ACT IV. Scene I.

A church.

[Enter Don Pedro, [John the] Bastard, Leonato, Friar [Francis],
Claudio, Benedick, Hero, Beatrice, [and Attendants.]

Leon.
Come, Friar Francis, be brief. Only to the plain form of
marriage, and you shall recount their particular duties
afterwards.

Friar.
You come hither, my lord, to marry this lady?

Claud.
No.

Leon.
To be married to her. Friar, you come to marry her.

Friar.
Lady, you come hither to be married to this count?

Hero.
I do.

Friar.
If either of you know any inward impediment why you should not be
conjoined, I charge you on your souls to utter it.

Claud.
Know you any, Hero?

Hero.
None, my lord.

Friar.
Know you any, Count?

Leon.
I dare make his answer--none.

Claud.
O, what men dare do! what men may do! what men daily do, not
knowing what they do!

Bene.
How now? interjections? Why then, some be of laughing, as, ah,
ha, he!

Claud.
Stand thee by, friar. Father, by your leave:
Will you with free and unconstrained soul
Give me this maid your daughter?

Leon.
As freely, son, as God did give her me.

Claud.
And what have I to give you back whose worth
May counterpoise this rich and precious gift?

Pedro.
Nothing, unless you render her again.

Claud.
Sweet Prince, you learn me noble thankfulness.
There, Leonato, take her back again.
Give not this rotten orange to your friend.
She's but the sign and semblance of her honour.
Behold how like a maid she blushes here!
O, what authority and show of truth
Can cunning sin cover itself withal!
Comes not that blood as modest evidence
To witness simple virtue, Would you not swear,
All you that see her, that she were a maid
By these exterior shows? But she is none:
She knows the heat of a luxurious bed;
Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty.

Leon.
What do you mean, my lord?

Claud.
Not to be married,
Not to knit my soul to an approved wanton.

Leon.
Dear my lord, if you, in your own proof,
Have vanquish'd the resistance of her youth
And made defeat of her virginity--

Claud.
I know what you would say. If I have known her,
You will say she did embrace me as a husband,
And so extenuate the forehand sin.
No, Leonato,
I never tempted her with word too large,
But, as a brother to his sister, show'd
Bashful sincerity and comely love.

Hero.
And seem'd I ever otherwise to you?

Claud.
Out on the seeming! I will write against it.
You seem to me as Dian in her orb,
As chaste as is the bud ere it be blown;
But you are more intemperate in your blood
Than Venus, or those pamp'red animals
That rage in savage sensuality.

Hero.
Is my lord well that he doth speak so wide?

Leon.
Sweet Prince, why speak not you?

Pedro.
What should I speak?
I stand dishonour'd that have gone about
To link my dear friend to a common stale.

Leon.
Are these things spoken, or do I but dream?

John.
Sir, they are spoken, and these things are true.

Bene.
This looks not like a nuptial.

Hero.
'True!' O God!

Claud.
Leonato, stand I here?
Is this the Prince, Is this the Prince's brother?
Is this face Hero's? Are our eyes our own?

Leon.
All this is so; but what of this, my lord?

Claud.
Let me but move one question to your daughter,
And by that fatherly and kindly power
That you have in her, bid her answer truly.

Leon.
I charge thee do so, as thou art my child.

Hero.
O, God defend me! How am I beset!
What kind of catechising call you this?

Claud.
To make you answer truly to your name.

Hero.
Is it not Hero? Who can blot that name
With any just reproach?

Claud.
Marry, that can Hero!
 Hero itself can blot out Hero's virtue.
What man was he talk'd with you yesternight,
Out at your window betwixt twelve and one?
Now, if you are a maid, answer to this.

Hero.
I talk'd with no man at that hour, my lord.

Pedro.
Why, then are you no maiden. Leonato,
I am sorry you must hear. Upon my honour,
Myself, my brother, and this grieved Count
Did see her, hear her, at that hour last night
Talk with a ruffian at her chamber window,
Who hath indeed, most like a liberal villain,
Confess'd the vile encounters they have had
A thousand times in secret.

John.
Fie, fie! they are not to be nam'd, my lord--
Not to be spoke of;
There is not chastity, enough in language
Without offence to utter them. Thus, pretty lady,
I am sorry for thy much misgovernment.

Claud.
O Hero! what a Hero hadst thou been
If half thy outward graces had been plac'd
About thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart!
But fare thee well, most foul, most fair! Farewell,
Thou pure impiety and impious purity!
For thee I'll lock up all the gates of love,
And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang,
To turn all beauty into thoughts of harm,
And never shall it more be gracious.

Leon.
Hath no man's dagger here a point for me?

                                              [Hero swoons.]

Beat.
Why, how now, cousin? Wherefore sink you down?

John.
Come let us go. These things, come thus to light,
Smother her spirits up.

                  [Exeunt Don Pedro, Don Juan, and Claudio.]

Bene.
How doth the lady?

Beat.
Dead, I think. Help, uncle!
Hero! why, Hero! Uncle! Signior Benedick! Friar!

Leon.
O Fate, take not away thy heavy hand!
Death is the fairest cover for her shame
That may be wish'd for.

Beat.
How now, cousin Hero?

Friar.
Have comfort, lady.

Leon.
Dost thou look up?

Friar.
Yea, wherefore should she not?

Leon.
Wherefore? Why, doth not every earthly thing
Cry shame upon her? Could she here deny
The story that is printed in her blood?
Do not live, Hero; do not ope thine eyes;
For, did I think thou wouldst not quickly die,
Thought I thy spirits were stronger than thy shames,
Myself would on the rearward of reproaches
Strike at thy life. Griev'd I, I had but one?
Child I for that at frugal nature's frame?
O, one too much by thee! Why had I one?
Why ever wast thou lovely in my eyes?
Why had I not with charitable hand
Took up a beggar's issue at my gates,
Who smirched thus and mir'd with infamy,
I might have said, 'No part of it is mine;
This shame derives itself from unknown loins'?
But mine, and mine I lov'd, and mine I prais'd,
And mine that I was proud on--mine so much
That I myself was to myself not mine,
Valuing of her--why, she, O, she is fall'n
Into a pit of ink, that the wide sea
Hath drops too few to wash her clean again,
And salt too little which may season give
To her foul tainted flesh!

Bene.
Sir, sir, be patient.
For my part, I am so attir'd in wonder,
I know not what to say.

Beat.
O, on my soul, my cousin is belied!

Bene.
Lady, were you her bedfellow last night?

Beat.
No, truly, not; although, until last night,
I have this twelvemonth been her bedfellow.

Leon.
Confirm'd, confirm'd! O, that is stronger made
Which was before barr'd up with ribs of iron!
Would the two princes lie? and Claudio lie,
Who lov'd her so that, speaking of her foulness,
Wash'd it with tears? Hence from her! let her die.

Friar.
Hear me a little;
For I have only been silent so long,
And given way unto this course of fortune,
By noting of the lady. I have mark'd
A thousand blushing apparitions
To start into her face, a thousand innocent shames
In angel whiteness beat away those blushes,
And in her eye there hath appear'd a fire
To burn the errors that these princes hold
Against her maiden truth. Call me a fool;
Trust not my reading nor my observation,
Which with experimental seal doth warrant
The tenure of my book; trust not my age,
My reverence, calling, nor divinity,
If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here
Under some biting error.

Leon.
Friar, it cannot be.
Thou seest that all the grace that she hath left
Is that she will not add to her damnation
A sin of perjury: she not denies it.
Why seek'st thou then to cover with excuse
That which appears in proper nakedness?

Friar.
Lady, what man is he you are accus'd of?

Hero.
They know that do accuse me; I know none.
If I know more of any man alive
Than that which maiden modesty doth warrant,
Let all my sins lack mercy! O my father,
Prove you that any man with me convers'd
At hours unmeet, or that I yesternight
Maintain'd the change of words with any creature,
Refuse me, hate me, torture me to death!

Friar.
There is some strange misprision in the princes.

Bene.
Two of them have the very bent of honour;
And if their wisdoms be misled in this,
The practice of it lives in John the bastard,
Whose spirits toil in frame of villanies.

Leon.
I know not. If they speak but truth of her,
These hands shall tear her. If they wrong her honour,
The proudest of them shall well hear of it.
Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine,
Nor age so eat up my invention,
Nor fortune made such havoc of my means,
Nor my bad life reft me so much of friends,
But they shall find awak'd in such a kind
Both strength of limb and policy of mind,
Ability in means, and choice of friends,
To quit me of them throughly.

Friar.
Pause awhile
And let my counsel sway you in this case.
Your daughter here the princes left for dead,
Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed;
Maintain a mourning ostentation,
And on your family's old monument
Hang mournful epitaphs, and do all rites
That appertain unto a burial.

Leon.
What shall become of this? What will this do?

Friar.
Marry, this well carried shall on her behalf
Change slander to remorse. That is some good.
But not for that dream I on this strange course,
But on this travail look for greater birth.
She dying, as it must be so maintain'd,
Upon the instant that she was accus'd,
Shall be lamented, pitied, and excus'd
Of every hearer; for it so falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lack'd and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
Whiles it was ours. So will it fare with Claudio.
When he shall hear she died upon his words,
Th' idea of her life shall sweetly creep
Into his study of imagination,
And every lovely organ of her life
Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit,
More moving, delicate, and full of life,
Into the eye and prospect of his soul
Than when she liv'd indeed. Then shall he mourn
(If ever love had interest in his liver)
And wish he had not so accused her--
No, though he thought his accusation true.
Let this be so, and doubt not but success
Will fashion the event in better shape
Than I can lay it down in likelihood.
But if all aim but this be levell'd false,
The supposition of the lady's death
Will quench the wonder of her infamy.
And if it sort not well, you may conceal her,
As best befits her wounded reputation,
In some reclusive and religious life,
Out of all eyes, tongues, minds, and injuries.

Bene.
Signior Leonato, let the friar advise you;
And though you know my inwardness and love
Is very much unto the Prince and Claudio,
Yet, by mine honour, I will deal in this
As secretly and justly as your soul
Should with your body.

Leon.
Being that I flow in grief,
The smallest twine may lead me.

Friar.
'Tis well consented. Presently away;
For to strange sores strangely they strain the cure.
Come, lady, die to live. This wedding day
Perhaps is but prolong'd. Have patience and endure.

                     [Exeunt all but Benedick and Beatrice.]

Bene.
Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?

