Much Ado About Nothing

by William Shakespeare

  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.

  Now, music, sound, and sing your solemn hymn.

  BALTHASAR [Sings the] 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.

  Midnight, assist our moan,

  Help us to sigh and groan,

  Heavily, heavily:

  Graves, yawn and yield your dead,

  Till death be utterèd,

  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 preyed, and look, the gentle day

  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.

  CLAUDIO And Hymen now with luckier issue speed’s

  Than this for whom we rendered up this woe.

  Exeunt

  Act 5 Scene 4

  running scene 16

  Enter Leonato, Benedick, [Beatrice,] Margaret, Ursula, old man [Antonio], Friar [Francis and] Hero

  FRIAR FRANCIS Did I not tell you she was innocent?

  LEONATO So are the prince and Claudio, who accused her

  Upon the error that you heard debated.

  But Margaret was in some fault for this,

  Although against her will, as it appears

  In the true course of all the question.

  ANTONIO Well, I am glad that all things sort so well.

  BENEDICK And so am I, being else by faith enforced

  To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.

  LEONATO Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all,

  Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,

  And when I send for you, come hither masked.

  The prince and Claudio promised by this hour

  To visit me. You know your office, brother:

  You must be father to your brother’s daughter,

  And give her to young Claudio.

  Exeunt Ladies

  ANTONIO Which I will do with confirmed 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.

  Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior,

  Your niece regards me with an eye of favour.

  LEONATO That eye my daughter lent her: ’tis most true.

  BENEDICK And I do with an eye of love requite her.

  LEONATO The sight whereof I think you had from me,

  From Claudio and the prince: but what’s your will?

  BENEDICK Your answer, sir, is enigmatical.

  But for my will, my will is your good will

  May stand with ours, this day to be conjoined

  In the state of honourable marriage,

  In which, good friar, I shall desire your help.

  LEONATO My heart is with your liking.

  FRIAR FRANCIS And my help.

  Enter Prince [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 determined

  Today to marry with my brother’s daughter?

  CLAUDIO I’ll hold my mind, were she an Ethiope.

  LEONATO Call her forth, brother: here’s the friar ready.

  [Exit Antonio]

  DON PEDRO Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what’s the matter,

  That you have such a February face,

  So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?

  CLAUDIO I think he thinks upon the savage bull.

  Tush, fear not, man: we’ll tip thy horns with gold,

  And all Europa shall rejoice at thee,

  As once Europa did at lusty Jove,

  When he would play the noble beast in love.

  BENEDICK Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low,

  And some such strange bull leaped your father’s cow,

  And got a calf in that same noble feat

  Much like to you, for you have just his bleat.

  Enter brother [Antonio], Hero, Beatrice, Margaret, [and] Ursula [the ladies all masked]

  CLAUDIO For this I owe you: here comes other reck’nings.

  Which is the lady I must seize upon?

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

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

  LEONATO No, that you shall not, till you take her hand

  Before this friar and swear to marry her.

  CLAUDIO Give me your hand before this holy friar.

  I am your husband, if you like of me.

  HERO And when I lived, I was your other wife:

  And when you loved, you were my other husband.

  Unmasks

  CLAUDIO Another Hero?

  HERO Nothing certainer.

  One Hero died defiled, but I do live,

  And surely as I live, I am a maid.

  DON PEDRO The former Hero! Hero that is dead!

  LEONATO She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived.

  FRIAR FRANCIS All this amazement can I qualify,

  When after that the holy rites are ended,

  I’ll tell you largely of fair Hero’s death.

  Meantime let wonder seem familiar,

  And to the chapel let us presently.

  BENEDICK Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?

  BEATRICE I answer to that name. What is your will?

  Unmasks

  BENEDICK Do not you love me?

  BEATRICE Why, no, no more than reason.

  BENEDICK Why then, your uncle, and the prince, and Claudio

  Have been deceived: they swore you did.

  BEATRICE Do not you love me?

  BENEDICK Troth, no, no more than reason.

  BEATRICE Why then, my cousin, Margaret and Ursula

  Are much deceived, for they did swear you did.

