one meaning well suited. 215
DON PEDRO. Who have you offended, masters, that you
are thus bound to your answer ? this learned constable is too
cunning to be understood : what 's your offence ?
BORACHIO. Sweet prince, let me go no farther to mine
answer: do you hear me, and let this count kill me. I
have deceived even your very eyes : what your wisdoms
could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to
light, who in the night overheard me confessing to this
man how Don John your brother incensed me to slander
the Lady Hero, how you were brought into the orchard,
and saw me court Margaret in Hero's garments, how you
disgrac'd her when you should marry her: my villainy
they have upon record, which I had rather seal with my
death than repeat over to my shame. The lady is dead
upon mine and my master's false accusation ; and, briefly,
I desire nothing but the reward of a villain. 231
ao8, aw, etc. sixth F4 I sixt QFiF2Fs.
214-215. division : arrangement of the matter, order. — well suited :
" put into many different dresses." — Johnson. Don Pedro has asked
the same question in four modes of speech.
224. incensed: instigated. Cf. King Lear, II, iv, 309.
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 117
DON PEDRO. Runs not this speech like iron through your
blood ?
CLAUDIO. I have drunk poison whiles he utter'd it.
DON PEDRO. But did my brother set thee on to this ?
BORACHIO. Yea, and paid me richly for the practice of it.
DON PEDRO. He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery,
And fled he is upon this villainy.
CLAUDIO. Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear
In the rare semblance that I lov'd it first. 239
DOGBERRY. Come, bring away the plaintiffs, by this time
our sexton hath reformed Signior Leonato of the matter:
and, masters, do not forget to specify, when time and
place shall serve, that I am an ass.
VERGES. Here, here comes master Signior Leonato, and
the sexton too. 245
Re-enter LEONATO and ANTONIO, with the Sexton
LEONATO. Which is the villain ? let me see his eyes,
That, when I note another man like him,
I may avoid him : which of these is he ?
BORACHIO. If you would know your wronger, look on me.
LEONATO. Art thou the slave that with thy breath hast kilPd
Mine innocent child ?
BORACHIO. Yea, even I alone. 251
LEONATO. No, not so, villain, thou beliest thyself :
Here stand a pair of honourable men ;
A third is fled, that had a hand in it.
aaa. Prose in QFf. 350. Art thou Q | Art thou thou
246. Re-enter LEONATO . . .Sexton Fi I Art thou, art thou FaFsF^
I Enter Leonato Ff | Enter Leonato, 350-251. Art thou . . . innocent
his brother, and the Sexton Q. — child Q | FiFaFg print as prose ' FI
Scene V Pope. prints as verse.
Il8 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
I thank you, princes, for my daughter's death : 255
Record it with your high and worthy deeds :
T was bravely done, if you bethink you of it.
CLAUDIO. I know not how to pray your patience,
Yet I must speak. Choose your revenge yourself ;
ImposeTrielo"what penance your invention 260
Can lay upon my sin : yet sinn'd I not,
But in mistaking.
DON PEDRO. By my soul, nor I ;
And yet to satisfy this good old man,
I would bend under any heavy weight
That he '11 enjoin me to. 265
LEONATO. I cannot bid you bid my daughter live ;
That were impossible ; but, I pray you both,
Possess the people in Messina here
How innocent she died, and if your love
Can labour aught in sad invention, 270
Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb,
And sing it to her bones, sing it to-night :
To-morrow morning come you to my house,
And since you could not be my son-in-law,
Be yet my nephew : my brother hath a daughter, 275
Almost the copy of my child that 's dead,
And she alone is heir to both of us :
268. Possess: inform. Cf. Ill, iii, 134-139. Frequently so. Cf.
The Merchant of Venice, I, iii, 65.
277. This line has called forth varied comments ranging from the
supposition of an oversight on Shakespeare's part to an intentional
deception by Leonato. See note, I, ii, 23. The explanation seems
simple enough. In II, i, 274-275, Leonato says, "take of me my
daughter, and with her my fortunes"; and in IV, i, 26, he calls
Claudio 'son.' In the present case he is not thinking of the number
SCENE i MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 119
Give her the right you should have given her cousin,
And so dies my revenge.
CLAUDIO. O noble sir,
Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me ! 280
I do embrace your offer, and dispose
For henceforth of poor Claudio.
LEONATO. To-morrow then I will expect your coming ;
To-night I take my leave. This naughty man
Shall face to face be brought to Margaret, 285
Who I believe was pack'd in all this wrong,
Hired to it by your brother.
BORACHIO. No, by my soul, she was not,
Nor knew not what she did when she spoke to me,
But always hath been just and virtuous
In any thing that I do know by her. 290
DOGBERRY. Moreover, sir, which indeed is not under white
and black, this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass,
I beseech you let it be remem'bred in his punishment, and
also the watch heard them talk of one Deformed, they say
he wears a key in his ear and a lock hanging by it, and
borrows money in God's name, the which he hath us'd so
of children in the family, but of the marriageable daughters, that he
may form an alliance with Claudio. To become his son and heir
there is no way possible but to wed his brother's daughter, for she
alone is left of both the families.