Beat.
Yea, and I will weep a while longer.

Bene.
I will not desire that.

Beat.
You have no reason. I do it freely.

Bene.
Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wronged.

Beat.
Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her!

Bene.
Is there any way to show such friendship?

Beat.
A very even way, but no such friend.

Bene.
May a man do it?

Beat.
It is a man's office, but not yours.

Bene.
I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that
strange?

Beat.
As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to
say I loved nothing so well as you. But believe me not; and yet I
lie not. I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my
cousin.

Bene.
By my sword, Beatrice, thou lovest me.

Beat.
Do not swear, and eat it.

Bene.
I will swear by it that you love me, and I will make him eat it
that says I love not you.

Beat.
Will you not eat your word?

Bene.
With no sauce that can be devised to it. I protest I love thee.

Beat.
Why then, God forgive me!

Bene.
What offence, sweet Beatrice?

Beat.
You have stayed me in a happy hour. I was about to protest I
loved you.

Bene.
And do it with all thy heart.

Beat.
I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.

Bene.
Come, bid me do anything for thee.

Beat.
Kill Claudio.

Bene.
Ha! not for the wide world!

Beat.
You kill me to deny it. Farewell.

Bene.
Tarry, sweet Beatrice.

Beat.
I am gone, though I am here. There is no love in you.  Nay, I
pray you let me go.

Bene.
Beatrice--

Beat.
In faith, I will go.

Bene.
We'll be friends first.

Beat.
You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy.

Bene.
Is Claudio thine enemy?

Beat.
Is 'a not approved in the height a villain, that hath slandered,
scorned, dishonoured my kinswoman? O that I were a man! What?
bear her in hand until they come to take hands,
and then with public accusation, uncover'd slander, unmitigated
rancour--O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the
market place.

Bene.
Hear me, Beatrice!

Beat.
Talk with a man out at a window!-a proper saying!

Bene.
Nay but Beatrice--

Beat.
Sweet Hero! she is wrong'd, she is sland'red, she is undone.

Bene.
Beat--

Beat.
Princes and Counties! Surely a princely testimony, a goodly
count, Count Comfect, a sweet gallant surely! O that I were a man
for his sake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my
sake! But manhood is melted into cursies, valour into compliment,
and men are only turn'd into tongue, and trim ones too. He is now
as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie,and swears it. I
cannot be a man with wishing; therefore I will die a woman with
grieving.

Bene.
Tarry, good Beatrice. By this hand, I love thee.

Beat.
Use it for my love some other way than swearing by it.

Bene.
Think you in your soul the Count Claudio hath wrong'd Hero?

Beat.
Yea, as sure is I have a thought or a soul.

Bene.
Enough, I am engag'd, I will challenge him. I will kiss your
hand, and so I leave you. By this hand, Claudio shall render me a
dear account. As you hear of me, so think of me. Go comfort your
cousin. I must say she is dead-and so farewell.

                                                   [Exeunt.]

The people are all gathered in the church to witness the wedding between Hero and Claudio. Leonato tells Friar Francis to hurry up. The Friar asks Claudio if he has come to marry Hero, to which Claudio replies, "No". Leonato ignore the answer by playing with words to give it a different meaning, but Claudio interjects when asked if anyone knows why they should not be married. He tells Leonato, "Give not this rotten orange to your friend" and accuses Hero of infidelity. Don Pedro also refuses to defend Hero's honor, telling Leonato that he watched with his own eyes as Hero embraced another man the night before. Claudio cries out, "O Hero. What a Hero hadst thou been" before once again saying farewell to her forever. But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell". Hero faints and falls to the ground. Don John, Don Pedro and Claudio all leave the church. Beatrice runs up and tries to help her cousin, but Leonato tells her that, "Death is the fairest cover for her shame". Leonato then tells them that he is ashamed to have had such a daughter and that he wishes she had never been born. Benedick says, "Sir, sir, be patient. For my part, I am so attired in wonder /I know not what to say". Friar Francis tells them to stop attacking Hero. He tells them that by noting her complexion and the way she reacted, he has become convinced that she is actually guiltless. Hero awakes and tells them that she has know idea what man Claudio thinks he saw her with. Leonato swears that if she is lying, he will hurt her, but if Claudio and Don Pedro maliciously harmed her honor then he will be avenged on them. Friar Francis tells Leonato to pretend that Hero has died of shame. He tells Leonato that if Hero pretends to be dead, instead of remembering her dishonor people will pity her and even Claudio will regret his words. Benedick promises to keep the secret as well, in spite of his intimacy with Claudio. Everyone agrees to the plan and leaves. Only Benedick and Beatrice remain behind. They both declare their love for each other and Benedick asks her to make him do anything to affirm how much he loves her. Beatrice famously replies, "Kill Claudio". Benedick at first says he will never do such a thing, and Beatrice tells him he does not really love her then. She tries to leave, but Benedick repents his answer and stops her. He tells her that he will challenge Claudio for her

The fear of the men that they will be cuckolds is inherent in the scene where Claudio accuses Hero in the church. Leonato falsely thinks he has noted that she is guilty. Claudio further insults him by stating, "Give not this rotten orange to your friend" . Hero's fainting is taken as sign of her guilt, leading Leonato to tell Beatrice that, "Death is the fairest cover for her shame" . This is part of the social norms, it is Leonato's way of avoiding humiliation. Leonato chooses Hero's death in order to protect his reputation and avoid embarrassment. Claudio now mimics the first time he thinks he has lost Hero. "But fare thee well, most foul, most fair, farewell" . This is virtually identical to 2.1.173. The audience by this point can tell that Claudio is a bad reader; after all, he makes the same mistake twice! He is also the most unfriendly lover in Shakespeare. Claudio dotes on Hero in his mind but prefers to choose male bonding over marriage. This becomes even more apparent in the next act when Claudio and Don Pedro mock Benedick together; Claudio shows no remorse for Hero's death and appears positively triumphant in having killed her. It is interesting to note that Benedick becomes speechless when Hero is accused. Benedick says, "Sir, sir, be patient. / For my part, I am so attired in wonder / I know not what to say" . This marks the first time that he is unable to comment on the proceedings around him. For Benedick, it also moves him away from his male companions and his jocular talking and towards Beatrice, with whom he is more serious and less verbal. Of all the men and women present at the wedding, only Friar Francis actually "notes" Hero. He says, "By noting of the lady...trust not my age...If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here" . The Friar is correct as we all know, and his choice of words, "by noting of the lady" is significant. It is the first time that anyone points out to the characters what we all know to be true; they fail to note what is happing around them. Friar Francis is similar to Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet. He tries to save Hero by making her seem dead. "Come, lady, die to live" . This parallels the death of Juliet. The later marriage between Hero and Claudio will serve as a resurrection moment. Thus Friar Francis plays God with Hero's life and later resurrects her in a shroud of death. One of the most significant lines is when Beatrice tells Benedick to "Kill Claudio" . She asks this as a way for Benedick to prove his love for her. Her demand essentially forces Benedick to choose between the brotherly love of men and the loyalty of a man to his wife. Beatrice knows that she must destroy Benedick's former male bonding. Her order is therefore a command for Benedick to support her against Claudio, and represents the only way for them to have a mature relationship. Much Ado About Nothing is the only comedy in which no woman dresses as a man to influence the plot. Beatrice comes closest to this function, saying, "O God that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place" . She cannot take revenge on Claudio herself, indicating the power of the men in Messina. Beatrice therefore falls back on her wit to get Benedick to challenge Claudio. For the first time sense is made out of the nonsense of the plot. This is done by the Sexton who cuts through Dogberry's nonsense. It is a crucial turning point in the play, akin to when Friar Francis notes Hero's innocence, because someone finally notes what is wrong and forces it to be clarified.

Leonato suggests that Friar Francis use a short wedding ceremony to marry Claudio and Hero. In answer to the friar's first question, "You come . . . to marry this lady?" Claudio answers "No." Leonato assumes Claudio is joking and explains that the Friar is marrying them, that Claudio is being married to Hero. The friar proceeds and soon comes to the question about knowing any "impediment why you should not be conjoined." Claudio challenges Hero, Leonato nervously tries to move the ceremony along, but Claudio chooses to delay further, finally denouncing Hero as a "rotten orange," blushing with guilt, a "wanton," "more intemperate than . . . Venus" or animals that "rage in savage sensuality." Don Pedro joins the condemnation, calling her a "common stale" . Claudio asks Hero who appeared with her in her window last night, and she denies any such appearance. Don Pedro reports that he, Claudio, and Don John all saw her there. Hero faints, and the three accusers leave. Surprisingly, Leonato immediately accepts the lies and wishes both himself and Hero dead. He rages against her while Beatrice maintains that Hero is innocent. Benedick wants to believe Beatrice. The friar also speaks up for Hero's innocence, suspects that Don Pedro and Claudio are mistaken, and proposes that they hide Hero away and pretend that she is dead from the shock of the accusation while they try to find out what has really happened. Benedick believes that Don John is somehow at the bottom of the false accusation rather than Claudio or Don Pedro. Everyone agrees to carry out this new deception, hoping that Claudio will realize what he has done and return to grieve over her. Beatrice and Benedick are left alone. Benedick seems as sure of Hero's innocence as Beatrice is. At last they proclaim their love for one another. Benedick then asks how to prove his love for Beatrice, and she asks him to kill Claudio. After his initial protests that he cannot kill his friend, he finally agrees to challenge Claudio for the sake of Beatrice's love.

