Much Ado about Nothing

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

by William Shakespeare


Contents

ACT I

Scene I.
Before Leonato’s House.

Scene II.
A room in Leonato’s house.

Scene III.
Another room in Leonato’s house.

ACT II

Scene I.
A hall in Leonato’s house.

Scene II.
Another room in Leonato’s house.

Scene III.
Leonato’s Garden.

ACT III

Scene I.
Leonato’s Garden.

Scene II.
A Room in Leonato’s House.

Scene III.
A Street.

Scene IV.
A Room in Leonato’s House.

Scene V.
Another Room in Leonato’s House.

ACT IV

Scene I.
The Inside of a Church.

Scene II.
A Prison.

ACT V

Scene I.
Before Leonato’s House.

Scene II.
Leonato’s Garden.

Scene III.
The Inside of a Church.

Scene IV.
A Room in Leonato’s House.




Dramatis Personæ

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, Servant to Don Pedro.
BORACHIO, follower of Don John.
CONRADE, follower of Don John.
DOGBERRY, a Constable.
VERGES, a Headborough.
FRIAR FRANCIS.
A Sexton.
A Boy.

HERO, Daughter to Leonato.
BEATRICE, Niece to Leonato.
MARGARET, Waiting gentlewoman attending on Hero.
URSULA, Waiting gentlewoman attending on Hero.

Messengers, Watch, Attendants, &c.

SCENE. Messina.




ACT I

SCENE I. Before Leonato’s House.


Enter Leonato, Hero, Beatrice and others,
with a Messenger.

LEONATO.
I learn in this letter that Don Pedro 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 home full
numbers. I find here that Don Pedro 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.

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!

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 is returned, and as pleasant as ever he was.

BEATRICE.
He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged 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.

BEATRICE.
You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it; he is a very
valiant trencher-man; 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; 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 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.

BEATRICE.
No; and 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 thousand
pound ere he be cured.