No Fear Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 5, Scene 2, Page 3
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BEATRICE
Foul words is but foul wind, and foul wind is but foul
breath, and foul breath is noisome. Therefore I will depart
unkissed.
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BEATRICE
If you had foul words in your mouth, then your breath must be
foul, and foul breath is nauseating. Thus, I’ll leave
without being kissed.
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BENEDICK
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?
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BENEDICK
Your wit is so forceful, it frightens the very meaning out of your
words. But I will tell you this very plainly: I have challenged
Claudio, and either he’ll accept the challenge or admit
he’s a coward. Now, tell me—which of my bad
qualities did you fall in love with first?
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BEATRICE
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?
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BEATRICE
With all of them at once: they work together to create such an
entirely evil person that no good ever manages to enter the mix. But
tell me—which of my good qualities first made you suffer
love for me?
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BENEDICK
Suffer love! A good epithet! I do suffer love indeed, for I
love thee against my will.
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BENEDICK
Suffer love! That’s a good way of putting it. I do
suffer love, because I love you against my will.
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BEATRICE
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 riend hates.
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BEATRICE
You love me in spite of your heart, I think. If you spite your
heart for my sake, then I will spite it for yours. I will never love
the thing my friend hates.
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BENEDICK
Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.
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BENEDICK
You and I are too wise to woo each other peacefully.
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BEATRICE
It appears not in this confession. There’s not one wise
man
among twenty that will praise himself.
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BEATRICE
It’s said that no truly wise man will praise himself.
If you say that you are wise, it’s likely
you’re not.
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BENEDICK
An old, an old instance, Beatrice, that lived in the lime of
good neighbors. 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.
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BENEDICK
That’s an old proverb, Beatrice, from the time when
neighbors praised each other. In this day and age, if a man
doesn’t erect his own monument before he dies, he
won’t be remembered past the funeral bell’s
ringing and his widow’s crying.
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BEATRICE
And how long is that, think you?
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BEATRICE
Exactly how long is that, do you think?
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