This pivotal scene contains two contrasting dramatic moments, both of which are climactic turning points in the plot: the denunciation of Hero by Claudio and Don Pedro, which leads to Claudio's abandonment of Hero -- a moment of great sorrow for all but Don John; and the admission by both Beatrice and Benedick of their love for each other -- a moment of great joy under other circumstances. Following the false denunciation, however, the accusation serves primarily to force Benedick to prove his love by carrying out Beatrice's demand that he challenge and perhaps kill Claudio. Margaret is not present at the wedding although we would expect her to attend her mistress at the wedding. Because she does not hear the question about who was in the window the preceding night, Margaret cannot protest the accusation against her mistress, admitting it was she, Margaret, at the window with Borachio. Almost every character in the play reacts in a significant, character-defining manner to the denunciation of Hero -- some predictably, some quite surprising: Hero has her most dramatic moments of the play in this scene but is still quite subdued in her reactions, including a ladylike faint. As we knew from a preceding scene, Claudio and Don Pedro are prepared to denounce Hero, believing they have seen her infidelity with their own eyes. Although Claudio's vehemence is a little surprising, the behavior of Claudio and Don Pedro at the wedding is predictable. Don John twists the blade a little further in his pleasure at how well his conniving has worked. Don Pedro only serves to back up Claudio, never suspecting his brother's sudden loyalty and support. He seems a weaker man for having been so readily taken in by his brother. Leonato demonstrates how susceptible he is to the opinions of others. He is so eager to have the wedding take place that he first asks for a short ceremony; later he tries to hasten the wedding along by putting words in the mouths of both Claudio and the friar. After Claudio's angry name-calling of Hero, Leonato immediately accepts the accusations about his own daughter and wishes her dead for her disgrace, demonstrating how quickly he ignores all his history as Hero's father to accept the word of a young nobleman. Soon the fickle Leonato changes again, agreeing to follow the friar's scheme to hide Hero and hold Claudio responsible for her "death." Leonato's own words seem to characterize his behavior: ". . . the smallest twine may lead me." Friar Francis emerges from being a necessary but insignificant character in the play, to being the voice of reason that changes the course of events with his plan for uncovering the truth. Beatrice emerges as the strongest character of all. Never does she doubt her cousin's innocence. Even in the moment of acknowledging her love for Benedick, her first thought is for justice for Hero -- by killing Claudio, the accuser. In the midst of her fury about Hero, it is easy to miss the ardor of her confession of love for Benedick: Beatrice: I was about to protest  I love you.  Benedick: And do it with all thy heart.  Beatrice: I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest. Benedick is torn between his loyalties: He wants to support Beatrice, but he is loyal to his friends Claudio and Don Pedro, knowing they cannot have made this accusation without good reason. Thus, he is the first to suggest that "John the Bastard" is somehow behind this false accusation. Then, in the scene alone with Beatrice, he hardly knows how to console her and yet protect his friends. He lets his love lead the way, beginning with his ardent declaration: "I do love nothing in the world so well as you." Although he balks at killing Claudio outright at Beatrice's suggestion, he promises to challenge him and bring him to account. Just as the role of Beatrice meets its emotional peak in this scene, so does the role of Benedick, who must reflect conflicting loyalties and affections in a man who has been openly disdainful of relationships and love.

The scene is highly eventful. Don John convinces Claudio that Hero has enjoyed the pleasure of another man's company. With his own eyes, he has "noted"  and therefore he believes. Claudio calls his once beloved Hero a "rotten orange", a "wanton" who should be returned to her father. Hero is too shocked to respond to the accusation and she faints. Don Pedro, Claudio, and Don John abandon her, presuming she is dead. Hero regains consciousness and pleads her innocence. The Friar, in contrast to Claudio, believes Hero at once, and trusts her implicitly. He is the only one aside from Beatrice who trusts Hero's innocence. He is ingenious enough to publicize her burial at the family tomb. He suggests to Leonato and the others present that the world should continue to believe that Hero is dead. He is sure of the fact that Claudio will eventually trust his intuition and pine for his true love, Hero, forgiving her for the crime he believes she has committed. The various rites appropriate to a burial are to be performed to confirm this 'belief' that Hero has died. At the end of the scene Benedick tells Beatrice that he loves her. She challenges Benedick to prove his love for her by murdering Claudio. In the meantime, Leonato expresses his lack of faith in Hero and curses himself and her as well.

Notes The scene begins with the conventional preparations for the wedding. The Friar asks the guests and the couple themselves for their consent to the ritual. But Claudio's response is dramatic. He returns Hero to Leonato on his offer of giving away the bride. Thus it is ironic that the marriage that had been well planned and much anticipated does not take place. The occasion does, however result in the announcement by both Beatrice and Benedick that they love one another. But the occasion brings Beatrice and Benedick together. The reader's admiration for Claudio gives way to aversion. Benedick's move is appreciable. At the same time, Leonato's response is disgraceful. Don Pedro's gallantry is no longer impressive. Benedick's ironic statement, "This looks not like a nuptial" is very realistic and sounds on the oft-repeated theme of "noting". Claudio's responses: "Is this Hero's face? Are our eyes our own?" And later, "And on my eyelids shall conjecture hang." are significant in that they are illusions which cloud his eyes and perception. Claudio and Leonato pressure Hero to speak the truth. When she does not confess to what is in reality a falsehood, it is strange that Claudio conceives the truth of her confession as false on his earlier prodding "Out on thee seeming!" Her appearance of innocence is misunderstood as deceit. The audience is aware of Hero's innocence, but none of the characters have noted the telling events, save Dogberry and Verges, who are unable to elucidate them. Leonato is swayed by the charges. His curses against himself and his daughter are obnoxious. His character appears offensive at this point.

During the wedding, Claudio disrupts the ceremony by publicly revealing what he saw last night of "Hero's" infidelity and shame. He spurns her and condemns her as an impure disgrace. Shocked, Leonato and Hero feebly try to calm him down and make him listen to reason. Don Pedro, however, confirms Claudio's story, to Hero's utter bewilderment. She faints in the confusion and Don Pedro, Don John and Claudio leave. Beatrice tries to awaken her cousin and fears that she is dead. Leonato prays that she is dead, for he believes that if she lives she will be forever tainted with shame. Beatrice says that although she did not sleep in the same room as Hero last night, she is sure of her cousin's innocence. Friar Francis agrees with Beatrice. He says that when Claudio accused Hero, she was shocked and aghast, not red-faced with hidden shame. Leonato swears to condemn Hero if the princes' story is true and kill them if it is false. Friar Francis comes up with an imaginative solution to Hero's problem. He suggests that a public decree be published stating that Hero died exactly at the moment Claudio accused her, although she is really alive. The friar believes that once Claudio learns that his love is dead, contempt will change into remorse and he will mourn and love her more than ever. Benedick agrees to fight with Don Pedro and Claudio over Hero's honour. Beatrice, who has been crying with grief all this time for her cousin, tells Benedick that a noble man would avenge Hero's shame. They both confess their love for each other; however, Beatrice will not marry Benedick until the truth about Hero is learned. Benedick swears to seek out Claudio and attack him for his malice.


Scene II.

A prison.

[Enter the Constables [Dogberry and Verges] and the Sexton, in
gowns, [and the Watch, with Conrade and] Borachio.]

Dog.
Is our whole dissembly appear'd?

Verg.
O, a stool and a cushion for the sexton.

Sex.
Which be the malefactors?

Dog.
Marry, that am I and my partner.

Verg.
Nay, that's certain. We have the exhibition to examine.

Sex.
But which are the offenders that are to be examined? let them
come before Master Constable.

Dog.
Yea, marry, let them come before me. What is your name, friend?

Bor.
Borachio.

Dog.
Pray write down Borachio. Yours, sirrah?

Con.
I am a gentleman, sir, and my name is Conrade.

Dog.
Write down Master Gentleman Conrade. Masters, do you serve God?

Both.
Yea, sir, we hope.

Dog.
Write down that they hope they serve God; and write God first,
for God defend but God should go before such villains!  Masters,
it is proved already that you are little better than false
knaves, and it will go near to be thought so shortly. How answer
you for yourselves?

Con.
Marry, sir, we say we are none.

Dog.
A marvellous witty fellow, I assure you; but I will go about with
him. Come you hither, sirrah. A word in your ear. Sir, I say to
you, it is thought you are false knaves.

Bora.
Sir, I say to you we are none.

Dog.
Well, stand aside. Fore God, they are both in a tale.
Have you writ down that they are none?

Sex.
Master Constable, you go not the way to examine. You must call
forth the watch that are their accusers.

Dog.
Yea, marry, that's the eftest way. Let the watch come forth.
Masters, I charge you in the Prince's name accuse these men.

1. Watch.
This man said, sir, that Don John the Prince's brother was a
villain.

Dog.
Write down Prince John a villain. Why, this is flat perjury, to
call a prince's brother villain.

Bora.
Master Constable--

Dog.
Pray thee, fellow, peace. I do not like thy look, I promise thee.

Sex.
What heard you him say else?

2. Watch.
Marry, that he had received a thousand ducats of Don John for
accusing the Lady Hero wrongfully.

Dog.
Flat burglary as ever was committed.

Verg.
Yea, by th' mass, that it is.

Sex.
What else, fellow?

1. Watch.
And that Count Claudio did mean, upon his words, to disgrace Hero
before the whole assembly, and not marry her.

Dog.
O villain! thou wilt be condemn'd into everlasting redemption for
this.

Sex.
What else?

Watchmen.
This is all.

Sex.
And this is more, masters, than you can deny. Prince John is this
morning secretly stol'n away. Hero was in this manner accus'd, in
this manner refus'd, and upon the grief of this
suddenly died. Master Constable, let these men be bound and
brought to Leonato's. I will go before and show him their
examination.                                         [Exit.]

Dog.
Come, let them be opinion'd.

Verg.
Let them be in the hands--

Con.
Off, coxcomb!

Dog.
God's my life, where's the sexton? Let him write down the
Prince's officer coxcomb. Come, bind them.--Thou naughty varlet!

Con.
Away! you are an ass, you are an ass.

Dog.
Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years? O
that he were here to write me down an ass! But, masters, remember
that I am an ass. Though it be not written down, yet forget not
that I am an ass. No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as
shall be prov'd upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow;
and which is more, an officer; and which is more, a householder;
and which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in
Messina, and one that knows the law, go to! and a rich fellow
enough, go to! and a fellow that hath had losses; and one that
hath two gowns and everything handsome about him. Bring him away.
O that I had been writ down an ass!
                                                     [Exeunt.]

Dogberry has brought Borachio and Conrad before the Town Clerk and is interrogating them. Everything is carefully written down to avoid any mistakes. Dogberry is completely incompetent as an examiner, but the Sexton takes charge and orders the watchman who arrested them to step forward. He relates that he overheard them discussing the plot against Hero's reputation. The sexton informs the men that they cannot deny the charge since Don John secretly stole away that morning. He further tells them that Hero was accused by Claudio in the church and died from humiliation. The men are bound and ordered to be taken to Leonato

Dogberry, his men, and the sexton prepare to examine the prisoners Borachio and Conrade about their crime. The bumbling questioning by Dogberry first brings denials that Borachio and Conrade are "false knaves." The sexton asks that the witnesses be called to give their testimony on what they heard. George Seacoal, the watchman, gives his evidence, reporting Borachio's overheard statement to Conrade that Don John was a villain who had bribed him to accuse Hero falsely. Borachio does not deny this. The sexton tells all of them that Don John has secretly gone away and that Hero has died. He instructs that the prisoners be brought to Leonato for judgment, and Conrade makes one final attempt to insult Dogberry, calling him "an ass," to which Dogberry takes great offense.