  BENEDICK They swore you were almost sick for me.

  BEATRICE They swore you were well-nigh dead for me.

  BENEDICK ’Tis no matter. Then you do not love me?

  BEATRICE No, truly, but in friendly recompense.

  LEONATO Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman.

  CLAUDIO And I’ll be sworn upon’t that he loves her,

  For here’s a paper written in his hand,

  Shows a paper

  A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,

  Fashioned to Beatrice.

  HERO And here’s another

  Shows another paper

  Writ in my cousin’s hand, stolen from her pocket,

  Containing her affection unto Benedick.

  BENEDICK A miracle! Here’s our own hands against our

  hearts. Come, I will have thee, but by this light I take thee for

  pity.

  BEATRICE I would not deny you, but by this good day I yield

  upon great persuasion, and partly to save your life, for I was

  told you were in a consumption.

  LEONATO Peace! I will stop your mouth.

  Makes Beatrice and Benedick kiss

  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 b
e beaten with

  brains, a shall wear nothing handsome about him. In brief,

  since I do purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any

  purpose that the world can say against it, and therefore

  never flout at me for what I have said against it, for man is

  a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion. For thy part,

  Claudio, I did think to have beaten thee, but in that thou

  art like to be my kinsman, live unbruised and love my

  cousin.

  CLAUDIO I had well hoped thou wouldst have denied Beatrice,

  that I might have cudgelled thee out of thy single life to make

  thee a double-dealer, which out of question thou wilt be, if

  my cousin do not look exceeding narrowly to thee.

  BENEDICK Come, come,

  we are friends. Let’s have a dance ere

  we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts and

  our wives’ heels.

  LEONATO We’ll have dancing afterward.

  BENEDICK First, of my word: therefore play, music. Prince,

  thou art sad: get thee a wife, get thee a wife. There is no staff

  more reverend than one tipped with horn.

  Enter a Messenger

  MESSENGER My lord, your brother John is ta’en in flight,

  And brought with armèd men back to Messina.

  BENEDICK Think not on him till tomorrow.

  I’ll devise thee brave punishments for him.

  Strike up, pipers!

  Dance [and exeunt]

  TEXTUAL NOTES

  Q = First Quarto text of 1600

  F = First Folio text of 1623

  F2 = a correction introduced in the Second Folio text of 1632

  Ed = a correction introduced by a later editor

  SD = stage direction

  SH = speech heading (i.e. speaker’s name)

  List of parts = Ed

  1.1.35 bird-bolt spelled Burbolt in F 42 eat = Q. F = ease 79 are you come = Q. F = you are come 89 sir = Q. Not in F 115 yours = Q. F = your 120 That = Q. F = This 188 spoke = Q. F = speake 262–63 and…her = Q. Not in F 265 you do = Q. F = doe you

  1.2.3 SH ANTONIO = Ed. F = Old. (throughout scene) 4 strange = Q. Not in F 6 event = F2. F = events 8 my = F. Q = mine 9 thus = F. Q = thus much

  1.3.6 bringeth = F. Q = brings 7 yet = F. Q = at least 18 true root = Q. F = root 31 will make = F. Q = make 48 me behind = Q. F = behind

  2.1.27 upon = F. Q = on 34 bearward spelled Berrord in F 47 Father = Q. F omits 52 account = F. Q = an account 66 sinks = F. Q = sincke 71 SD [Don] John = Ed. F = or dumbe Iohn 72 a bout = Ed. F = about 81 Jove = Q. F = Loue 84, 87, 89 SH BALTHASAR = Ed. F = Bene. 121 pleaseth = F. Q = pleases 165 count = F. Q = county of = Q. F = off 187 think I told = Q. F = thinke, told 188 good will = Q. F = will 190 a rod = F. Q = vp a rod 213 and = F. Not in Q 217 her terminations = Q. F = terminations 239 this = F. Q = my 243 his single = Q. F = a single 256–57 a jealous = F. Q = that iealous 276 her heart = Q. F = my heart 315 my mind = Q. F = mind