286. pack'd: united in intrigue. Cf. The Comedy of Errors ,V > i, 219.
290. by : of, about, concerning. See Abbott, § 145.
295. key . . . lock. See note, III, iii, 151. "The pleasantry seems
to consist in Dogberry's supposing that the ' lock,' which Deformed
wore, must have a key to it." — Malone.
296. borrows . . . God's name: asks like a professional beggar.
So in line 298 ' lend nothing for God's sake ' means ' give nothing to
beggars.' — us'd : practised. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, I, iii, 71.
120 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
long, and never paid, that now men grow hard-hearted and
will lend nothing for God's sake: pray you examine him
upon that point. 299
LEONATO. I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.
DOGBERRY. Your worship speaks like a most thankful and
reverend youth, and I praise God for you.
LEONATO. There 's for thy pains.
DOGBERRY. God save the foundation !
LEONATO. Go, I discharge thee of thy prisoner, and I
thank thee. 306
DOGBERRY. I leave an arrant knave with your worship,
which I beseech your worship to correct yourself, for the
example of others : God keep your worship ! I wish your
worship well, God restore you to health ! I humbly give you
leave to depart, and if a merry meeting may be wish'd,
God prohibit it! come, neighbour. 312
[Exeunt DOGBERRY and VERGES]
LEONATO. Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell.
ANTONIO. Farewell, my lords : we look for you to-morrow.
DON PEDRO. We will not fail.
CLAUDIO. To-night I '11 mourn with Hero.
LEONATO. [To the Watch] Bring you these fellows on :
we '11 talk with Margaret, 316
How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.
[Exeunt, severally]
307. arrant QFiFaFs I errant F4 316-317. Bring you ... lewd fel-
312. [Exeunt DOGBERRY and low. Prose in Q Ff.— [ To the Watch]
VERGES] Exeunt Ff (after line 313) Globe | QFf omit. — [Exettnt. sever-
Q omits. any] Theobald | Exeunt QFf.
304. The customary formula of those who received alms at religious
houses, but Dogberry probably means ' God save the founder.'
317- lewd: vile, base. Cf. Richard II, I, i, 88-91.
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 121
SCENE II. LEONATO'S garden
Enter BENEDICK and MARGARET, meeting
BENEDICK. Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve
well at my hands by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.
MARGARET. Will you then write me a sonnet in praise
of my beauty?
BENEDICK. In so high a style, Margaret, that no man
living shall come over it, for in most comely truth thou de-
servest it. 7
MARGARET. To have no man come over me ! why, shall
I always keep below stairs ?
BENEDICK. Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth ;
it catches.
MARGARET. And yours, as blunt as the fencer's foils,
which hit, but hurt not. 13
BENEDICK. A most manly wit, Margaret ; it will not hurt
a woman : and so I pray thee call Beatrice : I give thee the
bucklers.
MARGARET. Give us the swords: we have bucklers of
our own. 18
SCENE II Capell | Scene VI Pope. omit. — Enter BENEDICK . . . meeting
— LEONATO'S garden Steevens | QFf | Enter Benedicke and Margaret QFf.
5-<S. A play on 'style' and 'stile,' 'come over,' 'comely,' 'go
over.' Cf. Lovis Labour's Lost, IV, i, 98-99:
BOYET. I am much deceiv'd but I remember the style.
PRINCESS. Else your memory is bad, going o'er it erewhile.
9. keep below stairs : stay in the servants' room, i.e. " always be
a servant and never a mistress." — Furness.
10. The greyhound can catch its victim in full career.
15-16. give thee the bucklers : confess myself defeated.
122 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
BENEDICK. If you use them, Margaret, you must put
in the pikes with a vice, and they are dangerous weapons
for maids.
MARGARET. Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think
hath legs. [Exit MARGARET]
BENEDICK. And therefore will come. 24
[Sings] The god of love,
That sits above,
And knows me, and knows me,
How pitiful I deserve —
I mean in singing, but in loving, Leander the good swim
mer, Troilus the first employer of panders, and a whole
bookful of these quondam carpet-mongers, whose names
yet run smoothly in the even road of a blank verse, why,
they were never so truly turn'd over and over as my poor
self in love : marry, I cannot show it in rhyme, I have tried,
I can find out no rhyme to 'lady' but 'baby,' an innocent
rhyme: for 'scorn,' 'horn,' a hard rhyme : for 'school,' 'fool,'
a babbling rhyme : very ominous endings : no, I was not born
under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms :
sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I call'd thee ? 39
35. [Sings] QFf omit. 34. in rhyme Q | rime Ff.
35-28. QFf print as prose. 35, 36. rhyme QFaFsF* | timeFi.
