Much Ado About Nothing, with line numbers E-Book

William Shakespeare

• Herausgeber: Seltzer Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 115

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

The classic comedy. According to Wikipedia: "Much Ado About Nothing is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare set in Messina, Sicily about a pair of lovers named Claudio and Hero due to be married in a week. To pass the time before their wedding day they conspire with Don Pedro, the prince of Aragon, to trick their friends, Beatrice and Benedick, into confessing their love for one another. The prince's brother Don John, however, jealous of both Don Pedro's power and his affection for Claudio, conspires to sabotage the coming wedding."

Leseprobe

Much Ado About Nothing By William Shakespeare

published by Samizdat Express, Orange, CT, USA

established in 1974, offering over 14,000 books

Other comedies by William Shakespeare:

All's Well That Ends Well

As You Like It

The Comedy of Errors

Love's Labour's Lost

Measure for Measure

The Merchant of Venice

The Merry Wives of Windsor

A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Taming of the Shrew

Twelfth Night

Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Dramatis Personae

Much Ado About Nothing

Act I

Scene I Before Leonato's house.

Scene II A room in Leonato's house.

Scene III The same.

Act II

Scene I A hall in Leonato's house.

Scene II The same.

Scene III Leonato's orchard.

Act III

Scene I Leonato's garden.

Scene II A room in Leonato's house

Scene III A street.

Scene IV Hero's apartment.

Scene V Another room in Leonato's house.

Act IV

Scene I A church.

Scene II A prison.

Act V

Scene I Before Leonato's house.

Scene II Leonato's garden.

Scene III A church.

Scene IV A room in Leonato's house.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Don Pedro, Prince Of Arragon.

Don John, His Bastard Brother.

Claudio, A Young Lord Of Florence.

Benedick, A Young Lord Of Padua.

Leonato, Governor Of Messina.

Antonio, His Brother.

Balthasar, Attendant On Don Pedro.

Followers Of Don John.

Conrade

Borachio|

Friar Francis

Dogberry, A Constable.

Verges, A Headborough.

A Sexton.

A Boy.

Hero, Daughter To Leonato.

Beatrice, Niece To Leonato.

Gentlewomen Attending On Hero.

Margaret

Ursula

Messengers, Watch, Attendants, &c. (Lord:)

(Messenger:)

(Watchman:)

(First Watchman:)

(Second Watchman:)

SCENE Messina.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

ACT I

SCENE I Before Leonato's house.

 [Enter LEONATO, HERO, and BEATRICE, with a MESSENGER]

(1) LEONATO I learn in this letter that Don Peter of Arragon

 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?

MESSENGER But few of any sort, and none of name.

LEONATO A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings

(10) home full numbers. I find here that Don Peter hath

 bestowed much honour on a young Florentine called Claudio.

MESSENGER Much deserved on his part and equally remembered 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

 bettered expectation than you must expect of me to

 tell you how.

LEONATO He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much

 glad of it.

(20) 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.

LEONATO Did he break out into tears?

MESSENGER In great measure.

LEONATO A kind overflow of kindness: there are no faces

 truer than those that are so washed. How much

 better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping!

(30) BEATRICE I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned 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 returned; and as pleasant as ever he was.

BEATRICE He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged

(40) Cupid at the flight; and my uncle's fool, reading

 the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged

 him at the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath he

 killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath

 he killed? for indeed I promised to eat all of his killing.

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.

(50) BEATRICE You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it:

 he is a very valiant trencherman; he hath an

 excellent stomach.

MESSENGER And a good soldier too, lady.

BEATRICE And a good soldier to a lady: but what is he to a lord?

MESSENGER A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all

 honourable virtues.

BEATRICE It is so, indeed; he is no less than a stuffed man:

(60) but for the stuffing,--well, we are all mortal.

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 the whole man governed with one: so that if

 he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him

 bear it for a difference between himself and his

(70) 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.

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.

MESSENGER I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

(80) BEATRICE No; an he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray

 you, who is his companion? Is there no young

 squarer now that will make a voyage with him to the devil?

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

(90) thousand pound ere a' be cured.

MESSENGER I will hold friends with you, lady.

BEATRICE Do, good friend.

LEONATO You will never run mad, niece.

BEATRICE No, not till a hot January.

MESSENGER Don Pedro is approached.

 [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.

LEONATO Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of

(100) your grace: for trouble being gone, comfort should

 remain; but when you depart from me, sorrow abides

 and happiness takes his leave.

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 asked her?

LEONATO Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child.

(110) 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.

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.

(120) 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?

 Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come

 in her presence.

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.

BEATRICE A dear happiness to women: they would else have

(130) 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.

BENEDICK God keep your ladyship still in that mind! so some

 gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate

 scratched face.

BEATRICE Scratching could not make it worse, an 'twere such

 a face as yours were.

BENEDICK Well, you are a rare parrot-teacher.

(140) 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, i' God's

 name; I have done.

BEATRICE You always end with a jade's trick: I know you of old.

DON PEDRO That 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

(150) 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.

LEONATO If you swear, my lord, you shall not be forsworn.

 [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.

(160) LEONATO Please it your grace lead on?

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 looked on her.

CLAUDIO Is she not a modest young lady?

BENEDICK Do you question me, as an honest man should do, for

 my simple true judgment; or would you have me speak

(170) after my custom, as being a professed tyrant to their sex?

CLAUDIO No; I pray thee speak in sober judgment.

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.

CLAUDIO Thou thinkest I am in sport: I pray thee tell me

(180) truly how thou likest her.

BENEDICK Would you buy her, that you inquire after her?

CLAUDIO Can the world buy such a jewel?

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 carpenter? Come, in what key shall a man take

 you, to go in the song?

CLAUDIO In mine eye she is the sweetest lady that ever I

(190) looked on.

BENEDICK I can see yet without spectacles and I see no such

 matter: there's her cousin, an she were not

 possessed 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?

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

(200) one man but he will wear his cap with suspicion?

 Shall I never see a bachelor of three-score again?

 Go to, i' faith; an 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.

 [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.

(210) DON PEDRO I charge thee on thy allegiance.

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.

CLAUDIO If this were so, so were it uttered.

BENEDICK Like the old tale, my lord: 'it is not so, nor

 'twas not so, but, indeed, God forbid it should be

(220) 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.

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.

(230) 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.

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.

(240) BENEDICK That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she

 brought me up, I likewise give her most humble

 thanks: but that I will have a recheat winded in my

 forehead, 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.

(250) 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 at the door of a brothel-house for the sign of

 blind Cupid.