This brief scene makes Don John's treachery public, despite the clumsy examination by Dogberry and Verges. The prisoners first deny any wrongdoing when questioned by Dogberry, but after the specific evidence of watchman George Seacoal, their silence seems to be an admission of guilt. Conrade reacts with one final insult, to which Dogberry responds at some length, disappointed that the insult was not written into the testimony: "Oh, that I had been writ down an ass!" One sign of Shakespeare's genius is his treatment of many secondary characters. Less skilled playwrights tend to give depth of character only to the primary characters, using the secondary characters to move the plot forward in some way, but without distinction among those secondary roles. Even with the relatively brief appearances of Borachio and Conrade, we catch glimpses of significant differences between their personalities and attitudes. Until this scene, Borachio appeared to be the more villainous of Don John's men: He first eavesdropped on Don Pedro and Claudio; he later proposed the window scene with Margaret; he relished his accomplishment to Conrade in the scene in which they were themselves overheard . But when he learns of the disappearance of Don John  and of Hero's apparent death, he seems more subdued, not joining Conrade in the final insult of Dogberry. Furthermore, in the next scene, Borachio freely confesses and, in fact, regrets his actions, expects punishment, and exonerates Margaret. In earlier scenes, we have seen differences between the personalities and attitudes of Ursula and Margaret. Even the men of the watch were shown to be different from one another in their first scene . In the present scene, their straightforward reports of few words solve the crime -- in sharp contrast to the reports given by Dogberry and Verges. Ironically, the play's resolution rests on the testimony of two minor characters who have little to say -- at least competently.

Dogberry interrogates the two culprits, Borachio and Conrade, and their statements are recorded by the Sexton. They now need to be brought before Leonato, the governor, for action to be taken against them.

Notes This is a humorous, relief-filled scene. The comic interlude is meant to cheer the audience and provide an avenue for resolution of the conflict. Dogberry and Verges are amusing with their foolish dialogue and malapropisms. "Dissembly" is used for the word "assembly"; "perjury" for "sedition"; "burglary" for "bribery"; "redemption" for "damnation." Verges uses the word "exhibition" for "commission." The humor is further derived from Dogberry's insistence that the word "ass" should also be recorded because Conrade has called him one. The comic interlude is a necessary part of relieving the tension brought on in previous scenes, especially in the comedies.

The watchmen Dogberry and Verges are in prison, trying to coerce written confessions of their crimes from Borachio and Conrade. A second watchman states that Conrade receive 1,000 ducats for wrongfully accusing Hero. A sexton informs the group that Don John has fled the country and that Hero is dead. Dogberry and Verges lead the prisoners away for further questioning.


ACT V. Scene I.

The street, near Leonato's house.
[Enter Leonato and his brother Antonio.]

Ant.
If you go on thus, you will kill yourself,
And 'tis not wisdom thus to second grief
Against yourself.

Leon.
I pray thee cease thy counsel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a sieve. Give not me counsel,
Nor let no comforter delight mine ear
But such a one whose wrongs do suit with mine.
Bring me a father that so lov'd his child,
Whose joy of her is overwhelm'd like mine,
And bid him speak to me of patience.
Measure his woe the length and breadth of mine,
And let it answer every strain for strain,
As thus for thus, and such a grief for such,
In every lineament, branch, shape, and form.
If such a one will smile and stroke his beard,
Bid sorrow wag, cry 'hem' when he should groan,
Patch grief with proverbs, make misfortune drunk
With candle-wasters--bring him yet to me,
And I of him will gather patience.
But there is no such man; for, brother, men
Can counsel and speak comfort to that grief
Which they themselves not feel; but, tasting it,
Their counsel turns to passion, which before
Would give preceptial medicine to rage,
Fetter strong madness in a silken thread,
Charm ache with air and agony with words.
No, no! 'Tis all men's office to speak patience
To those that wring under the load of sorrow,
But no man's virtue nor sufficiency
To be so moral when he shall endure
The like himself. Therefore give me no counsel.
My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

Ant.
Therein do men from children nothing differ.

Leon.
I pray thee peace. I will be flesh and blood;
For there was never yet philosopher
That could endure the toothache patiently,
However they have writ the style of gods
And made a push at chance and sufferance.

Ant.
Yet bend not all the harm upon yourself.
Make those that do offend you suffer too.

Leon.
There thou speak'st reason. Nay, I will do so.
My soul doth tell me Hero is belied;
And that shall Claudio know; so shall the Prince,
And all of them that thus dishonour her.
          [Enter Don Pedro and Claudio.]

Ant.
Here comes the Prince and Claudio hastily.

Pedro.
Good den, Good den.

Claud.
Good day to both of you.

Leon.
Hear you, my lords!

Pedro.
We have some haste, Leonato.

Leon.
Some haste, my lord! well, fare you well, my lord.
Are you so hasty now? Well, all is one.

Pedro.
Nay, do not quarrel with us, good old man.

Ant.
If he could right himself with quarrelling,
Some of us would lie low.

Claud.
Who wrongs him?

Leon.
Marry, thou dost wrong me, thou dissembler, thou!
Nay, never lay thy hand upon thy sword;
I fear thee not.

Claud.
Marry, beshrew my hand
If it should give your age such cause of fear.
In faith, my hand meant nothing to my sword.

Leon.
Tush, tush, man! never fleer and jest at me
I speak not like a dotard nor a fool,
As under privilege of age to brag
What I have done being young, or what would do,
Were I not old. Know, Claudio, to thy head,
Thou hast so wrong'd mine innocent child and me
That I am forc'd to lay my reverence by
And, with grey hairs and bruise of many days,
Do challenge thee to trial of a man.
I say thou hast belied mine innocent child;
Thy slander hath gone through and through her heart,
And she lies buried with her ancestors-
O, in a tomb where never scandal slept,
Save this of hers, fram'd by thy villany!

Claud.
My villany?

Leon.
Thine, Claudio; thine I say.

Pedro.
You say not right, old man.

Leon.
My lord, my lord,
I'll prove it on his body if he dare,
Despite his nice fence and his active practice,
His May of youth and bloom of lustihood.

Claud.
Away! I will not have to do with you.

Leon.
Canst thou so daff me? Thou hast kill'd my child.
If thou kill'st me, boy, thou shalt kill a man.

Ant.
He shall kill two of us, and men indeed
But that's no matter; let him kill one first.
Win me and wear me! Let him answer me.
Come, follow me, boy,. Come, sir boy, come follow me.
Sir boy, I'll whip you from your foining fence!
Nay, as I am a gentleman, I will.

Leon.
Brother--

Ant.
Content yourself. God knows I lov'd my niece,
And she is dead, slander'd to death by villains,
That dare as well answer a man indeed
As I dare take a serpent by the tongue.
Boys, apes, braggarts, jacks, milksops!

Leon.
Brother Anthony--
Ant.

Hold you content. What, man! I know them, yea,
And what they weigh, even to the utmost scruple,
Scambling, outfacing, fashion-monging boys,
That lie and cog and flout, deprave and slander,
Go anticly, show outward hideousness,
And speak off half a dozen dang'rous words,
How they might hurt their enemies, if they durst;
And this is all.

Leon.
But, brother Anthony--

Ant.
Come, 'tis no matter.
 Do not you meddle; let me deal in this.

Pedro.
Gentlemen both, we will not wake your patience.
My heart is sorry for your daughter's death;
But, on my honour, she was charg'd with nothing
But what was true, and very full of proof.

Leon.
My lord, my lord--

Pedro.
I will not hear you.

Leon.
No? Come, brother, away!--I will be heard.

Ant.
And shall, or some of us will smart for it.
                                                [Exeunt ambo.]
              [Enter Benedick.]

Pedro.
See, see! Here comes the man we went to seek.

Claud.
Now, signior, what news?

Bene.
Good day, my lord.

Pedro.
Welcome, signior. You are almost come to part almost a fray.

Claud.
We had lik'd to have had our two noses snapp'd off with two old
men without teeth.

Pedro.
Leonato and his brother. What think'st thou? Had we fought, I
doubt we should have been too young for them.

Bene.
In a false quarrel there is no true valour. I came to seek you
both.

Claud.
We have been up and down to seek thee; for we are high-proof
melancholy, and would fain have it beaten away. Wilt thou use thy
wit?

Bene.
It is in my scabbard. Shall I draw it?

Pedro.
Dost thou wear thy wit by thy side?

Claud.
Never any did so, though very many have been beside their wit. I
will bid thee draw, as we do the minstrel--draw to pleasure us.

Pedro.
As I am an honest man, he looks pale. Art thou sick or angry?

Claud.
What, courage, man! What though care kill'd a cat, thou hast
mettle enough in thee to kill care.

Bene.
Sir, I shall meet your wit in the career an you charge it against
me. I pray you choose another subject.

Claud.
Nay then, give him another staff; this last was broke cross.
Pedro.
By this light, he changes more and more. I think he be angry
indeed.

Claud.
If he be, he knows how to turn his girdle.

Bene.
Shall I speak a word in your ear?

Claud.
God bless me from a challenge!

Bene.
[aside to Claudio] You are a villain. I jest not; I will make it
good how you dare, with what you dare, and when you dare.  Do me
right, or I will protest your cowardice. You have kill'd a sweet
lady, and her death shall fall heavy on you. Let me hear from
you.

Claud.
Well, I will meet you, so I may have good cheer.

Pedro.
What, a feast, a feast?

Claud.
I' faith, I thank him, he hath bid me to a calve's head and a
capon, the which if I do not carve most curiously, say my knife's
naught. Shall I not find a woodcock too?

Bene.
Sir, your wit ambles well; it goes easily.

Pedro.
I'll tell thee how Beatrice prais'd thy wit the other day.  I
said thou hadst a fine wit: 'True,' said she, 'a fine little
one.' 'No,' said I, 'a great wit.' 'Right,' says she, 'a great
gross one.' 'Nay,' said I, 'a good wit.' 'Just,' said she, 'it
hurts nobody.' 'Nay,' said I, 'the gentleman is wise.'
'Certain,' said she, a wise gentleman.' 'Nay,' said I, 'he hath
the tongues.' 'That I believe' said she, 'for he swore a thing to
me on Monday night which he forswore on Tuesday morning. There's
a double tongue; there's two tongues.' Thus did she an hour
together transshape thy particular virtues. Yet at last she
concluded with a sigh, thou wast the proper'st man in Italy.

