| ACT V SCENE IV | A room in LEONATO'S house. | |
| | Enter LEONATO, ANTONIO, BENEDICK, BEATRICE, MARGARET, URSULA, FRIAR FRANCIS, and HERO. | |
| FRIAR FRANCIS | Did I not tell you she was innocent? | |
| LEONATO | So are the prince and Claudio, who accused her | |
| | Upon the error that you heard debated: | |
| | But Margaret was in some fault for this, | 5 |
| | Although against her will, as it appears | |
| | In the true course of all the question. | |
| ANTONIO | Well, I am glad that all things sort so well. | |
| BENEDICK | And so am I, being else by faith enforced | |
| | To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it. | 10 |
| LEONATO | Well, daughter, and you gentle-women all, | |
| | Withdraw into a chamber by yourselves, | |
| | And when I send for you, come hither mask'd. | |
| | Exeunt Ladies. | |
| | The prince and Claudio promised by this hour | |
| | To visit me. You know your office, brother: | 15 |
| | You must be father to your brother's daughter | |
| | And give her to young Claudio. | |
| ANTONIO | Which I will do with confirm'd countenance. | |
| BENEDICK | Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think. | |
| FRIAR FRANCIS | To do what, signior? | 20 |
| BENEDICK | To bind me, or undo me; one of them. | |
| | Signior Leonato, truth it is, good signior, | |
| | Your niece regards me with an eye of favour. | |
| LEONATO | That eye my daughter lent her: 'tis most true. | |
| BENEDICK | And I do with an eye of love requite her. | 25 |
| LEONATO | The sight whereof I think you had from me, | |
| | From Claudio and the prince: but what's your will? | |
| BENEDICK | Your answer, sir, is enigmatical: | |
| | But, for my will, my will is your good will | |
| | May stand with ours, this day to be conjoin'd | 30 |
| | In the state of honourable marriage: | |
| | In which, good friar, I shall desire your help. | |
| LEONATO | My heart is with your liking. | |
| FRIAR FRANCIS | And my help. | |
| | Here comes the prince and Claudio. | 35 |
| | Enter DON PEDRO and CLAUDIO, and two or three others. | |
| DON PEDRO | Good morrow to this fair assembly. | |
| LEONATO | Good morrow, prince; good morrow, Claudio: | |
| | We here attend you. Are you yet determined | |
| | To-day to marry with my brother's daughter? | |
| CLAUDIO | I'll hold my mind, were she an Ethiope. | 40 |
| LEONATO | Call her forth, brother; here's the friar ready. | |
| | Exit ANTONIO. | |
| DON PEDRO | Good morrow, Benedick. Why, what's the matter, | |
| | That you have such a February face, | |
| | So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness? | |
| CLAUDIO | I think he thinks upon the savage bull. | 45 |
| | Tush, fear not, man; we'll tip thy horns with gold | |
| | And all Europa shall rejoice at thee, | |
| | As once Europa did at lusty Jove, | |
| | When he would play the noble beast in love. | |
| BENEDICK | Bull Jove, sir, had an amiable low; | 50 |
| | And some such strange bull leap'd your father's cow, | |
| | And got a calf in that same noble feat | |
| | Much like to you, for you have just his bleat. | |
| CLAUDIO | For this I owe you: here comes other reckonings. | |
| | Re-enter ANTONIO, with the Ladies masked. | |
| | Which is the lady I must seize upon? | 55 |
| ANTONIO | This same is she, and I do give you her. | |
| CLAUDIO | Why, then she's mine. Sweet, let me see your face. | |
| LEONATO | No, that you shall not, till you take her hand | |
| | Before this friar and swear to marry her. | |
| CLAUDIO | Give me your hand: before this holy friar, | 60 |
| | I am your husband, if you like of me. | |
| HERO | And when I lived, I was your other wife: | |
| | Unmasking | |
| | And when you loved, you were my other husband. | |
| CLAUDIO | Another Hero! | |
| HERO | Nothing certainer: | 65 |
| | One Hero died defiled, but I do live, | |
| | And surely as I live, I am a maid. | |
| DON PEDRO | The former Hero! Hero that is dead! | |
| LEONATO | She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived. | |
| FRIAR FRANCIS | All this amazement can I qualify: | 70 |
| | When after that the holy rites are ended, | |
| | I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death: | |
| | Meantime let wonder seem familiar, | |
| | And to the chapel let us presently. | |
| BENEDICK | Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice? | 75 |
| BEATRICE | Unmasking. | |
| BENEDICK | Do not you love me? | |
| BEATRICE | Why, no; no more than reason. | |
| BENEDICK | Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio | |
| | Have been deceived; they swore you did. | |
| BEATRICE | Do not you love me? | 80 |
| BENEDICK | Troth, no; no more than reason. | |
| BEATRICE | Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula | |
| | Are much deceived; for they did swear you did. | |
| BENEDICK | They swore that you were almost sick for me. | |
| BEATRICE | They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me. | 85 |
| BENEDICK | 'Tis no such matter. Then you do not love me? | |
| BEATRICE | No, truly, but in friendly recompense. | |
| LEONATO | Come, cousin, I am sure you love the gentleman. | |
| CLAUDIO | And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her; | |
| | For here's a paper written in his hand, | 90 |
| | A halting sonnet of his own pure brain, | |
| | Fashion'd to Beatrice. | |
| HERO | And here's another | |
| | Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket, | |
| | Containing her affection unto Benedick. | 95 |
| BENEDICK | A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts. | |
| | Come, I will have thee; but, by this light, I take | |
| | thee for pity. | |
| BEATRICE | I would not deny you; but, by this good day, I yield | |
| | upon great persuasion; and partly to save your life, | 100 |
| | for I was told you were in a consumption. | |
| BENEDICK | Peace! I will stop your mouth. | |
| | Kissing her. | |
| DON PEDRO | How dost thou, Benedick, the married man? | |
| BENEDICK | I'll tell thee what, prince; a college of | |
| | wit-crackers cannot flout me out of my humour. Dost | 105 |
| | thou think I care for a satire or an epigram? No: | |
| | if a man will be beaten with brains, a' shall wear | |
| | nothing handsome about him. In brief, since I do | |
| | purpose to marry, I will think nothing to any | |
| | purpose that the world can say against it; and | 110 |
| | therefore never flout at me for what I have said | |
| | against it; for man is a giddy thing, and this is my | |
| | conclusion. For thy part, Claudio, I did think to | |
| | have beaten thee, but in that thou art like to be my | |
| | kinsman, live unbruised and love my cousin. | 115 |
| CLAUDIO | I had well hoped thou wouldst have denied Beatrice, | |
| | that I might have cudgelled thee out of thy single | |
| | life, to make thee a double-dealer; which, out of | |
| | question, thou wilt be, if my cousin do not look | |
| | exceedingly narrowly to thee. | 120 |
| BENEDICK | Come, come, we are friends: let's have a dance ere | |
| | we are married, that we may lighten our own hearts | |
| | and our wives' heels. | |
| LEONATO | We'll have dancing afterward. | |
| BENEDICK | First, of my word; therefore play, music. Prince, | 125 |
| | thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife: | |
| | there is no staff more reverend than one tipped with horn. | |
| | Enter a Messenger | |
| Messenger | My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight, | |
| | And brought with armed men back to Messina. | |
| BENEDICK | Think not on him till to-morrow: | 130 |
| | I'll devise thee brave punishments for him. | |
| | Strike up, pipers. | |
| | Dance | |
| | Exeunt | |
