Prescanned Shakespeare.com
presented by Acoustic Learning


Much Ado About Nothing

Act III, Scene 1

LEONATO'S garden.
 
[Enter HERO, MARGARET, and URSULA]
 
HERO
        ,    ,          ,    ,              ,
      Good Marg/aret | run thee / to the | parlor,
              ,             ,         ,      ,    ,
      There shalt | thou* find | my cous|in Be|atrice,
          ,        ,           ,            ,   ,
      Propos|ing with | the prince | and Claud|io,
        ,    2       ,           ,        ,        ,  2
      Whisper her | ear, and | tell her | I and | Ursula
        ,             ,       ,          ,          ,
      Walk in | the orch|ard and | our whole | discourse
          ,        ,     ,               ,          x
      Is all | of her,| say that | thou^ov|erheardst us;
           ,          ,      ,            ,        x
      And bid | her steal | into | the pleach|ed bower,
              ,      ,       ,        ,        ,
      Where* hon|eysuck|les rip|ened by | the sun,
          ,         ,        ,        ,     ,   2
      Forbid | the sun | to ent|er: like | favorites,
        T    T    T     ,           2    ,             ,
      Made proud by | princes,| that advance | their pride,
          ,            x              x       ,       2        ,
      Against | that power | that bred it,| there will she | hide her,
            x          ,          ,        ,     ,
      To listen | our pur|pose, this | is thy | office,
        T    T    T      2     ,           ,      ,
      Bear thee well | in it, and | leave^us | alone.
 
MARGARET
             ,          ,       ,      2     ,       ,
      I'll make | her come | I war|rant you pres|ently.
 
[Exit]
 
HERO
           ,    ,         ,     ,           ,
      Now Urs|ula,| when Be|atrice | doth^come,
       .  T  T   T           ,      ,         ,
      As we do trace | this al|ley up | and down,
            ,          ,     ,       ,     ,
      Our talk | must^on|ly be | of Ben|edick,
           ,         ,          ,             ,    ,
      When I | do* name | him, let | it be / thy part,
            ,           ,          ,     ,          x
      To praise | him more | than ev|er man | did merit,
           ,         ,          ,         ,     ,
      My talk | to thee | must^be | how* Ben|edick
           ,         ,          x          ,           x     
      Is sick | in love | with Bea|trice: of | this matter,
          ,       ,         ,      ,       ,
      Is lit|tle Cup|id's craf|ty ar|row made,
            ,       ,          ,   T    T   . T
      That on|ly wounds | by hear|say: now begin,
            ,            x          ,    .  T   T    T
      For look | where* Bea|trice like | a lapwing runs
        ,               ,          ,     ,   ,
      Close by | the ground,| to hear | our con/ference.
 
URSULA
             ,         ,        ,       ,          ,
      The pleas|antst^ang|ling is | to see | the fish
       ,               ,       ,          ,        ,
      Cut with | her gold|en oars | the silv|er stream,
            ,     ,       ,           ,    2      ,
      And greed|ily | devour | the treach|erous bait:
          ,      ,        x               x   ,
      So ang|le we | for Bea|trice, who^/even now,
           ,       ,         ,    ,   ,
      Is couch|ed in | the wood|bine cov/erture,
        ,         T   T   T      2     ,     ,
      Fear you | not my part | of the di|alogue.
 
HERO
            ,        ,            2       ,    ,     ,
      Then go | we near | her that her / ear lose | nothing
                 ,     ,       ,          ,  ,
      Of the / false sweet | bait that | we lay / for it:
           ,      ,   2      x      ,        ,
      No* tru|ly Urs|ula, she is | too dis|dainful,
          ,          ,       ,        ,          ,
      I know | her spir|its are | as coy | and wild,
          ,         ,         ,
      As hag|gerds of | the rock.
 
URSULA
                                      ,          ,
                                 But are | you sure,
            ,   2      ,      x          ,      ,
      That Ben|edick loves | Beatrice | so en|tirely?
 
HERO
            ,           ,               ,    ,        ,
      So* says | the prince,| and my / new-troth|ed lord.
 