  2.2.27 Don = Q. F = on 40 truths = F. Q = truth 45 thou = F. Q = you

  2.3.29 I for = Q. F = for 32 SD Balthasar = Ed. F = Iacke Wilson (apparently the actor who played Balthasar) 41–42 To…excellency mistakenly printed twice in F 44 woo = Q. F = woe 59 SH BALTHASAR = Ed. Not in F 69 was = Q. F = were 125 told us of = F. Q = told of vs 143 but make = F. Q = make but 169 SH LEONATO = F. Q = Claudio 171 see = F. Q = say 172–73 Christian-like = F. Q = most christianlike 179 seek = Q. F = see 188 to…good = F. Q = so good 193 gentlewoman = F. Q = gentlewomen 200–1 the full = F. Q = their full

  3.1.0 SD gentlewomen = Q. F = Gentlemen 60 she make = F. Q = sheele make 81 than = Q. F = to 106 ta’en = F. Q = limed

  3.2.30 Frenchman tomorrow = F. Q continues or in the shape of two countries at once, as a Germaine from the waste downward, all slops, and a Spaniard from the hip upward, no dublet: unlesse…you would have it appeare he is 51 Conclude = F. Q = conclude, conclude

  3.3.33 talk = F. Q = to talke 35 SH WATCHMAN F’s Watch. does not distinguish between the first and second watchmen 40 bid them = F. Q = bid those 73 statues = Ed. F = statute 113 years = F. Q = yeere 124 and I see = Q. F = and see 136 they = Q. F = thy 156 SH FIRST WATCHMAN = Ed. F gives the speech to Conrad

  3.4.41 look = F. Q = see

  3.5.7 SH VERGES = Ed. F = Headb. (throughout scene) 9 off spelled of in F 23 times = F. Q = pound 48 as may = F. Q = as it may 53 examination = Q. F = examine those men = F. Q = these men

  4.1.18 not…do = Q. Not in F 77 do so = Q. F = do 89 you are = F. Q = are you 98 spoken = F. Q = spoke 131 rearward = Q. F = reward 138 smearéd = F. Q = smirched 158 two princes = Q. F = Princes 167 beat = Q. F = beare 210 princes = Ed. F = Princesse 282 swear by it = F. Q = sweare 298 deny = F. Q = deny it 335 leave = F. Q = I leave

  4.2.1 SH DOGBERRY = Ed. F = Keeper. 2 SH VERGES = Ed. F = Cowley (apparently the actor who played Verges) 4 SH DOGBERRY = Ed. F = Andrew. 9 SH DOGBERRY = Ed. F = Kemp. (throughout rest of scene) (Will Kempe was apparently the actor who played Dogberry) 15 serve God? Masters = F. Q = serue God? Both Yea sir we hope. Kem [i.e. Kemp] Write downe, that they hope they serue God: and write God first, for God defend but God shoulde go before such villaines: maisters 55 Leonato = F. Q = Leonatoes 58 SH VERGES = Ed. F = Sex[ton]. Q = Couley (actor playing Verges) 59 SH CONRAD Off = Ed. Q/F continue previous speech of Coxcombe 65 O that = Q. F = O that 71 any in = F. Q = anie is in

  5.1.7 comforter = Q. F = comfort 8 do = Q. F = doth 17 Bid = Ed. Q/F = And 68 my = F. Q = mine 105 off = Ed. F = of 163 says = F. Q = said 248 SH VERGES = Ed. F = Con. 2 254 thou = Q. F = thou thou

  5.2.29 names = Q. F = name 31 in = Q. Not in F 33 hard rhyme = Q. F = hard time 35 for = F. Q = nor 67 monuments = F. Q = monument

  5.3.3 SH CLAUDIO = Ed. Not in F 10 dumb = F. Q = dead 12 SH BALTHASAR = Ed. Not in F 21 Heavily, heavily = Q. F = Heavenly, heavenly 22 SH CLAUDIO = Ed. F = Lo.

