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    Much Ado About Nothing
    Much Ado About Nothing
    Much Ado About Nothing
    Ebook141 pages1 hour

    Much Ado About Nothing

    By William Shakespeare

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    About this ebook

    Chios Classics brings literature's greatest works back to life for new generations.  All our books contain a linked table of contents.


    Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by Shakespeare in the late 16th century.The play is notable for combining great humor with more serious topics such as honor, shame, and politics.The play is still among the world's most popular and has been adapted into multiple movies.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCharles River Editors
    Release dateMar 22, 2018
    ISBN9781508014416
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

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      Book preview

      Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

      MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

      ………………

      William Shakespeare

      CHIOS CLASSICS

      Thank you for reading. In the event that you appreciate this book, please show the author some love.

      This book is a work of nonfiction and is intended to be factually accurate.

      All rights reserved. Aside from brief quotations for media coverage and reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form without the author’s permission. Thank you for supporting authors and a diverse, creative culture by purchasing this book and complying with copyright laws.

      Copyright © 2015 by William Shakespeare

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Much Ado About Nothing

      Characters of the Play

      Scene I. Before Leonato’s house.

      Scene II. A room in Leonato’s house.

      Scene III. The same.

      Scene I. A hall in Leonato’s house.

      Scene II. The same.

      Scene III. Leonato’s orchard.

      Scene I. Leonato’s garden.

      Scene II. A room in Leonato’s house

      Scene III. A street.

      Scene IV. Hero’s apartment.

      Scene V. Another room in Leonato’s house.

      Scene I. A church.

      Scene II. A prison.

      Scene I. Before Leonato’s house.

      Scene II. Leonato’s garden.

      Scene III. A church.

      Scene IV. A room in Leonato’s house.

      Much Ado About Nothing

      By

      William Shakespeare

      MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

      ………………

      CHARACTERS OF THE PLAY

      ………………

      Don Pedro, prince of Arragon.

      Don John, his bastard brother.

      Claudio, a young lord of Florence.

      Benedick, a young lord of Padua.

      Leonato, governor of Messina.

      Antonio, his brother.

      Balthasar, attendant on Don Pedro.

      Conrade and Borachio, followers of Don John.

      Friar Francis,

      Dogberry, a constable.

      Verges, a headborough.

      A Sexton.

      A Boy.

      Hero, daughter to Leonato.

      Beatrice, niece to Leonato.

      Margaret and Ursula, gentlewomen attending on Hero.

      Messengers, Watch, Attendants, &c.

      Scene: Messina.

      ACT I

      ………………

      SCENE I. BEFORE LEONATO’S HOUSE.

      ………………

      Enter Leonato, Hero, and Beatrice, with a Messenger

      Leonato

      I learn in this letter that Don Peter of Arragon comes this night to Messina.

      Messenger

      He is very near by this: he was not three leagues off when I left him.

      Leonato

      How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?

      Messenger

      But few of any sort, and none of name.

      Leonato

      A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers. I find here that Don Peter hath bestowed much honour on a young Florentine called Claudio.

      Messenger

      Much deserved on his part and equally remembered by Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the promise of his age, doing, in the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion: he hath indeed better bettered expectation than you must expect of me to tell you how.

      Leonato

      He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much glad of it.

      Messenger

      I have already delivered him letters, and there appears much joy in him; even so much that joy could not show itself modest enough without a badge of bitterness.

      Leonato

      Did he break out into tears?

      Messenger

      In great measure.

      Leonato

      A kind overflow of kindness: there are no faces truer than those that are so washed. How much better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping!

      Beatrice

      I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned from the wars or no?

      Messenger

      I know none of that name, lady: there was none such in the army of any sort.

      Leonato

      What is he that you ask for, niece?

      Hero

      My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua.

      Messenger

      O, he’s returned; and as pleasant as ever he was.

      Beatrice

      He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged Cupid at the flight; and my uncle’s fool, reading the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged him at the bird-bolt. I pray you, how many hath he killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath he killed? for indeed I promised to eat all of his killing.

      Leonato

      Faith, niece, you tax Signior Benedick too much; but he’ll be meet with you, I doubt it not.

      Messenger

      He hath done good service, lady, in these wars.

      Beatrice

      You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it: he is a very valiant trencherman; he hath an excellent stomach.

      Messenger

      And a good soldier too, lady.

      Beatrice

      And a good soldier to a lady: but what is he to a lord?

      Messenger

      A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all honourable virtues.

      Beatrice

      It is so, indeed; he is no less than a stuffed man: but for the stuffing — well, we are all mortal.

      Leonato

      You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit between them.

      Beatrice

      Alas! he gets nothing by that. In our last conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one: so that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his companion now? He hath every month a new sworn brother.

      Messenger

      Is’t possible?

      Beatrice

      Very easily possible: he wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the next block.

      Messenger

      I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.

      Beatrice

      No; an he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray you, who is his companion? Is there no young squarer now that will make a voyage with him to the devil?

      Messenger

      He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio.

      Beatrice

      O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease: he is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio! if he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pound ere a’ be cured.

      Messenger

      I will hold friends with you, lady.

      Beatrice

      Do, good friend.

      Leonato

      You will never run mad, niece.

      Beatrice

      No, not till a hot January.

      Messenger

      Don Pedro is approached.

      Enter Don Pedro, Don John, Claudio, Benedick, and Balthasar

      Don Pedro

      Good Signior Leonato, you are come to meet your trouble: the fashion of the world is to avoid cost, and you encounter it.

      Leonato

      Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of your grace: for trouble being gone, comfort should remain; but when you depart from me, sorrow abides and happiness takes his leave.

      Don Pedro

      You embrace your charge too willingly. I think this is your daughter.

      Leonato

      Her mother hath many times told me so.

      Benedick

      Were you in doubt, sir, that you asked her?

      Leonato

      Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child.

      Don Pedro

      You have it full, Benedick:

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