Claud.
For the which she wept heartily and said she cared not.

Pedro.
Yea, that she did; but yet, for all that, an if she did not hate
him deadly, she would love him dearly. The old man's daughter
told us all.

Claud.
All, all! and moreover, God saw him when he was hid in the
garden.

Pedro.
But when shall we set the savage bull's horns on the sensible
Benedick's head?

Claud.
Yea, and text underneath, 'Here dwells Benedick, the married
man'?

Bene.
Fare you well, boy; you know my mind. I will leave you now to
your gossiplike humour. You break jests as braggards do their
blades, which God be thanked hurt not. My lord, for your many
courtesies I thank you. I must discontinue your company. Your
brother the bastard is fled from Messina. You have among you
kill'd a sweet and innocent lady. For my Lord Lackbeard there, he
and I shall meet; and till then peace be with him.
                                                     [Exit.]

Pedro.
He is in earnest.

Claud.
In most profound earnest; and, I'll warrant you, for the love of
Beatrice.

Pedro.
And hath challeng'd thee.

Claud.
Most sincerely.

Pedro.
What a pretty thing man is when he goes in his doublet and hose
and leaves off his wit!
[Enter Constables Dogberry and Verges, with the Watch, leading
Conrade and Borachio.]

Claud.
He is then a giant to an ape; but then is an ape a doctor to such
a man.

Pedro.
But, soft you, let me be! Pluck up, my heart, and be sad!
Did he not say my brother was fled?

Dog.
Come you, sir. If justice cannot tame you, she shall ne'er weigh
more reasons in her balance. Nay, an you be a cursing hypocrite
once, you must be look'd to.

Pedro.
How now? two of my brother's men bound? Borachio one.

Claud.
Hearken after their offence, my lord.

Pedro.
Officers, what offence have these men done?

Dog.
Marry, sir, they have committed false report; moreover, they have
spoken untruths; secondarily, they are slanders; sixth and
lastly, they have belied a lady; thirdly, they have verified
unjust things; and to conclude, they are lying knaves.

Pedro.
First, I ask thee what they have done; thirdly, I ask thee what's
their offence; sixth and lastly, why they are committed; and to
conclude, what you lay to their charge.

Claud.
Rightly reasoned, and in his own division; and by my troth
there's one meaning well suited.

Pedro.
Who have you offended, masters, that you are thus bound to your
answer? This learned constable is too cunning to be understood.
What's your offence?

Bora.
Sweet Prince, let me go no farther to mine answer. Do you hear
me, and let this Count kill me. I have deceived even your very
eyes. What your wisdoms could not discover, these
shallow fools have brought to light, who in the night overheard
me confessing to this man, how Don John your brother incensed me
to slander the Lady Hero; how you were brought into the orchard
and saw me court Margaret in Hero's garments; how you disgrac'd
her when you should marry her. My villany they have upon record,
which I had rather seal with my death than repeat over to my
shame. The lady is dead upon mine and my master's false
accusation; and briefly, I desire nothing but the reward of a
villain.

Pedro.
Runs not this speech like iron through your blood?

Claud.
I have drunk poison whiles he utter'd it.
Pedro.

But did my brother set thee on to this?

Bora.
Yea, and paid me richly for the practice of it.

Pedro.
He is compos'd and fram'd of treachery,
And fled he is upon this villany.

Claud.
Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear
In the rare semblance that I lov'd it first.

Dog.
Come, bring away the plaintiffs. By this time our sexton hath
reformed Signior Leonato of the matter. And, masters, do not
forget to specify, when time and place shall serve, that I am an
ass.

Verg.
Here, here comes Master Signior Leonato, and the sexton too.
     [Enter Leonato, his brother [Antonio], and the Sexton.]

Leon.
Which is the villain? Let me see his eyes,
That, when I note another man like him,
I may avoid him. Which of these is he?

Bora.
If you would know your wronger, look on me.

Leon.
Art thou the slave that with thy breath hast kill'd
Mine innocent child?

Bora.
Yea, even I alone.

Leon.
No, not so, villain! thou beliest thyself.
Here stand a pair of honourable men--
A third is fled--that had a hand in it.
I thank you princes for my daughter's death.
Record it with your high and worthy deeds.
'Twas bravely done, if you bethink you of it.

Claud.
I know not how to pray your patience;
Yet I must speak. Choose your revenge yourself;
Impose me to what penance your invention
Can lay upon my sin. Yet sinn'd I not
But in mistaking.

Pedro.
By my soul, nor I!
And yet, to satisfy this good old man,
I would bend under any heavy weight
That he'll enjoin me to.

Leon.
I cannot bid you bid my daughter live-
That were impossible; but I pray you both,
Possess the people in Messina here
How innocent she died; and if your love
Can labour aught in sad invention,
Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb,
And sing it to her bones--sing it to-night.
To-morrow morning come you to my house,
And since you could not be my son-in-law,
Be yet my nephew. My brother hath a daughter,
Almost the copy of my child that's dead,
And she alone is heir to both of us.
Give her the right you should have giv'n her cousin,
And so dies my revenge.

Claud.
O noble sir!
Your over-kindness doth wring tears from me.
I do embrace your offer; and dispose
For henceforth of poor Claudio.

Leon.
To-morrow then I will expect your coming;
To-night I take my leave. This naughty man
Shall fact to face be brought to Margaret,
Who I believe was pack'd in all this wrong,
Hir'd to it by your brother.

Bora.
No, by my soul, she was not;
Nor knew not what she did when she spoke to me;
But always hath been just and virtuous
In anything that I do know by her.
Dog.
Moreover, sir, which indeed is not under white and black, this
plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass. I beseech you let
it be rememb'red in his punishment. And also the watch heard them
talk of one Deformed. They say he wears a key in his ear, and a
lock hanging by it, and borrows money in God's name, the which he
hath us'd so long and never paid that now men grow hard-hearted
and will lend nothing for God's sake. Pray you examine him upon
that point.

Leon.
I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.

Dog.
Your worship speaks like a most thankful and reverent youth, and
I praise God for you.

Leon.
There's for thy pains. [Gives money.]

Dog.
God save the foundation!

Leon.
Go, I discharge thee of thy prisoner, and I thank thee.

Dog.
I leave an arrant knave with your worship, which I beseech your
worship to correct yourself, for the example of others.  God keep
your worship! I wish your worship well. God restore you to
health! I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting
may be wish'd, God prohibit it! Come, neighbour.
                               [Exeunt [Dogberry and Verges.]

Leon.
Until to-morrow morning, lords, farewell.

Ant.
Farewell, my lords. We look for you to-morrow.

Pedro.
We will not fall.

Claud.
To-night I'll mourn with Hero.
                            [Exeunt Don Pedro and Claudio.]

Leon.
[to the Watch] Bring you these fellows on.--We'll talk with

Margaret,
   How her acquaintance grew with this lewd fellow.
                                                     [Exeunt.]

Antonio is trying to comfort Leonato who is still grief-sticken over what happened in the church. Antonio tells Leonato to make the men suffer that have caused him pain. He says he will. Don Pedro and Claudio enter. Leonato challenges Claudio to a duel on the grounds that he killed Hero through his accusation and wrongly harmed Leonato's reputation. Antonio steps forward and supports Leonato by challenging Claudio as well. Leonato tries to stop him, but Antonio continues hurling insults at Claudio and Don Pedro for the way they treated Hero. Don Pedro refuses to accept the challenge, telling them that Hero, "was charged with nothing / But what was true and very full of proof". Antonio and Leonato leave in a rage, furious with the condescending way Don Pedro is treating them. Benedick arrives and is greeted warmly by both Don Pedro and Claudio. They tell him he missed watching Leonato and Antonio challenge Claudio to a duel. Benedick challenges Claudio, but he thinks it is a joke. Both men make fun of Benedick for looking so angry and for seemingly having lost his ability to wittily reply to their jests. Benedick finally thanks Don Pedro and informs him that Don John has fled Messina. He then turns to Claudio and tells him they will meet soon in order to fight. Don Pedro remarks that Benedick is serious about his challenge. Claudio caustically replies that it must be for the love of Beatrice. Dogberry and Verges enter with Conrad and Borachio as their prisoners. Only then does Don Pedro realize that Benedick told him Don John had fled. He approaches the prisoners and demands to know why they have been arrested. Borachio tells him the entire story, causing Don Pedro to exclaim, "Runs not his speech like iron through your blood. Leonato arrives with the Sexton, who has informed him of what happened. Furiously Leonato accuses Borachio, Don Pedro and Claudio of killing his daughter. Claudio and Don Pedro plead their innocence but, realizing they are guilty of mistakenly accusing Hero, promise to inform the city that she was innocent. Claudio further promises to marry Leonato's niece, whom he tells Claudio is his sole heir. Leonato then turns back to Borachio and demands to know Margaret's role in the scheme. He tells Leonato that Margaret is innocent and did not know what she was doing. Leonato orders the watchmen to bring Borachio and Conrad with them and leaves to question Margaret