31. names QF8F4 I name FiFa. 38. nor Q | for Ff.
20. pikes : central spikes of bucklers. — vice : screw.
31. carpet -mongers : carpet-knights. Cf. Twelfth Night, III, iv,
2 57-258 : " He is knight dubb'd with unhatch'd rapier, and on carpet
consideration."
35. innocent : foolish, silly. Cf. the noun, ' innocent,' King Lear,
III, vi, 8 : " Pray, innocent, and beware the foul fiend."
38. festival terms : choice language. Cf. 'holiday and lady terms,'
/ Henry IV, I, in, 46.
SCENE ii MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 123
Enter BEATRICE
BEATRICE. Yea, signior, and depart when you bid me.
BENEDICK. O stay but till then.
BEATRICE. 'Then' is spoken: fare you well now, and
yet ere I go, let me go with that I came, which is, with
knowing what hath pass'd between you and Claudio.
BENEDICK. Only foul words, and thereupon I will kiss
thee. 46
BEATRICE. Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind
is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome, therefore I
will depart unkiss'd.
BENEDICK. Thou hast frighted the word out of his right
sense, so forcible is thy wit : but I must tell thee plainly,
Claudio undergoes my challenge, and either I must shortly
hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward : and I pray
thee now tell me, for which of my bad parts didst thou first
fall in love with me ? 55
BEATRICE. For them all together, which maintain'd so
politic a state of evil that they will not admit any good part
to intermingle with them : but for which of my good parts
did you first suffer love for me ?
40. Enter BEATRICE (see note below). — Scene VII Pope.
40. Enter BEATRICE. The arrangement is that of the Quarto, and
furnishes a dainty bit of stage business. Most editors follow the First
Folio, by putting the entrance with line 38, but place a period after
'terms.' Both the Quarto and the Folio have a colon after 'terms,'
thus connecting 'festival terms' with 'sweet Beatrice,' etc.
43. came : came for. For such ellipses see Abbott, § 394.
52. undergoes : is subject to. Cf. Kingjohn^ V, ii, 99-100.
53. subscribe: proclaim over my signature. Furness makes this refer
to Benedick's threatened 'protest' in the preceding scene, line 145.
56-57. so politic a state : so well organized a society.
124 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
BENEDICK. Suffer love ! a good epithet ! I do suffer love
indeed, for I love thee against my will. 61
BEATRICE. In spite of your heart, I think : alas, poor
heart ! If you spite it for my sake, I will spite it for yours,
for I will never love that which my friend hates.
BENEDICK. Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.
BEATRICE. It appears not in this confession : there 's not
one wise man among twenty that will praise himself. 67
BENEDICK. An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that liv'd
in the time of good neighbours. If a man do not erect in
this age his own tomb ere he dies, he shall live no longer
in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps.
BEATRICE. And how long is that, think you ? 72
BENEDICK. Question: why, an hour in clamour and a
quarter in rheum : therefore is it most expedient for the
wise, if Don Worm (his conscience) find no impediment to
the contrary, to be the trumpet of his own virtues, as I am
to myself so much for praising myself, who I myself will
71. monument Q | monuments Ff. 77. myself so much QFf | myself ;
— bell rings Q | bells ring Ff. so much Rowe | myself. So much
73. Question: Camb | Question,QFf. Globe Camb (see note below).
69. time . . . neighbours : M when men were not envious, but every
one gave another his due." — Warburton.
70-71. live . . . monument : be remembered no longer.
73. clamour. This refers to the ringing of the bell, not to the
widow's lamentation.
74. in rheum : in tears. Cf. King John, III, i, 22.
75. Don Worm: Master Worm. Cf. Richard III, I, iii, 222: "The
worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul." Cf. Mark, ix, 44.
76-77. as I am . . . praising myself : just as I am my own trumpet to
such an extent in praising myself. Most editors put a period after
'myself,' an arrangement not commented upon by Furness in the
New Variorum.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 125
bear witness is praiseworthy: and now tell me. how doth,
your cousin? 79
BEATRICE. Very ill.
BENEDICK. And how do you ?
BEATRICE. Very ill too.
BENEDICK. Serve God, love me, and mend : there will I
leave you too, for here comes one in haste. 84
Enter URSULA
URSULA. Madam, you must come to your uncle : yonder 's
old coil at home, it is proved my Lady Hero hath been
falsely accus'd, the prince and Claudio mightily abus'd, and
Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone: will
you come presently?
BEATRICE. Will you go hear this news, signior ? 90
BENEDICK. I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and
be buried in thy eyes : and moreover I will go with thee
to thy uncle's. \Exeunf\
SCENE III. A church
Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and three or four with tapers
CLAUDIO. Is this the monument of Leonato ?
A LORD. It is, my lord.
85. Enter URSULA Q | Ff print Pope | QFf omit — A church Pope I
after line 82. QFf omit.
