No Fear Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 1, Scene 1, Page 12
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CLAUDIO
To the tuition of God. From my house, if I had
it—
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CLAUDIO
“Into God’s hands. From my house, if I had a
house—”
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DON PEDRO
The sixth of July. Your loving friend, Benedick.
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DON PEDRO
“The sixth of July. Sincerely, your loving friend,
Benedick.”
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BENEDICK
Nay, mock not, mock not. The body of your discourse is
sometimes guarded with fragments and the guards are but
slightly basted on neither. Ere you flout old ends any
further, examine your conscience. And so I leave you.
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BENEDICK
Oh, stop joking around. You know, sometimes you two dress up your
conversation with flimsy little bits of wit that don’t
hold together too well. Before you make fun of everyone else, look at yourselves in the mirror! And with
that, I’m leaving.
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Exit |
He exits. |
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CLAUDIO
My liege, your highness now may do me good.
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CLAUDIO
My lord, you could really help me out now.
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DON PEDRO
My love is thine to teach. Teach it but how,
And thou shalt see how apt it is to learn
Any hard lesson that may do thee good.
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DON PEDRO
I am at your service. Just tell me what you want me to do, and
however hard it is, you’ll see that I’m eager
to do it.
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CLAUDIO
Hath Leonato any son, my lord?
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CLAUDIO
Does Leonato have a son, my lord?
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DON PEDRO
No child but Hero; she’s his only heir.
Dost thou affect her, Claudio?
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DON PEDRO
Hero is his only child, and his only heir. Do you like her,
Claudio?
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CLAUDIO
O, my lord,
When you went onward on this ended action,
I looked upon her with a soldier’s eye,
That liked but had a rougher task in hand
Than to drive liking to the name of love.
But now I am returned and that war thoughts
Have left their places vacant, in their rooms
Come thronging soft and delicate desires,
All prompting me how fair young Hero is,
Saying I liked her ere I went to wars.
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CLAUDIO
Oh, my lord, when we left Messina to fight the war, I looked at
Hero with the eyes of a soldier. I liked what I saw, but my mind was
so occupied with the rough, violent task ahead of me that there was
no chance that like would turn
intolove. But now that I’m
back, the room in my head that I used to fill with war plans has
become crowded with soft and delicate feelings. They all lead me to
the same thought—how beautiful young Hero is and how I
must have liked her even before I left to fight.
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