The fact that there is truth through writing, first seen when Dogberry demands that everything be recorded, is made abundantly clear in this act. Beatrice and Benedick write sonnets to each other, and the sonnets are taken to be more meaningful than even their words. When they are at the point of nullifying their declared love for one another, Claudio and Hero produce the sonnets, thereby "proving" that they are lying to each other. Claudio earlier in the act writes his epitaph to Hero, a way of declaring his love for her real. Dogberry also has the written statement of his watchman, thus securing Hero's innocence. An interesting line is that of Don Pedro: "But on my honour she was charged with nothing / But what was true and very full of proof" . This is a challenge to the audience to "note" the words of the actors. The second line reverses the meaning of the first line, turning Hero's initial innocence to guilt. A fundamental question that haunts the plot is whether Benedick and Beatrice really love each other. Many audiences have simply assumed that they harbor a deep-seated love that neither will admit. However, if we take them at their word then the likely answer is no. They are mature lovers who have been pushed together by a social conspiracy to make them marry. Benedick: "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably" . Later they both realize that their friends were plotting against them. "Do not you love me?" "Why no, no more than reason" . We expect tender words at this point but we get the opposite. The fact that we still think love wins out is because we willingly join the conspiracy against them both. The audience roots for them to fall in love and get married; the actual feelings of the two characters are irrelevant at the end. Friar Francis, unlike his Romeo and Juliet counterpart, succeeds in his resurrection of Hero. She comes out masked and reveals herself to Claudio. He cries out, "Another Hero!" She replies, "Nothing certainer" . If we take her pronunciation literally, "noting certainer", we can see that this is really the first time that Claudio has noted her as a person. Only through a feigned death could she force Claudio to really pay attention to her and "notice" who he was marrying. The question of whether there is any love between Hero and Claudio is almost certainly answered with a resounding no. Hero is mostly a young girl who obeys her father regardless of his demands. Indeed, Beatrice mocks this expected obedience in the opening act, causing Leonato to hush her. Hero willingly switches from Don Pedro to Claudio as if it makes no difference who her husband is. Later we see the same ability in Claudio, who readily agrees to marry Hero's "cousin" without ever having seen he girl. This lack of dedication compromises their credibility as a pair of lovers. An interesting question is why does it takes so long for Claudio to learn Hero is alive? The answer is that Claudio must learn something first. Initially he and Don Pedro stick to their beliefs and refuse to see the truth. Claudio must have a penance for his sins against Hero; he must agree to marry her cousin instead. In fact, Hero has become a nothing by this point in the play, her very existence wiped out. Claudio is marrying someone he has never seen, and it is his trust will be what brings Hero back to life in the end. As in many Shakespearian comedies, we are left with a sense that everything is not perfect at the end. In Much Ado About Nothing the ending is tarnished by the return of Don John. He is returned to Messina in chains and Benedick promises to punish him the next day. This casts a shadow hangs over an otherwise mostly happy ending.

While his brother Antonio tries to console him, Leonato grieves at the villainy that has ruined his daughter's reputation. When Claudio and Don Pedro appear, trying to leave Leonato's estate, Leonato accuses Claudio of falsely denouncing Hero and, thus, of having caused her death. He challenges Claudio to a duel in spite of their difference in age and their differing abilities with the sword. Antonio heatedly backs Leonato up. Don Pedro maintains that the accusation against Hero was true, and Leonato and Antonio leave them in disgust. Benedick arrives, and Claudio and Don Pedro tell him about the foolhardy challenge by Leonato and Antonio. Benedick ignores their lighthearted talk. They try to engage his humor by talking about Beatrice, but he continues to ignore their chatter. He then accuses Claudio of having killed Hero by his humiliation of her and challenges him to a duel. He tells Don Pedro that he will no longer be a member of his company and that Don John has run away. Benedick repeats his challenge to Claudio and leaves. They are disconcerted by Benedick's words and his challenge. Just then, Dogberry and Verges bring in their prisoners in preparation for meeting with Leonato as governor and judge. Don Pedro, recognizing his brother's followers, tries to find out from Dogberry what Borachio and Conrade have done wrong. Borachio himself, with expressions of regret and shame, finally explains Don John's plot against the marriage of Hero and Claudio, and admits it was Margaret and himself in the window -- not Hero and another lover. Don Pedro and Claudio are stunned at this news, realizing that Hero was innocent and therefore falsely accused by them. Leonato and Antonio appear with the sexton. Leonato first confronts Borachio, who readily admits his wrongdoing. Leonato then confronts Claudio and Don Pedro, accusing them of having caused Hero's death. He commands them to tell everyone in Messina that she was falsely denounced and demands that they appear at her tomb that very night. Claudio is to hang an epitaph upon the tomb, singing it "to her bones." Claudio agrees to marry Antonio's daughter the next day, although he has never heard of nor seen her before. Leonato has one more task to undertake -- to find Margaret and find out if she knew she was participating in this horrible plot. Borachio defends Margaret, saying she did not know she was doing anything wrong. Dogberry makes a final complaint to Leonato about Conrade's calling him an ass. Leonato thanks him for his efforts and asks him to leave the prisoners with him so they can confront Margaret. Dogberry and Verges leave. Claudio promises to mourn at Hero's tomb that night, and he and Don Pedro leave. Leonato leads the prisoners away to talk with Margaret.

Several plot threads are brought together in this scene of frequent arrivals and departures. The several parts of the scene are even more complex when we remember that each person's words and actions are based on differing knowledge of the facts. At the beginning of the scene, Leonato and Antonio do not know about Don John's plot, but they are certain that Claudio and Don Pedro falsely accused Hero and that her reputation is forever ruined. They know she is not dead but are prepared to say that she is. When Claudio and Don Pedro appear, they still think that they saw Hero being unfaithful and she was therefore justly accused. They are surprised to learn of her "death" but don't see it as their fault. When Benedick arrives, he does not know the details of the plot but feels sure Claudio and Don Pedro were set up by Don John. He also pretends that Hero is dead. He doesn't see any humor in his friends' jokes and comments. When Dogberry and Verges arrive, they know  about the plot set up by Don John, and they know that Borachio carried it out. They think Hero is dead, having been so informed by the sexton during the examination of the prisoners. When Borachio confesses his part in the scene with Margaret, Claudio and Don Pedro are now fully informed about the plot but still think Hero dead, as does Borachio. Notice that Borachio puts all the blame on Don John, although Borachio himself suggested the window scene. When Leonato and Antonio return, they too learn the details of Don John's plot and are the only ones with full knowledge of all the facts, including, of course, their own deception about Hero's death, Claudio's grieving, and Claudio's immediate acceptance of Antonio's daughter in marriage. Consistent with his gullibility and quick changes of heart, Claudio rationalizes his denunciation, saying he "sinned not" but made a mistake. Dogberry's statement of the misdeeds by Borachio and Conrade is a masterpiece of unintentional redundancy: They have "committed false report," "spoken untruths," slandered, "belied a lady," "verified unjust things," and behaved as "lying knaves." Notice too the sequence of Dogberry's enumeration of these offenses: "secondarily," "sixth and lastly," "thirdly," and "to conclude." Then note how Don Pedro mocks him: "First," "thirdly," "sixth and lastly," and "to conclude." Claudio points out that the accusations all boil down to one offense. Dogberry is still smarting from Conrade's insult in the preceding scene, calling him "an ass." After Borachio's confession to Claudio and Don Pedro, Dogberry reminds them of the insult. Later, he tells Leonato of the insult and asks that "it be remembered in his  punishment." When Margaret participated in the window scene, it was never clear why she would deceive her mistress. In this scene, Borachio graciously clears Margaret for her part in the scene , although Leonato still wishes to confront her about it.

Antonio comforts his brother Leonato, who has come to believe in Hero's innocence. When Don Pedro and Claudio come to see Leonato, both Leonato and Antonio speak to them rudely and with defiance. They are ready to challenge Claudio to a duel for having slandered and dishonored their family name. Leonato accuses Claudio and says were it not for his gray hair and age he would fight Claudio to revenge the slander hurled on his daughter. Don Pedro expresses his regret, but maintains that he saw Hero commit the infidelity with his own eyes, therefore it must be true. Leonato and Antonio leave in a rage. Benedick comes to meet Don Pedro and Claudio. Benedick challenges Claudio to a duel over Claudio's shameful act of slandering an innocent girl. He speaks with much indifference to his friend, Don Pedro. Don Pedro and Claudio honestly believe in what they have "noted" . When they see Borachio and Conrade in handcuffs, and inquire about the particulars of their crime, they are truly shocked and dismayed. Claudio and Don Pedro realize the gravity of their false accusation of Hero and become totally repentant and remorseful. Don Pedro and Claudio sincerely apologize to Leonato for the blunder that they believe has cost Hero her life. Leonato tells them his daughter cannot come back to life, but offers to marry his niece to Claudio . Claudio gratefully accepts the proposal and vows to mourn the dead Hero for the rest of his life.

Notes This scene marks the most dramatic turn of events in which Hero is vindicated and some of the villains are caught . All the "ado" of honor fights between Benedick and Claudio, as well as Leonato and Claudio, come to nothing, since the truth is known. When the play is viewed historically, both Leonato and Antonio's sense of family honor in challenging Claudio deserve due appreciation. Shakespeare has given ample evidence of their boldness, being dauntless and invincible. Claudio and Don Pedro show their due respect to the old men by being tolerant in spite of being insulted by them. Once Claudio and Don Pedro realize the error of their ways, they are doubly repentant. Claudio's anguish is revealed in his words where he talks of the time the very first time he had seen her: "Sweet Hero! Now the image doth appear. In the rare semblance that I lov'd it first." The conflict of how to absolve himself of guilt is solved in part when Leonato suggests that Claudio should marry his niece, who is actually Hero in disguise. The need for this disguise is never fully explained; it is simply another fuss, or "ado" that has no real purpose.

Leonato and Antonio are talking before Leonato's house. Antonio tries to console his brother, who is presently very depressed. Leonato believes that Hero is innocent and he is furious at anyone who would dare accuse her of being nothing less than a prostitute. Don Pedro and Claudio enter, much to the brothers' rage, and they are quick to inform the princes that Hero is dead. Don Pedro and Claudio quickly retreat, as Leonato has worked himself up into a rage. Benedick enters and Don Pedro and Claudio complain about how they were harassed by Leonato and Antonio. They do not know, however, that Benedick also believes Hero to be innocent. Benedick challenges Claudio and Don Pedro to a duel. He accuses Claudio of killing Hero with his malicious insults. Don Pedro and Claudio, surprised at their friend's anger, are taken aback. They inform him of Beatrice's love, which only serves to further enrage him. Benedick leaves the princes after informing them of Don John's escape from Messina. Don Pedro and Claudio are left alone and are very surprised at what has happened. Benedick has declared his love for Beatrice, but he believes Hero to be innocent. Suddenly, Dogberry and Verges enter with the prisoners Conrade and Borachio. Borachio confesses the whole crime to Don Pedro. Claudio immediately repents his harsh words and mourns sweet Hero's death. Leonato and Antonio enter and also hear the confession from the prisoners. Claudio begs Leonato for mercy. Leonato tells Claudio that nothing can bring Hero back, but to atone for his sins Claudio can create an epitaph for her grave and sing at her funeral that night. Also, Leonato tells Claudio that he should marry Hero's cousin the next day. Claudio agrees to do everything in Hero's memory. Leonato leaves with the watchmen to question Margaret and her role in the scandal.


Scene II.

Leonato's orchard.
[Enter Benedick and Margaret [meeting.]