93. uncle's I Vncles QFf. i. Enter DON PEDRO, CLAUDIO
SCENE III Capell | Scene VIII . . . | Enter Claudio, Prince . . . QFf.
85-86- yonder 's old coil: there's a high old time. Cf. Ill, iii, 85.
'Old' was a frequent intensive in colloquial speech in the sixteenth
century. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, IV, ii, 1 5.
87. abus'd : deceived, imposed on. Cf. King Lear, IV, vii, 52-53.
126 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
EPITAPH
CLAUDIO. [Reading]
Done to death by slanderous tongues
Was the Hero that here lies :
Death, in guerdon of her wrongs, 5
Gives her fame which never dies :
So the life that died with shame
Lives in death with glorious fame.
Hang thou there upon the tomb,
Praising her when I am dumb. 10
Now, music, sound and sing your solemn hymn.
3. EPITAPH QFf | Capell Globe 10. dumb F4 I dombe Fi | dead Q.
omit. — CLAUDIO. [Reading} QFf n. Now | Claudia. NowQ | Clau.
omit. Now Ff.
3. ' To death ' follows " verbs as an adverbial extension expressing
result, as 'to slay,' 'beat,' 'stone,' etc., 'to death'; hence 'to do to
(the) death.' "—Murray. Cf. 2 Henry VI, III, ii, 179 : "who should
do the duke to death." Inj Henry VI, I, iv, 108, occurs the expres
sion ' take time to do him dead.' The expression seems to have been
common in the sixteenth century. Chapman uses it in his verse
translation (1616) of the Iliad in the Argument to Book XXII :
Hector ... to death is done
By pow'r of Peleus angry sonne.
7. with : by. Cf. II, i, 54 ; III, i, 79-80. See Abbott, § 193.
9-10. Most editors, following Capell, print these lines as if spoken
by Claudio after reading the Epitaph. " There seems to be no ' most
excellent reason ' why these lines should not be also a part of the
Epitaph ; they will then be an abiding proof to Leonato and to the
world that Claudio had himself fulfilled his promise. Why should
Claudio in his own person speak two lines of rhyme, when immedi
ately afterward he speaks in prose ? I cannot but think that these
lines are part of the Epitaph." — Furness.
10. dumb. The old pronunciation approximates that of 'tomb.'
See the spelling in textual variants.
SCENE in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING I2/
SONG
Pardon, goddess of the night,
Those that slew thy virgin knight ;
For the which, with songs of woe,
Round about her tomb they go : 15
Midnight, assist our moan ;
Help us to sigh and groan,
Heavily, heavily :
Graves, yawn and yield your dead,
Till death be uttered, 20
Heavily, heavily.
CLAUDIO. Now unto thy bones good night !
Yearly will I do this rite.
DON PEDRO. Good morrow, masters ; put your torches out :
The wolves have prey'd, and look, the gentle day, 25
Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about
Dapples the drowsy east with spots of grey :
Thanks to you all, and leave us : fare you well.
CLAUDIO. Good morrow, masters : each his several way.
DON PEDRO. Come, let us hence, and put on other weeds,
And then to Leonato's we will go. 31
CLAUDIO. And Hymen now with luckier issue speed 's
Than this for whom we rend'red up this woe. [Exeunt]
31. Heavily, heavily | Heauily aa. CLAUDIO Rowe I Lo. QFf.
heauily Q I Heauenly, heauenly Ff. 23. rite Pope | right QFf.
33-23. One line in QFf. 33. speed's Theobald | speeds QFi.
13. virgin knight. The maidens of Diana, the chaste goddess, are
poetically called knights, or defenders.
1^-20. " The slayers of the virgin knight . . . invoke Midnight and
the shades of the dead to assist, until her death be uttered, i.e. pro
claimed, published, or commemorated." — Halliwell-Phillipps.
32. speed 's : speed us. Some editors defend the form ' speeds.'
128 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE 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 accus'd her
Upon the error that you heard debated :
But Margaret was in some fault for this,
Although against her will, as it appears 5
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 enforc'd
To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.
LEONATO. Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all, 10
Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,
And when I send for you, come hither mask'd :
The prince and Claudio promis'd by this hour
To«visit me : you know your office, brother,
You must be father to your brother's daughter, 15
And give her to young Claudio. [Exeunt Ladies]
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
SCENE IV | Scene IX Pope | QFf old man, Frier, Hero QFf.
omit. — A room . . . Capell | QFf 7, 17, etc. ANTONIO | Old. QFf.
omit. 10. you QFi I yong ¥2 \ young
i. Enter LEONATO . . . and HERO FaF4 Rowe Hanmer.
I Enter Leonato, Bene. Marg. Vrsula,
6. question : investigation, inquiry. Cf. Henry V, I, i, 5.
8. by faith: by my pledge. Cf. IV, i, 323-327.
17. confirm'd : unmoved. Cf. Coriolanus, I, iii, 65.
