Act 5, Scene 2 — Much Ado About Nothing

The argument Benedick seeks Margaret's help to speak with Beatrice. After comic wordplay about wit and weapons, Margaret summons Beatrice. Benedick attempts to declare his love in prose and verse, confessing his tortured heart. Beatrice enters with her usual barbed wit. When Benedick finally says plainly that he suffers love for her against his will, Beatrice responds with defensive wit. After mutual admission that they were deceived by their friends into believing the other loved them, Ursula arrives with news that Hero's innocence is proven. Both rush off to hear the full story.

Enter Benedick and Margaret,

meeting.

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my hands by

helping me to the speech of Beatrice.

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

pray you sweet mistress margaret deserve well at my hands by helping me to the speech of beatrice

MARGARET Loyal wit and affectionate mockery

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

will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come over

it; for, in most comely truth, thou deservest it.

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

in so high a style margaret that no man living shall come over it for in most comely truth

MARGARET Loyal wit and affectionate mockery

To have no man come over me! why, shall I always keep below stairs?

to have no man come over me why shall i always keep below stairs

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound’s mouth; it catches.

your wit is as quick as the greyhound’s mouth; it catches.

MARGARET Loyal wit and affectionate mockery

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

and yours as blunt as the fencer’s foils which hit but hurt not

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

A most manly wit, Margaret; it will not hurt a woman: and so, I

pray thee, call Beatrice. I give thee the bucklers.

A most manly wit, Margaret; it will not hurt a woman: and so, I pray you, call Beatrice. I give you the bucklers.

A most manly wit, Margaret; it won't hurt a woman: and so, I pray you, call Beatrice. I give you the bucklers.

a most manly wit margaret it won't hurt a woman: and so i pray you call beatrice

MARGARET Loyal wit and affectionate mockery

Give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own.

give us the swords, we have bucklers of our own.

BENEDICK ≋ verse Confident bluster masking uncertainty

If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with a

vice; and they are dangerous weapons for maids.

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

if you use them margaret you must put in the pikes with a vice and they are dangerous weapons for maids

MARGARET Loyal wit and affectionate mockery

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

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

well, i will call beatrice to you, who i think has legs.

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

And therefore will come.

and therefore will come.

[Exit Margaret.]

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 turned over and over as my poor self

in love. Marry, I cannot show it in rime; I have tried: I can find out no

rime to ‘lady’ but ‘baby’, an innocent rime; for

‘scorn,’ ‘horn’, a hard rime; for ‘school’,

‘fool’, a babbling rime; very ominous endings: no, I was not

born under a riming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.

Enter Beatrice.

Sweet Beatrice, wouldst thou come when I called thee?

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

Yea, signior; and depart when you bid me.

yea, signior; and depart when you bid me.

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

O, stay but till then!

o, stay but till then!

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

‘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

passed between you and Claudio.

‘Then’ is spoken; fare you well now: and yet, before I go, let me go with that I came for; which is, with knowing what has passed between you and Claudio.

‘then’ is spoken fare you well now: and yet before i go let me go with that i came for which is

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss thee.

Only foul words; and thereupon I will kiss you.

only foul words; and thereupon i will kiss you.

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath,

and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.

Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul breath, and foul breath is noisome; therefore I will depart unkissed.

foul words is but foul wind and foul wind is but foul breath and foul breath is noisome therefore i will depart unkissed

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

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?

you hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is your wit. But I must tell you plainly, Claudio undergoes my challenge, and either I must shortly hear from him, or I will subscribe him a coward. And, I pray you now, tell me, for which of my bad parts did you first fall in love with me?

you hast frighted the word out of his right sense so forcible is your wit but i must tell you plainly claudio undergoes my challenge and either i must shortly hear from him

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

For them all together; which maintained 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?

For them all together; which maintained 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?

For them all together; which maintained so politic a state of evil that they won't admit any good part to intermingle with them. But for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me?

for them all together which maintained so politic a state of evil that they won't admit any good part to intermingle with them but for which of my good parts did you first suffer love for me

BENEDICK ≋ verse Confident bluster masking uncertainty

‘Suffer love,’ a good epithet! I do suffer love

indeed, for I love thee against my will.

‘Suffer love,’ a good epithet! I do suffer love indeed, for I love you against my will.

‘suffer love ’ a good epithet i do suffer love indeed for i love you against my will

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

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.

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.

in spite of your heart i think alas poor heart if you spite it for my sake

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

you and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

you and i are too wise to woo peaceably.

BEATRICE ≋ verse Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

It appears not in this confession: there’s not one wise

man among twenty that will praise himself.

It appears not in this confession: there’s not one wise man among twenty that will praise himself.

it appears not in this confession: there’s not one wise man among twenty that will praise himself

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that lived 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.

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

An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that lived in the time of good neighbours. If a man don't erect in this age his own tomb before he dies, he shall live no longer in monument than the bell rings and the widow weeps.

an old an old instance beatrice that lived in the time of good neighbours if a man don't erect in this age his own tomb before he dies

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

And how long is that think you?

and how long is that think you?

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

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?

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 does your cousin?

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'm to myself. So much for praising myself, who, I myself will bear witness, is praiseworthy. And now tell me, how does your cousin?

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

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

Very ill.

very ill.

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

And how do you?

and how do you?

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

Very ill too.

very ill too.

BENEDICK ≋ verse Confident bluster masking uncertainty

Serve God, love me, and mend. There will I leave you too, for

here comes one in haste.

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

serve god love me and mend there will i leave you too for here comes one in haste

Enter Ursula.

URSULA Wise observation of the bigger picture

Madam, you must come to your uncle. Yonder’s old coil at

home: it is proved, my Lady Hero hath been falsely accused, the Prince and

Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled

and gone. Will you come presently?

Madam, you must come to your uncle. over there’s old coil at home: it is proved, my Lady Hero has been falsely accused, the Prince and Claudio mightily abused; and Don John is the author of all, who is fled and gone. Will you come presently?

madam you must come to your uncle over there’s old coil at home: it is proved my lady hero has been falsely accused the prince and claudio mightily abused

BEATRICE Sharp wit hiding something real underneath

Will you go hear this news, signior?

will you go hear this news, signior?

BENEDICK Confident bluster masking uncertainty

I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy

eyes; and moreover I will go with thee to thy uncle’s.

I will live in your heart, die in your lap, and be buried in your eyes; and moreover I will go with you to your uncle’s.

i will live in your heart die in your lap and be buried in your eyes and moreover i will go with you to your uncle’s

[Exeunt.]

The Reckoning

The lovers' verbal sparring yields to genuine emotion; wit becomes a shield for vulnerability, then finally a vehicle for truth. Love unmasks itself despite both characters' resistance.

If this happened today…

People often hide real feelings behind humor and sarcasm; sometimes an outside crisis cuts through the defenses and forces honesty.

Continue to 5.3 →