Bene.
Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands by
helping me to the speech of Beatrice.

Marg.
Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?

Bene.
In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over
it; for in most comely truth thou deservest it.

Marg.
To have no man come over me? Why, shall I always keep below
stairs?

Bene.
Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound's mouth--it catches.

Marg.
And yours as blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit but hurt not.

Bene.
A most manly wit, Margaret: it will not hurt a woman.
And so I pray thee call Beatrice. I give thee the bucklers.

Marg.
Give us the swords; we have bucklers of our own.

Bene.
If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a vice,
and they are dangerous weapons for maids.

Marg.
Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think hath legs.

Bene.
And therefore will come.
                                              [Exit Margaret.]
   [Sings] The god of love,
           That sits above
       And knows me, and knows me,
         How pitiful I deserve--
 I mean in singing; but in loving Leander the good swimmer,
Troilus the first employer of panders, and a whole book full of
these quondam carpet-mongers, whose names yet run smoothly in the
even road of a blank verse--why, they were never so truly turn'd
over and over as my poor self in love. Marry, I cannot show it in
rhyme. I have tried. I can find out no rhyme to 'lady' but 'baby'
--an innocent rhyme; for 'scorn,' 'horn'--a hard rhyme; for
'school', 'fool'--a babbling rhyme: very ominous endings! No, I
was not born under a rhyming planet, nor cannot woo in festival
terms.
               [Enter Beatrice.]
 Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I call'd thee?

Beat.
Yea, signior, and depart when you bid me.

Bene.
O, stay but till then!

Beat.
'Then' is spoken. Fare you well now. And yet, ere I go, let me go
with that I came for, which is, with knowing what hath pass'd
between you and Claudio.

Bene.
Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee.

Beat.
Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath,
and foul breath is noisome. Therefore I will depart unkiss'd.
Bene.
Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible
is thy wit. But I must tell thee plainly, Claudio undergoes my
challenge; and either I must shortly hear from him or I will
subscribe him a coward. And I pray thee now tell me, for which of
my bad parts didst thou first fall in love with me?

Beat.
For them all together, which maintain'd so politic a state of
evil that they will not admit any good part to intermingle with
them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love
for me?

Bene.
Suffer love!--a good epithet. I do suffer love indeed, for I love
thee against my will.

Beat.
In spite of your heart, I think. Alas, poor heart! If you spite
it for my sake, I will spite it for yours, for I will never love
that which my friend hates.

Bene.
Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

Beat.
It appears not in this confession. There's not one wise man among
twenty, that will praise himself.

Bene.
An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that liv'd in the time of good
neighbours. If a man do not erect in this age his own tomb ere he
dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the
bell rings and the widow weeps.

Beat.
And how long is that, think you?

Bene.
Question: why, an hour in clamour and a quarter in rheum.
Therefore is it most expedient for the wise, if Don Worm (his
conscience) find no impediment to the contrary, to be the
trumpet of his own virtues, as I am to myself. So much for
praising myself, who, I myself will bear witness, is
praiseworthy. And now tell me, how doth your cousin?

Beat.
Very ill.

Bene.
And how do you?

Beat.
Very ill too.

Bene.
Serve God, love me, and mend. There will I leave you too, for
here comes one in haste.
                     [Enter Ursula.]

Urs.
Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder's old coil at home.
It is proved my Lady Hero hath been falsely accus'd, the Prince
and Claudio mightily abus'd, and Don John is the author of all,
who is fled and gone. Will you come presently?

Beat.
Will you go hear this news, signior?

Bene.
I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried thy eyes;
and moreover, I will go with thee to thy uncle's.
                                                    [Exeunt.]

Benedick has written a sonnet to Beatrice that Margaret is helping him with. He then sends her to fetch Beatrice for him. She enters the room and plays word games with Benedick. He finally states, "Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably" , indicating that they are too aware of what love and marriage entails to be overemotional about it. Ursula arrives and tells them to quickly come since they proved that Hero has been falsely accused

Benedick asks Margaret to find Beatrice for him, and they exchange quips that have sexual overtones. Left alone, Benedick tries the song he has written for Beatrice, admitting that writing poetry is really beyond him. Beatrice comes to him, curious about his challenge to Claudio. He says he is waiting for Claudio's response and quickly changes the conversation, asking her which of his "bad parts" she first fell in love with. She answers "for them all together" and asks him which "good parts" of her he first loved. They continue in this playful conversation until Ursula arrives, summoning Beatrice to her uncle. She tells them about Don John's plot, which misled both Don Pedro and Claudio. Benedick goes with them.

Margaret again shows herself to be a young woman with outspoken sexual attitudes, consistent with earlier exchanges with Hero and with Beatrice, and consistent with her unintentional involvement in Borachio's deception. We don't know whether Leonato has talked with her yet as a result of the preceding scene. Beatrice and Benedick resume their earlier style of playful banter, simultaneously admitting and denying their love. Notice the difference in their use of the pronoun you/thou: Benedick now addresses her with the more intimate "thee" and "thou," while Beatrice remains slightly more remote with "you." Her responses to Benedick's openness about love are still guarded and tentative, probably because she has been hurt by him before and doesn't know whether his love is genuine this time. Beatrice and Benedick finally learn that Don John was at the root of the denunciation of Hero, letting Borachio set up the window scene with Margaret. So Benedick confirms his initial reaction, and Beatrice must recognize that Benedick was right in his defense of Claudio and Don Pedro. Recognizing how Claudio and Don Pedro have been tricked may help her accept Claudio as a future kinsman in marriage.

Benedick asks Margaret to tell Beatrice he has done as she asked and challenged Claudio to a duel. Margaret, in exchange, asks him to write some love poetry. Beatrice arrives and tells Benedick about the terrible state of young Hero. Ursula arrives with the news of Borachio's arrest and confession, and the truth about Hero. A relieved Benedick and Beatrice continue their verbal sparring, though with much affection.

Notes The only real purpose of this scene is to tie up the frayed knots of the Hero situation. The characters not present for the confession are now told of the deception that caused Hero's apparent death and Claudio's unkind treatment. The climax is over and the falling action is set to play out. The only other remarkable thing of interest in this scene is the continued bantering of Beatrice and Benedick. Though they have confessed and proven their esteem for one another, the power struggle continues as they work harder and harder to outdo one another with wit.

The lovelorn Benedick is futilely trying to compose a song to Beatrice. The two lovers engage in wittily romantic dialogue. Benedick does not know that Claudio has repented after learning the truth. He still believes that he must duel with Claudio for Hero's honour. Ursula enters and tells the lovers that it has been proved that Hero was wrongfully accused and that Don John was the mastermind of the scheme. Beatrice and Benedick leave to hear the news from Leonato.


Scene III.

A churchyard.
[Enter Claudio, Don Pedro, and three or four with tapers,
followed by Musicians.]

Claud.
Is this the monument of Leonato?

Lord.
It is, my lord.

Claud.
[reads from a scroll]
                  Epitaph.
    Done to death by slanderous tongues
      Was the Hero that here lies.
    Death, in guerdon of her wrongs,
      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,
                                      [Hangs up the scroll.]
Praising her when I am dumb.
Now, music, sound, and sing your solemn hymn.
                 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 uttered
      Heavily, heavily.

Claud.
Now unto thy bones good night!
Yearly will I do this rite.

Pedro.
Good morrow, masters. Put your torches out.
The wolves have prey'd, 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.

Claud.
Good morrow, masters. Each his several way.

Pedro.
Come, let us hence and put on other weeds,
And then to Leonato's we will go.

Claud.
And Hymen now with luckier issue speeds
Than this for whom we rend'red up this woe.         [Exeunt.]

Claudio, Don Pedro and several other men visit Hero's gravesite and perform a short memorial service. Claudio has written an epitaph for Hero, after which he sings a song and then promises to perform the same ritual every year. Don Pedro bids the other men good night and takes Claudio with him to Leonato's house

The scene takes place just before dawn at Leonato's family tomb, where Claudio and Don Pedro are to demonstrate their grief for Hero, whom they suppose dead. First, a verse that Claudio has written is read aloud and hung on the tomb. The reading is followed by a song of mourning. As dawn breaks, Claudio and Don Pedro return to the villa to change clothes for Claudio's approaching marriage, presumably to Antonio's daughter.

Editions of Shakespeare differ about who reads Claudio's epitaph and who sings the song. For example, in the Oxford University Press edition, Claudio reads the poem and Balthasar sings the song; in the Cambridge University Press edition, an unnamed lord reads and sings both. The scene provides an emotional contrast with the Beatrice/Benedick scene that precedes it and with the joyous scene that follows it. ACT V. Scene 3. The Inside of a Church.  CLAUDIO.Is this the monument of Leonato? A LORD.It is, my lord. CLAUDIO.   Done to death by slanderous tongues    Was the Hero that here lies:  Death, in guerdon of her wrongs,    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.      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 uttered,        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 prey'd; 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'swe will go. CLAUDIO.And Hymen now with luckier issue speed's,Than this for whom we rend'red up this woe!

As Leonato had advised, Don Pedro and Claudio visit the tomb where Hero is believed to be buried. Claudio hangs an epitaph on the tomb and Balthasar sings an elegy to the "dead virgin."

Notes Much Ado about Nothing is a play of ritual, of dances, the wedding ritual and one of apparent death. In this scene Shakespeare gives Claudio a chance to give vent to his grief and remorse. Ritual is necessary to convince the reader of the transformation of that takes place in Claudio's character, so that he actually deserves lovely Hero back after his shameful treatment of her. Claudio emerges purified, having atoned for his guilt. It lessens his depression and relieves his mourning. With the change in his attitude he is now willing to marry any woman, chosen by Leonato without having seen her, whether she is fair or not. The situation can be compared to the purified return in the forest of Arden in As You Like it or the weird happenings in Prospero's island in The Tempest. The backdrop lends a convincing authenticity to Claudio's change in attitude. There is affection and awe at the sight of the family vault, the silent black-robed figures in procession, tapers flickering in the surrounding darkness, elegiac musk, slow dirge and the mourners circling the tomb. A strong sense of the presence of spirits in the midnight can be felt in this scene. At this meeting place of death and spirits, the living can experience a changing moment in their lives. They emerge purified. The mood of the play  reigns here. The Benedick/Beatrice plot moves in a dance like rhythm, Beatrice withdrawing from the scene and Benedick pursuing her. Claudio's presence in the tomb is full of sobriety and repentance. The rhymes are etched in unrelieved gloom -- "woe", "go", "moan" and "groan." But the audience can guess that the comic spirit will soon prevail with the advent of dawn.