SCENE iv MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 129
Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior,
Your niece regards me with an eye of favour.
LEONATO. That eye my daughter lent her : 't is most true.
BENEDICK. And I do with an eye of love requite her.
LEONATO. The sight whereof I think you had from me, 25
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 honourable 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, with Attendants
DON PEDRO. Good morrow to this fair assembly.
LEONATO. Good morrow, prince, good morrow, Claudio :
We here attend you. Are you yet determin'd 36
To-day to marry with my brother's daughter ?
CLAUDIO. I '11 hold my mind, were she an Ethiope.
LEONATO. Call her forth, brother : here 's the friar ready.
[Exit ANTONIO]
23. LEONATO I Leon. QFi I Old. attendants Ff I Enter Prince and
F2FsF4. Claudio and two or three other Q.
33. Here . . . Claudio Q I Ff omit. — Scene X Pope.
34. Enter DON PEDRO . . . -with 39. [Exit ANTONIO] QFf omit.
Attendants | Enter Prince . . . with
30. state. Johnson changed this to ' estate.' — marriage. Probably
trisyllabic. Cf. The Merchant of Venice, II, ix, 13; The Taming of the
Shrew, III, ii, 142.
33. comes. For the form, see Abbott, § 335. Cf. I, iii, 53.
130 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
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 '11 tip thy horns with gold,
And all Europa shall rejoice at thee, 45
As once Europa did at lusty Jove,
When he would play the noble beast in love.
BENEDICK. Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low.
Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked
CLAUDIO. For this I owe you : here comes other reckonings.
Which is the lady I must seize upon ? 50
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 : 55
I am your husband if you like of me.
HERO. And when I liv'd, I was your other wife,
[ Unmasking]
And when you lov'd, you were my other husband.
49. Re-enter . . . masked Capell | 51. ANTONIO Theobald | Leo.QFf
Enter brother, Hero, Beatrice, Mar- Rowe Pope (see note below),
garet, Vrsula QFf.— Scene XI Pope. 57, 70. [Unmasking] QFf omit.
51. The obvious significance of this speech and that in line 16
support Theobald's emendation, given in the textual variants.
55. Many editors put a colon or a period after ' hand.'
5<5. like of. " The of after * to like ' is perhaps a result of the old im
personal use of the verb, 'me liketh,' 'him liketh,' which might seem
to disqualify the verb from taking a direct object." — Abbott, § 177.
SCENE iv MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 131
CLAUDIO. Another Hero !
HERO. Nothing certainer.
One Hero died defil'd, but I do live, 60
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 liv'd.
FRIAR FRANCIS. All this amazement can I qualify :
When after that the holy rites are ended, 65
I '11 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 ? 70
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 deceiv'd, for they did swear you did. 76
BENEDICK. They swore that you were almost sick for me.
BEATRICE. They swore that you were well-nigh dead
for me.
39. Hero? Ff I Hero. Q. 72-73. QFf print as prose.
60. defll'd Q | Ff omit. 77, 78. that Q | Ff omit
60. defil'd: stained by slander. Collier read 'belied.'
64. qualify: moderate, abate. Cf. King Lear, I, ii, 176.
67. let ... familiar : act as if there were nothing strange about it
132 THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE ACT v
BENEDICK. Tis no such matter: then you do not
love me?
BEATRICE. No, truly, but in friendly recompense. 80
LEONATO. Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.
CLAUDIO. And I '11 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,
Fashioned to Beatrice.
HERO. And here 's another, 85
Writ in my cousin's hand, stol'n 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. 93
BENEDICK. Peace 1 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 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
79. auch Q | Ff omit. omit.
94. BENEDICK Theobald | Leon. Q 99. a QFf I he Rowe.
Ff. — [Kissing her] Theobald | QFf xoa. what QFsF4 I FiFa omit.
99. nothing handsome : no fine clothes. See note, I, i, 227.
SCENE iv MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 133
thy part, Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee, but in
that thou art like to be my kinsman, live unbruis'd, and love
my cousin. 106
CLAUDIO. I had well hop'd thou wouldst have denied
Beatrice, that I might have cudgell'd 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. 1 1 1
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 '11 have dancing afterward. 115
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 reverend than one tipp'd with horn.
Enter a Messenger
MESSENGER. My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight,
And brought with armed men back to Messina. 120
BENEDICK. Think not on him till to-morrow : I '11 devise
thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, pipers.
[Dance. Exeunt]
iaa. Exeunt \ QFf omit.
104-105. in that : since, inasmuch as. See Abbott, § 284.
1x6. of: on» Cf. 2 Henry VI, IV, ii, 103. See Abbott, § 175.
118. reverend . . . horn. The walking sticks of elderly people
were often headed with horn, sometimes shaped like a cross.
laa. No other play of Shakespeare closes with a dance.