URSULA
           ,          ,          ,          x      ,
      And did | they bid | you tell | her of it,| madam?
 
HERO
            ,        ,      ,           ,           x
      They did | entreat | me to | acquaint | her of it,
       ,   2     ,         ,     2         ,    ,
      But I per|suaded | them, if they | loved Ben/edick*,
           ,          ,        ,       ,     ,
      To wish | him wrest|le with | affec|tion,
            x         ,    ,     ,     ,
      And never | to let | Bea|trice know / of it.
 
URSULA
       T   T   T     ,         ,          ,   2
      Why did you | so, doth^|not the | gentleman
          ,          ,        ,      ,       ,
      Deserve | as full | as for|tunate | a bed,
          ,     ,    ,             ,       ,
      As ev|er Be|atrice | shall couch | upon?
 
HERO
         ,         ,        ,         ,        ,
      O god | of love!| I know | he doth | deserve,
           ,        ,         ,       ,      ,
      As much | as may | be yield|ed to | a man:
           ,       ,        ,        ,         ,
      But Na|ture nev|er framed | a wom|an's heart,
           ,        ,            ,        ,    ,
      Of prou|der stuff | than that | of Be|atrice:
           ,          ,       ,    ,                   ,
      Disdain | and scorn | ride spark/ling in | her eyes,
           ,        ,           ,     ,             ,
      Mispris|ing what | they look | on, and | her wit
       ,    2     T   T   T       ,        ,
      Values it|self so high|ly that | to her
       T    Tx     T            ,          ,        ,
      All matter else | seems^weak:| she* can|not love,
             ,          ,           ,    ,    2    ,
      Nor* take | no* shape | nor* pro|ject of af|fection,
         2    ,     ,        ,
      She is so | self-en|deared.
 
URSULA
                                       T   T    T
                                 Sure^|I think so,
            ,     ,   ,                      ,    ,
      And there|fore cer/tainly | it were / not good
            ,          ,      T   T    T      ,     2
      She knew | his love,| lest she make | sport at it.
 
HERO
                  ,     ,         x      T   T   T
      Why^you*/ speak truth,| I never | yet saw man,
            ,     T    Tx     T           ,      ,        ->
      How^wise,| how noble, young,| how rare|ly fea||tured,
       ,       2        ,           ,               ,    ,
      But | she would spell | him back|ward: if / fair-faced,
       ,            ,          ,   2         ,     2       ,
      She would | swear the | gentleman | should be her | sister:
           ,           ,        ,        2      ,  ,
      If black,| why* Na|ture draw|ing of an / antique,
        T  .   T    T         ,    .   T    T     Tx
      Made a foul blot:| if tall,| a lance ill-headed:
          ,        ,      ,      ,      ,
      If low,| an ag|ate ve|ry vile|ly cut:
           ,           2      ,    ,       T   T    T
      If speak|ing, why a / vane blown | with all winds:  ??
       ,  ,                ,      ,            ,
      If sil/ent, why^|a block | moved | with none.
           ,          ,      ,     .    T     T   T
      So turns | she eve|ry man | the wrong side out,
           ,       ,          ,          ,         ,
      And nev|er gives | to truth | and vir|tue, that
             ,       ,         ,       ,      ,
      Which simp|leness | and mer|it purch|aseth.
 
URSULA
        T     T     T     ,     2      ,       ,   2
      Sure, sure, such | carping is | not com|mendable.
 
HERO
       ,   ,                ,       2      ,      ,
      No, not / to be | so^odd,| and from all | fashions,
          x         ,    ,        ,      ,   2
      As Bea|trice is,| cannot | be com|mendable,
           ,      T    T   .   T      ,            ,
      But who | dare tell her so?| If I | should speak,
       ,            ,         2   ,    ,    2          ,
      She would | mock me | into air,| O she would | laugh me
       ,           ,      ,             ,           ,
      Out of | myself,| press me | to death | with wit,
        T    T   T     ,   2           ,         ,
      Therefore let | Benedick | like^cov|ered fire,  ??
           ,      ,         ,       ,    ,
      Consume | away | in sighs,| waste in/wardly*:
           ,       ,        ,         ,           ,
      It were | a bet|ter death,| to die | with mocks,
             ,       ,        ,           ,     ,
      Which^is | as bad | as die | with tick|ling.
 