  5.4.7 sort = F. Q = sorts 33 my help. = F. Q = my helpe. Heere comes the Prince and Claudio, 50 And got = Q. F = A got 54 SH ANTONIO = Ed. F = Leo. 64 died defiled = Q. F = died 83 swore you = F. Q = swore that you 84 swore you = F. Q = swore that you 85 no matter = F. Q = no such matter 101 SH LEONATO = F. Most eds assign to BENEDICK 109 what I have = Q. F = I have

  SCENE-BY-SCENE ANALYSIS

  ACT 1 SCENE 1

  The play opens at the house of Leonato, Governor of Messina. A Messenger arrives to inform Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice that Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, is to arrive there from a recent war, accompanied by his illegitimate brother, Don John, and two young noblemen, Claudio and Benedick. We are introduced to all of the main characters and essential information is conveyed about events prior to the action of the play. Several key themes, such as love, marriage, deception, and secrecy, are established, as are the recurrent motifs concerning fashion, value/“worth,” and images of animals and cuckolding.

  Lines 1–78: The Messenger brings the news of Don Pedro’s imminent arrival and Beatrice inquires after “Signior Mountanto,” meaning Benedick. She continues to criticize him to the Messenger, who is confused by her attitude. Leonato explains that there is a long-standing battle of wits between Beatrice and Benedick.

  Lines 79–132: Don Pedro and his party arrive. Initial pleasantries are exchanged and, while Leonato and Don Pedro talk aside, Beatrice and Benedick insult each other in a fast-paced, witty exchange in which they both assert their dislike of the opposite sex. The simultaneous antagonism and attraction that exists between these two characters is clearly established in their first “skirmish of wit,” and forms the basis for much of the verbal, “high” comedy in the play. Don Pedro then announces that Leonato has invited himself, Claudio, and Benedick to stay for at least a month. Leonato extends this invitation to Don John and we learn that there has previously been conflict between the two brothers, although they are now “reconciled.”

  Lines 133–168: When they are alone, Claudio asks Benedick his opinion of Hero.
Benedick dismisses her and compares her to Beatrice, who “exceeds her in beauty.” Although he qualifies this with a comment on Beatrice’s temper, it suggests that he may feel some attraction. Claudio praises Hero as “sweet,” “modest,” and “worthy.” The ambiguity of the term “worth” is sustained throughout the remainder of the scene.

  Lines 169–281: Don Pedro returns and Claudio confesses that he loves Hero. Benedick continues to reject marriage and women and asserts his intention to remain a bachelor. He leaves with a message for Leonato. Don Pedro meanwhile confirms that Hero is Leonato’s heir, reminding the audience that marriage is also a financial contract, and offers to woo her on Claudio’s behalf, “in some disguise.”

  ACT 1 SCENE 2

  Antonio reveals that his servant overheard Don Pedro and Claudio discussing Hero, introducing the device of concealed overhearing or observation that runs throughout the play. It also establishes the ongoing theme of misunderstanding, as Antonio’s servant has reported that it is Don Pedro, not Claudio, who is in love with Hero. Leonato resolves to tell Hero of the prince’s intentions so that she may give him the right answer.

  ACT 1 SCENE 3

  Lines 1–32: Don John discusses his mood and his situation with Conrad, who encourages him to conceal his true feelings toward Don Pedro and wait for an opportunity to act against him. Don John claims that he cannot hide what he is, “a plain-dealing villain,” and refuses to alter his sour appearance.

  Lines 33–59: Borachio arrives with the news of Claudio’s intention to marry Hero. As before, this information has been obtained by eavesdropping, but this time it has been correctly understood. We learn that Claudio was instrumental in Don John’s downfall. Conrad and Borachio pledge to help Don John prevent the marriage.

  ACT 2 SCENE 1

  The setting of the dance allows several smaller scenes-within-a-scene as different pairs or groups of characters are focused on in turn. These exchanges use dramatic irony to present comic situations and misunderstandings, and further the progress of the plots that have emerged so far. The masking of the characters allows for visual comedy in addition to the witty dialogue, and serves as a physical representation of the themes of deception and secrecy.