INDEX
This Index includes the most important words, phrases, etc., explained in
the notes. The figures in heavy-faced type refer to the pages ; those in plain
type, to the lines containing what is explained.
a (he) : 8 83
a jade's trick : 10 136
a man indeed : 109 89
a recheat winded: 15
223-225
a world to see : 83 34
abus'd : 125 87
accident : 33 165
Achilles : 55 174
Adam : 15 240
advertisement : 107 32
against : 87 51
agate : 61 65
aim better at me : 68 85
Alexandrine verse :
96 249
all grace : 39 275-276
alliance : 39 289
alliterative rhythm :
8997
and : 7 73
and sorrow, wag, cry
hem : 106 16
angel (coin) : 47 29-30
another's : 55 198
answer : 109 83
antic : 61 63
antiquely : 110 96
apprehension : 80 61
are : 19 5
are you so hasty now :
10849
argument : 62 96
argument of : 46 10
arras : 24 55
as full as fortunate :
6045
as I am . . . praising
myself : 124 76-77
as pretty a piece of
flesh : 103 76
as ... them : 20 6
astrological allusions :
22 11, 41 306
at a word : 30 102
at the bird-bolt : 5 38-39
at the flight : 5 37
Ate : 36 233
badge of bitterness : 4
21-22
baldrick : 15 223-225
BALTHASAR (pronun
ciation) : 2, note 5
banquet : 32 155
barns : 79 43
bear her in hand : 98
296
bear it for a difference :
7 62-63
bear-ward : 26 36
BEATRICE (meaning
and pronunciation):
2, note 8
been (pronunciation) :
5075
BENEDICK (meaning) :
2, note 3
bent: 56 205, 93 181
better than reporting-
ly: 63 116
135
bett'red : 4 15
bills: 7139,76158-159
bird-bolt : 5 39
black : 61 63
blazon : 38 268
block : 7 70
boarded : 31 129
books : 7 72
BORACHIO (pronunci
ation and meaning):
2, note 6
born under Saturn : 22
11
borrows . . . God's
name : 119 996
both which : 70 16
bottle : 15 238
break : 18 288
breeds : 21 4
bring : 64 3
broke cross : 112 134-
137
brown (hair) : 12 162
burden : 79 39-40
burial in woolen: 2627
burlesque on The Stat
utes of the Streets'.
72 61-62
but this : 95 232
but with : 36 219
by: 119290
by faith : 128 8
by 'r lady : 72 71
by this hand : 99 316
by this light : 112 138
136
THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
\
came (came for) : 123
43
candle-wasters: 10618
canker: 2225
capon : 113 152
Carduus benedictus :
80 66-67
career : 112 134-137
carpet-mongers: 12231
censur'd : 56 206
Cham : 37 243-245
chance : 107 38
charge : 112 134-137
cheapen : 47 28
church-bench : 73 82
cinquepace : 28 64
circumstances : 68 90
civil as an orange : 38
266
clamour : 124 73
clap 's : 79 39-40
claw : 22 16
clerk : 30 98
cog : 110 95
coil: 7385
coldly; 69 116
come over : 121 5-6
comely : 121 5-6
comes (with plural sub
ject) : 24 53, 129 33
comicscenesinShake-
speare : 46, Scene
III
commodity: 76 158-159
complexion : 18 292
conceit : 38 269
conditions : 66 60
confirmed: 128 17
conjecture: 89 100
consummate : 63 1-2
contemptible : 54 167
controlment : 22 19
convert (intransitive) :
10115
Count Comf ect : 98 308
county : 83 172, 98 307
cousin: 19 l, 2021, 21
23
Cowley (actor) : 100 l
cry you mercy : 21 22
cue: 39277
Cupid : 12 173-174
curiously: 113 152
curtsy : 27 47, 49
cuts : 78 18-20
daff me : 109 78
daff'd all other re
spects : 54 157
dance at end of play :
133 122
dear happiness : 10 121
defend : 29 82
defil'd : 131 60
Dian ... orb : 87 52
discovers : 51 100
division : 116 214-215
do ... well : 30 105
doctor to : 115 196
DoGBERRY(meaning) :
69i
DON PEDRO (Re Pie-
ro) : 2, note 2
Don Worm: 12475
doubt : 111 118
down sleeves : 78 18-20
Dramatis Personae : 2,
note i
draw : 111 128
drovier : 33 177
dry hand: 30 106
dumb (pronunciation):
126 10
dumps : 50 67
eat it : 97 268
eftest: 10233
elbow itch'd : 73 91
Elizabethan school
grammars : 86 21-22
embrace your charge :
996
ethical dative : 24 53,
52 103, 75 131
euphuism : 4 21-22
even (adjective) : 96
258
every day, to-morrow :
62 101
exhibition : 100 5
eye and prospect: 95
224
faith : 7 68, 33 164
false gallop : 81 85
fancy : 65 28-29
fathers herself : 9 103-
104
favour : 29 88
featur'd : 60 60
festival terms : 122 38
fetch me in : 14 207
fine : 15 227
fleet : 31 129
flout old ends : 17 266-
267
flouting Jack : 12 172
foining : 109 84
follows : 37 237
for : 79 48-49
for ... lady : 91 151-
153
for in the meantime . . .