URSULA
            ,             ,    ,          ,          ,
      Yet tell | her of / I: hear | what she | will say.
 
HERO
       ,    ,               ,       ,     ,
      No, rath/er I | will go | to Ben|edick,
       ,    ,     2           ,        ,          ,
      And coun/sel him to | fight a|gainst his | passion,
       ,   ,         2     ,          ,         ,
      And tru/ly I'll de|vise some | honest | slanders,
           ,         ,        ,          ,          ,
      To stain | my cous|in with,| one^doth | not^know,
            ,        ,      ,     2    ,        ,
      How much | an ill | word may em|poison | liking.
 
URSULA
         ,        ,          ,       ,        ,
      O do | not^do | your cous|in such | a wrong,
           ,     2     ,     ,             ,      ,
      She can|not be* so | much with|out^true | judgment,  ??
       ,            ,          ,      ,       ,
      Having | so swift | and ex|cellent | a wit
          ,          ,          ,     ,          ,
      As she | is prized | to have,| as to | refuse
           ,        ,    2     2      ,   ,     ,
      So rare | a gent|leman as Sig/nior Ben|edick.
 
HERO
          ,        ,     ,        ,   ,
      He is | the on|ly man | of It|aly,
       ,          ,              ,    ,    ,
      Always | excep|ted, my / dear Claud|io.
 
URSULA
          ,         ,        ,    2      ,    ,
      I pray | you be | not ang|ry with me,| madam,
        ,            ,       ,        ,     ,
      Speaking | my fan|cy: sign|ior Ben|edick,
            ,           ,       ,     ,          x
      For shape,| for bear|ing arg|ument | and valor,
        T    T   T      2    ,             ,   ,
      Goes foremost | in report | through^It|aly.
 
HERO
          ,         ,        ,             ,    ,
      Indeed | he hath | an ex|cellent / good name.
 
URSULA
           ,      ,           ,         ,          x
      His ex|cellence | did^earn | it, ere | he had it.
        ,             ,        ,
      When are | you mar|ried mad|am?  \\ 
 
HERO
           ,      ,       ,         ,        ,
      Why eve|ry day | tomor|row, come | go^in,
             ,      ,      2     ,            ,          ,
      I'll show | thee some at|tires, and | have thy | counsel,
        ,     2        ,         ,        ,     ,
      Which is the | best to | furnish | me to|morrow.
 
URSULA
              ,       ,        ,
      She's tane | I war|rant you,
       ,           ,          ,
      We have | caught her | madam?  (tri with prev)
 
HERO
                 ,    ,         ,        ,         ,
      If it / proves so,| then lov|ing goes | by haps,
        T    Tx    T           ,         ,           ,
      Some Cupid kills | with ar|rows, some | with traps.
 
[Exeunt HERO and URSULA]
 
BEATRICE
             ,        ,          ,          ,         ,
      What fire | is in | mine ears?| Can this | be true?
            ,         ,           ,           ,          ,
      Stand^I | condemned | for pride | and scorn | so much?
           ,          ,           ,       ,        ,
      Contempt,| farewell,| and maid|en pride,| adieu,
           ,       ,         ,          ,         ,
      No* glo|ry lives | behind | the back | of such.
           ,     ,          ,   ,     2     ,
      And Ben|edick,| love^on,| I will re|quite thee,
       ,            ,      ,             ,        ,
      Taming | my wild | heart to | thy lov|ing hand:
       .   T    T    T         ,         ,         ,         2->
      If thou dost love,| my kind|ness shall | incite || thee
           ,          ,      ,         ,      ,
      To bind | our loves | up in | a ho|ly band.
           ,       ,           ,        ,         ,
      For oth|ers say | thou dost | deserve,| and I
          ,         ,        ,       ,       ,
      Believe | it bet|ter than | repor|tingly.
 
[Exit]

← Previous Scene | Next Scene →


Home