Don Pedro, Claudio and several others have assembled at the church to mourn Hero. Claudio sings some verses that he wrote himself. They then leave and prepare for the wedding the next day.


Scene IV

The hall in Leonato's house.
[Enter Leonato, Benedick, Beatrice, Margaret, Ursula, Antonio,
Friar [Francis], Hero.]

Friar.
Did I not tell you she was innocent?

Leon.
So are the Prince and Claudio, who accus'd 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.

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

Bene.
And so am I, being else by faith enforc'd
To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it.

Leon.
Well, daughter, and you gentlewomen all,
Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves,
And when I send for you, come hither mask'd.
                                              [Exeunt Ladies.]
The Prince and Claudio promis'd 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.

Ant.
Which I will do with confirm'd countenance.

Bene.
Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think.

Friar.
To do what, signior?

Bene.
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.

Leon.
That eye my daughter lent her. 'Tis most true.

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

Leon.
The sight whereof I think you had from me,
From Claudio, and the Prince; but what's your will?

Bene.
Your answer, sir, is enigmatical;
But, for my will, my will is, your good will
May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd
In the state of honourable marriage;
In which, good friar, I shall desire your help.

Leon.
My heart is with your liking.

Friar.
And my help.
 [Enter Don Pedro and Claudio and two or three other. ]
Here comes the Prince and Claudio.

Pedro.
Good morrow to this fair assembly.

Leon.
Good morrow, Prince; good morrow, Claudio.
   We here attend you. Are you yet determin'd
To-day to marry with my brother's daughter?

Claud.
I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiope.

Leon.
Call her forth, brother. Here's the friar ready.
                                             [Exit Antonio.]
Pedro.
Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what's the matter
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm, and cloudiness?

Claud.
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.

Bene.
Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low,
And some such strange bull leap'd your father's cow
And got a calf in that same noble feat
Much like to you, for you have just his bleat.
[Enter [Leonato's] brother [Antonio], Hero, Beatrice, Margaret,
Ursula, [the ladies wearing masks.]

Claud.
For this I owe you. Here comes other reckonings.
Which is the lady I must seize upon?

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

Claud.
Why then, she's mine. Sweet, let me see your face.

Leon.
No, that you shall not till you take her hand
Before this friar and swear to marry her.

Claud.
Give me your hand before this holy friar.
I am your husband if you like of me.

Hero.
And when I liv'd I was your other wife;       [Unmasks.]
And when you lov'd you were my other husband.

Claud.
Another Hero!

Hero.
Nothing certainer.
One Hero died defil'd; but I do live,
And surely as I live, I am a maid.

Pedro.
The former Hero! Hero that is dead!

Leon.
She died, my lord, but whiles her slander liv'd.

Friar.
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.

Bene.
Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?

Beat.
[unmasks] I answer to that name. What is your will?

Bene.
Do not you love me?

Beat.
Why, no; no more than reason.

Bene.
Why, then your uncle, and the Prince, and Claudio
Have been deceived; for they swore you did.

Beat.
Do not you love me?

Bene.
Troth, no; no more than reason.

Beat.
Why, then my cousin, Margaret, and Ursula
Are much deceiv'd; for they did swear you did.

Bene.
They swore that you were almost sick for me.

Beat.
They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.

Bene.
'Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me?

Beat.
No, truly, but in friendly recompense.

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

Claud.
And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her;
For here's a paper written in his hand,
A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

Hero.
And here's another,
Writ in my cousin's hand, stol'n from her pocket,
Containing her affection unto Benedick.

Bene.
A miracle! Here's our own hands against our hearts.
Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take thee for pity.

Beat.
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.

Bene.
Peace! I will stop your mouth.             [Kisses her.]

Bene.
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 be 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 unbruis'd, and love my
cousin.

Claud.
I had well hop'd thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, that I might
have cudgell'd 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.

Bene.
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.

Leon.
We'll have dancing afterward.

Bene.
First, of my word! Therefore play, music. Prince, thou art sad.
Get thee a wife, get thee a wife! There is no staff more reverent
than one tipp'd with horn.
                   [Enter Messenger.]
Mess.
My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight,
And brought with armed men back to Messina.

Bene.
Think not on him till to-morrow. I'll devise thee brave
punishments for him. Strike up, pipers!
                                            Dance. [Exeunt.]

Leonato sends the woman into their chambers and orders them to come out masked when they are called for. Antonio has promised to pretend that Hero is his daughter so Claudio will believe he is marrying Hero's cousin. Benedick then asks Leonato for permission to marry Beatrice at the same wedding ceremony. Leonato agrees to the marriage. Claudio and Don Pedro arrive and are greeted. The women then come out wearing masks to hide their identities. Claudio asks which lady he shall marry, and Antonio gives him Hero. She unmasks herself, causing Claudio to cry out, "Another Hero. She replies, "Nothing certainer". At the wedding Benedick calls for Beatrice to reveal herself. She does, and he asks her if she loves him. Beatrice gives the surprisingly cold answer, "Why no, no more than reason". Benedick admits the same thing, and they both realize that they were set up by their friends. Watching this extraordinary exchange, Claudio and Hero pull out sonnets that Benedick and Beatrice wrote to each other and show them as proof that they really do love each other. Benedick states, "A miracle. Here's our own hands against our hearts". Benedick and Claudio reconcile their friendship and tell Don Pedro to find himself a wife so he is not alone. A messenger arrives at the very end and informs them that Don John has been captured and brought back to Messina. Benedick tells them, "Think not on him till tomorrow, I'll devise thee brave punishments for him. Strike up, pipers"

The play's final scene begins with the friar's reminder to everyone -- Leonato, Margaret, Ursula, Antonio, Hero, Beatrice, and Benedick -- that he never doubted Hero's innocence. Leonato excuses the actions of Claudio and Don Pedro and then reviews what is to happen next in the final deception they have planned. The ladies leave to cover their faces with veils. After confirming Leonato's approval, Benedick asks the friar to perform a marriage between himself and Beatrice. Claudio and Don Pedro appear, and Claudio prepares to marry "Antonio's daughter," as he promised. The veiled women enter with Antonio. As soon as Claudio vows publicly to marry this stranger, Hero reveals her identity to the amazement of Claudio and Don Pedro. Once again Claudio is overcome with love for Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick asks which of the veiled ladies is Beatrice and asks if she loves him. Their usual denials and quick repartee continue until Claudio and Hero each produces love poems Beatrice and Benedick have written to one another. Finally, they happily accept each other. At Benedick's suggestion, dancing begins even before the marriage ceremony. A messenger interrupts the festivities with the news that Don John has been taken prisoner and is being brought back to Messina. Benedick suggests that they think about Don John tomorrow, when Benedick will invent appropriate punishments for him.

In the recap of what has happened, Leonato notes Margaret's part in Don John's plot -- to her face, since she is on stage but silent -- but he seems to forgive her because she apparently did it against her will. Also, Benedick admits he is glad that he doesn't have to duel with Claudio after all. True to the pattern they have established, Beatrice and Benedick cannot have a straightforward conversation, even in the middle of Benedick's proposal of marriage. Benedick has obviously abandoned his Act II pledge: "I would not marry her, though she were endowed with all that Adam had left him before he transgressed." Consistent with his prior behavior, Claudio readily adapts himself, first to a marriage arranged as a form of penance for his part in the denunciation of Hero.  Then just as readily, he reaccepts Hero as his bride-to-be when she can keep the secret of her "death" no longer. That both Claudio and Hero just happen to have in their wedding clothes handwritten verses written by Beatrice and Benedick is quite a coincidence since neither Claudio nor Hero knew that Benedick was planning his proposal to Beatrice.  The last-minute entrance of a messenger at the festivities provides convenient closure to the play so that the audience is not left wondering whatever happened to Don John. Note that it is Benedick  who offers to design Don John's "brave punishments." We are left to imagine what those will be.

Claudio and Don Pedro call on Leonato and Antonio as per the agreement. All the ladies of the house are masked. Leonato presents one of them to Claudio as Antonio's daughter whom he shall marry. Claudio accepts her hand. When she takes off her mask, he is shocked to find that she is Hero herself. Don Pedro and Claudio are glad that Hero is not indeed dead, as they had been made to believe. Benedick now announces his decision to get married, of course, to Beatrice. The play ends with the news that Don John has been captured and all the characters proceed to dance.

Notes All the anxiety and sorrow clouding the play is finally eliminated. There are now two bridal pairs united in happy wedlock. The scene is filled with bubbling wit, too. Benedick defends his changed attitude toward marriage, and claims he has emerged a wiser man. Changes in attitudes and perspectives make for better human beings. It is interesting to note the defense Benedick puts forward for his altered opinion of marriage. When Don Pedro taunts him on his decision to become "Benedick, the married man," Benedick replies that he is not going to be thwarted by sarcastic remarks which his friends might make about his decision to get married. He maintains that he has no reason to be ashamed of the change in his perspective because man is a "giddy thing." Man's views are subject to change and he cannot remain stubborn throughout. The illusions of the play are focused in miniature in the final dance where masks are laid aside. The ladies unmask themselves. Finally identities are discovered. The pattern of the dance is one of celebration as the couples dance to the orderly rhythm of the music. The social order is restored, while the masked dance in an earlier scene had only been a confusion of identities and a maze of illusion.

The next day, Friar Francis is happy that his hunch about Hero's innocence is correct. Leonato asks all the women to withdraw into a chamber and return masked when they are called for. In the meantime, Benedick confesses his love for Beatrice to the friar and Leonato. Don Pedro and Claudio arrive at the church and are ready for the wedding. Antonio escorts the women outside and Claudio is confused at who is to be his future bride, since all the women are masked. Leonato tells Claudio that he cannot see his new bride's face until they have been married. After the ceremony, the bride takes off her mask, revealing that she is none other than Hero. Claudio is overcome with joy but is amazed that she is alive. Friar Francis promises to tell everyone about Hero's "death" later on. Since the mood in the church is so happy, Benedick asks Beatrice to proclaim her love for him. They both realize that Don Pedro and Hero tricked them into loving each other. Benedick and Beatrice are happily united and everyone is merry. A messenger informs the group that Don John has come back with armed men to Messina to fight his brother. Benedick tells everyone to dance and have fun and forget about Don John until tomorrow.