absent : 45 41-42
forward March-chick:
2350
frame : 90 123
Francis Sea-coal: 84
52-53
from my house : 17 260
George (Sea-coal): 70
11
give thee the bucklers :
121 15-16
go in the song : 12 174-
175
go prove (simple infin
itive) : 24 65
God 's a good man : 83
35
God 's me : 103 65
INDEX
137
God 's my life : 103 65
God save the founda
tion : 120 304
God saw him . . . gar
den : 114 173-174
goes . . . world : 39
289-290
good den : 67 72
good Lord : 39 289
good my lord : 48 41
good outward happi
ness : 54 169
good-year : 21 l
grudging : 81 81
guarded : 17 265
gull: 52 ill
haggards : 59 36
hale : 49 56
halfpence : 53 131-132
hang . . . draw : 65 22
hangman : 64 10
hath had losses : 104
78
hath the tongues : 113
161
Hector : 55 174
heigh-ho for a husband :
40 291
her hair . . . please
God : 47 31
Hercules : 36 230-232,
75 124
here 's that : 84 57
Hero itself : 88 77
heroines in Shake
speare : 3 1
high-proof : 111 123
his : 9 95
hobby-horses : 67 65
hold friends : 8 84
hold it up : 52 114
horn-mad : 16 250
how (however) : 60
60
how you may be con
verted : 81 81
Hundred Merry Tales :
31 117
I am gone : 98 286
I am a Jew : 57 240
important : 28 61
impossible : 31 125
impossible conveyance :
36 223-224
in question : 76 160
in rheum : 124 74
in that (since) : 133
104-105
in the woollen : 26 27
in your books : 7 71-72
incensed : 116 224
incomplete lines : 105
10
innocent : 122 35
Innogen : 3 1
intend: 4432
inwardness : 95 240
is approach'd : 8 88
is he turn'd orthogra
phy: 47 18
it appear itself : 20 17-
18
it is not so: 14201-202
it is the base . . . gives
me out : 34 188-190
Jack Wilson : 48 34
jade's trick : 10 136
jealous complexion: 38
267
jealousy : 45 43
Jove (Jupiter) : 29 84-
87
just : 26 24, 113 159
just seven-night: 42
330
keep below stairs: 1219
Kemp (actor) : 100 l
key . . . lock : 119 295
kid-fox : 48 39
kind: 425
kind (way) : 28 59
kindly : 88 69
kindness : 4 25
King James : 65 29-33,
101 17-20
large : 55 182, 87 47
lead . . . hell : 26 36
LEONATO (Lionato):
2, note 4
let ... familiar : 131
67
lewd: 120317
liberal : 89 87
Light o' love : 79 39-40
like of: 13056
lim'd : 62 104
live . . . monument:
124 70-71
lock : 76 151
made a push at : 107 38
man indeed : 109 89
marriage : 129 30
marriage service : 85
12-14
mass : 73 91
matter : 40 301
Maundeville: 37 243-245
me (ethical dative):
24 53, 75 131
measure : 28 64
mediaeval physiology :
18 292, 95 226
medicinable : 43 5
meet with you : 6 43
melted into courtesies :
99 311
merely: 56200
misprising : 60 52
misprision : 92 180
misus'd : 36 218
model : 23 41
modest : 42 344
moe : 50 66
moral : 80 72
moral . . . mischief:
22 11-12
mortifying : 22 11-13
Mountanto : 5 28
138
THE NEW HUDSON SHAKESPEARE
mourning ostentation:
94200
moving delicate : 94 323
my lady's eldest son :
259
naught : 113 153
nearly : 81 3
ne'er weigh more rea
sons : 115 200
news : 19 5
nice fence : 109 75
night-gown in respect
of : 77 17-18
night-raven : 50 78
no such matter : 56 199
noble (coin) : 47 29-30
non-come : 84 57
notable argument : 15
237
nothing : 49 54
nothing handsome : 132
99
of (blunder for 'off'):
829
of (for 'on'): 82 21,
133 lie
old : 125 85-86
Omphale : 36 230-232,
75 124
on the rearward of : 90
121
once : 19 297
only (position) : 59 23,
647
only his gift is: 31
125
only this... afford her:
12 163
orchard : 20 8, 46 4, 58
5, 75 135
out on thee seeming:
87 51
out-facing : 110 94
pack'd: 119286
palabras : 82 15
passion : 106 23
peine forte et dure : 61
76
pennyworth : 48 39
Pedro (for Peter) : 3
1, 9
Philemon : 29 84-87
pikes: 12220
pleached : 58 7
pleasant : 5 34
pluck up, my heart :
115 197-198
poniards: 36226
poor duke's : 82 19
possess : 118 268
possessed : 75 134
practice : 93 183
practise on : 43 351
preceptial medicine :
10624
predestinate : 10 126
present (verb) : 72 69
presently: 8 81
Prester John : 37 243-
244
princess : 93 197
profanity: 101 17-20
prolong'd : 96 249
proper : 23 46, 54 168
proposing : 58 3
proud on : 90 132
proverbial expres
sions : 16 242, 72 54,
82 15, 83 33-34, 35,
109 82, 112 140
punishment of crimi
nals : 61 76, 65 22
Puritans' Sunday : 13
189
quaint: 78 18-20
qualify: 131 64
quarrel to you : 35 215
queasy stomach: 43
352
question : 128 6
quit me of: 93 195
rabato : 77 6
rack: 94215
reasons (raisins): 115
200
recheat winded: 15
reechy: 75 122
relative apparently
omitted : 4 17, 88 78,
99 310
rememb'red : 4 13
remorse : 94 206
reprove : 56 212
reverence, calling : 92
163
reverend . . . horn :
133 118
round underborne : 78
18-20
run thee : 58 i
's (it is) : 77 8
sad : 12 172
Saint Peter: for the
heavens, he : 27
41-42
salvation : 69 3
savage bull's horns . . .
