No Fear Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 5, Scene 2
Original Text | Modern Text | |
Enter BENEDICK
andMARGARET
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BENEDICK andMARGARET
enter. | |
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BENEDICK
Pray thee, sweet Mistress Margaret, deserve well at my
hands by helping me to the speech of Beatrice.
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BENEDICK
Please Margaret, help me write this poem for Beatrice.
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MARGARET
Will you then write me a sonnet in praise of my beauty?
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MARGARET
Afterward, will you write a sonnet for me, praising my
beauty?
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5 |
BENEDICK
In so high a style, Margaret, that no man living shall come
over it, for in most comely truth thou deservest it.
| BENEDICK |
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MARGARET
To have no man come over me! Why, shall I always keep
below stairs?
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MARGARET
No man will come over me! What a life that would be!
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BENEDICK
Thy wit is as quick as the greyhound’s mouth; it
catches.
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BENEDICK
Your wit is as quick as a greyhound’s
jaws—it catches whatever it goes after.
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10 |
MARGARET
And yours as blunt as the fencer’s foils, which hit but
hurt
not.
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MARGARET
And your wit is as blunt as a practice sword, with its dull tip;
it hits people but doesn’t hurt them.
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BENEDICK
A most manly wit, Margaret, it will not hurt a woman. And
so, I pray thee, call Beatrice. I give thee the bucklers.
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BENEDICK
It’s just that my wit is very gentlemanly, Margaret,
and refuses to hurt a woman. Now please, tell Beatrice to come out.
I admit defeat; I give you the bucklers.
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MARGARET
Give us the swords; we have bucklers of our own.
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MARGARET
No, you should give a woman your sword—we have our own bucklers!
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15 |
BENEDICK
If you use them, Margaret, you must put in the pikes with
a vice, and they are dangerous weapons for maids.
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BENEDICK
Watch out, though, Margaret—virgins
shouldn’t be brandishing their bucklers around.
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MARGARET
Well, I will call Beatrice to you, who I think hath legs.
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MARGARET
I’ll go get Beatrice for you, who can walk here by
herself—she has legs.
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