Much Ado About Nothing
Act III, Scene 4
Hero’s apartment.
Byam Shaw, 1901
- Enter Hero and Margaret and Ursula.
Hero
1 - 2- Good Ursula, wake my cousin Beatrice, and desire her to
- rise.
Ursula
3- I will, lady.
Hero
4- And bid her come hither.
Ursula
5- Well.
- Exit.
Margaret
6- Troth, I think your other rebato were better.
Hero
7- No, pray thee, good Meg, I’ll wear this.
Margaret
8 - 9- By my troth ’s not so good, and I warrant your cousin will
- say so.
Hero
10 - 11- My cousin’s a fool, and thou art another. I’ll wear none but
- this.
Margaret
12 - 15- 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.
Hero
16- O, that exceeds, they say.
Margaret
17 - 21- By my troth ’s but a night-gown in respect of yours: cloth
- a’ 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, graceful, and
- excellent fashion, yours is worth ten on’t.
Hero
22- God give me joy to wear it, for my heart is exceeding heavy.
Margaret
23- ’Twill be heavier soon by the weight of a man.
Hero
24- Fie upon thee, art not asham’d?
Margaret
25 - 32- Of what, lady? Of speaking honorably? Is not marriage
- honorable in a beggar? Is not your lord honorable without
- marriage? I think you would have me say, “saving your
- reverence, a husband.” And bad thinking do not wrest true
- speaking, I’ll 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 ’tis light, and not
- heavy. Ask my Lady Beatrice else, here she comes.
- Enter Beatrice.
Hero
33- Good morrow, coz.
Beatrice
34- Good morrow, sweet Hero.
Hero
35- Why, how now? Do you speak in the sick tune?
Beatrice
36- I am out of all other tune, methinks.
Margaret
37 - 38- Clap ’s into “Light a’ love”; that goes without a burden. Do
- you sing it, and I’ll dance it.
Beatrice
39 - 40- Ye light a’ love with your heels! Then if your husband have
- stables enough, you’ll see he shall lack no barns.
Margaret
41- O illegitimate construction! I scorn that with my heels.
Beatrice
42 - 43- ’Tis almost five a’ clock, cousin, ’tis time you were ready.
- By my troth, I am exceeding ill. Heigh-ho!
From: Flowers from Shakespeare’s Garden
Walter Crane, 1909
Margaret
44- For a hawk, a horse, or a husband?
Beatrice
45- For the letter that begins them all, H.
Margaret
46 - 47- Well, and you be not turn’d Turk, there’s no more sailing by
- the star.
Beatrice
48- What means the fool, trow?
Margaret
49- Nothing I, but God send every one their heart’s desire!
Hero
50 - 51- These gloves the Count sent me, they are an excellent
- perfume.
Beatrice
52- I am stuff’d, cousin, I cannot smell.
Margaret
53- A maid, and stuff’d! There’s goodly catching of cold.
Beatrice
54 - 55- O, God help me, God help me, how long have you profess’d
- apprehension?
Margaret
56- Ever since you left it. Doth not my wit become me rarely?
Beatrice
57 - 58- It is not seen enough, you should wear it in your cap. By my
- troth, I am sick.
Margaret
59 - 60- Get you some of this distill’d carduus benedictus, and lay
- it to your heart; it is the only thing for a qualm.
Hero
61- There thou prick’st her with a thistle.
Beatrice
62 - 63- Benedictus! Why benedictus? You have some moral in this
- benedictus.
Margaret
64 - 74- Moral? No, by my troth I have no moral meaning, I meant
- plain holy-thistle. You may think perchance 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 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
75- What pace is this that thy tongue keeps?
Margaret
76- Not a false gallop.
- Enter Ursula.
Ursula
77 - 79- 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
80- Help to dress me, good coz, good Meg, good Ursula.
- Exeunt.
Ada Rehan as Beatrice
circa 1896