Benedick's head: 114
175-178
salv'd : 18 294
scab : 73 92
scambling : 110 94
scape : 10 126
scholar : 36 233
sentences : 57 219
set up his bills : 5 36
seven-stress iambic
verse : 29 84-87
shall : 43 l
shall become of : 94 204
sheep's guts : 49 56
show outward hideous-
ness : 110 96
shrewd : 26 17
side sleeves : 78 18-20
sirrah : 101 13
sixth of July: 17262
INDEX
139
slops : 65 33
so I commit you : 16 259
so moral : 107 30
so politic a state : 123
56-57
soil: 645
smoking . . . room : 24 53
sort (noun) : 3 7, 5 31
sort (verb) : 95 235
speed 's : 127 32
spell him backward :
6061
squarer : 8 75
staff : 112 136-137
star : 79 51
star danc'd : 41 306
state : 129 30
still : 9 109
stomach : 6 48
stops : 66 54
strain: 42348
study of imagination :
94220
stuff 'd . . . virtues : 6
52-53
stuffing, well : 6 55
style : 121 5-6
style of gods : 107 37
subscribe : 123 53
success : 95 229
sufferance : 107 38
sunburn'd : 40 290
sure : 24 61
sworn brother : 7 65-66
taken up : 76 158-159
temper : 44 19
terminations : 36 227
testing of arms and
armour: 111 123
textual crux: 106 16,
118277
that I was disdainful :
30 lie
that exceeds : 77 16
the force of his will :
14 219-220
they are both in a tale :
101 29-30
thick-pleached : 20 8
think he be : 112 139
this action : 3 5-6
th' one : 42 336
thou: 11 152, 46 48,
10853
thou naughty varlet :
10367
tilting-field (language
from) : 112 134-137
time : 28 t; i
time . . . neighbours :
12469
tire within . . . hair :
77 12-13
to : 108 57
to death (after verbs):
1263
to thy head : 108 62
to-night : 83 29
toothache : 64 19
top : 20 13
Towne Clerke : 100 1
trans-shape : 114 165
treatise : 18 294
trial of a man : 108 66
trim ones : 99 312
trow: 79 52
true drunkard : 74 96
truths : 45 43
try: 16241
tuition : 17 260
turn his girdle : 112 140
turn'd Turk : 79 so
two men ride . . . be
hind : 83 35-36
uncle . . . will : 4 17
unconfirmed : 74 106
undergoes : 123 52
unhappiness : 41 316
up and down : 30 106
upon his : 102 49
Ursula (pronuncia
tion) : 58 4
us'd: 119296
use (noun) : 38 253
use (verb) : 32 161
usurer's chain : 33 173
uttered : 127 19-20
ut'tred : 14 200
Venice : 16 251-252
VERGES (meaning) :
69i
vice : 122 20
villainy : 74 103
virgin knight : 127 13
Vulcan : 12 173-174
wake your patience :
110 102
warren : 35 195-196
was he talk'd : 88 78
was sadly borne: 56 203
wash his face : 66 50
wear his cap with sus
picion : 13 186
what is he for a : 23 42
when all 's done : 49 57
when . . . hose : 115
193-194
will go about with :
101 25
willow: 33 171
win me and wear me :
10982
wit : 54 172
witch : 32 163-164
with : 126 7
with experimental . . .
my book : 92 161-162
with her face upwards :
6762
withal : 57 233
wits : 6 60
woodcock : 113 153
world to see : 83 33-34
yonder 's old coil : 125
85-86
you (ethical dative) :
52103
014260019
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