The Complete Much Ado About Nothing: An Annotated Edition of the Shakespeare Play

By Donald J. Richardson

Much Ado About Nothing is a delightful play which pits two intelligent, thinking people against each other, both of whom protest against love (and each other), but who finally come to embrace the other both literally and emotionally. The contretemps between Beatrice and Benedick is emotionally and intellectually satisfying, partially because the audience is included on the joke but also because it is rewarding to see two strong, independent personalities realize they are incomplete.
The sub-plot of Heros accusation and final denouement is less satisfying as the accusation is patently unfair. However, as Shakespeare reminded us another time, alls well that ends well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491828687

Donald J. Richardson

This book represents an attempt to re-visit my home town–La Crosse, Kansas–from a foreign perspective, that of another, a friend and classmate. Of course most of this is imagined as it is impossible to truly know another’s thoughts and true feelings. While much of it is introspective imaginings, however, the intention is affection and love. May the gods smile on such an undertaking.

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© 2013 by Donald J. Richardson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/01/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-2868-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013919266

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Other Books by Donald J. Richardson

Dust in the Wind, 2001

Rails to Light, 2005

Song of Fools, 2006

Words of Truth, 2007

The Meditation of My Heart, 2008

The Days of Darkness, 2009

The Dying of the Light, 2010

Between the Darkness and the Light, 2011

The Days of Thy Youth, 2012

Those Who Sit in Darkness¸ 2013

The Complete Hamlet, 2012

The Complete Macbeth, 2013

The Complete Romeo and Juliet, 2013

The Complete King Lear, 2013

The Complete Julius Caesar, 2013

The Complete Merchant of Venice, 2013

The Complete Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2013

Table of Contents

About the Book

About the Author

ACT I

ACT II

ACT III

ACT IV

ACT V

Works Cited

For all the lovers of Beatrice and Benedick

About the Book

Much Ado About Nothing is a delightful play which pits two intelligent, thinking people against each other, both of whom protest against love (and each other), but who finally come to embrace the other both literally and emotionally. The contretemps between Beatrice and Benedick is emotionally and intellectually satisfying, partially because the audience is included in the joke but also because it is rewarding to see two strong, independent personalities realize they are incomplete.

The sub-plot of Hero’s accusation and final denouement is less satisfying as the accusation is patently unfair. However, as Shakespeare reminded us another time, all’s well that ends well.

About the Author

The Complete Much Ado About Nothing is the eighth in a series of conflated editions of Shakespeare’s plays by Donald J. Richardson. The first seven are available from AuthorHouse. The author promises the others will be forthcoming.

ACT I

SCENE I. Before LEONATO’S house.

Enter LEONATO, HERO, and BEATRICE, with a Messenger

LEONATO

1 I learn in this letter that Don Peter of Arragon    Arragon: a region in northeast Spain (Mowat, 6)

2 comes this night to Messina.    Messina: a port city in Sicily (Mowat, 6)

MESSENGER

3 He is very near by this: he was not three leagues off    This: this time (Mowat, 6)

4 when I left him.

LEONATO

5 How many gentlemen have you lost in this action?    Action: battle (Riverside, 366)

MESSENGER

6 But few of any sort, and none of name.    Sort: rank (so also in line 29); name: reputation, prominence (Riverside, 366)

LEONATO

7 A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings

8 home full numbers. I find here that Don Peter hath

9 bestowed much honor on a young Florentine called Claudio.    Florentine: Simply by making Claudio a Florentine he [Shakespeare] was informing the audience that the man was intelligent and gallant. (Asimov, 546)

MESSENGER

10 Much deserved on his part and equally remembered by    Remembered: rewarded (Mowat, 6)

11 Don Pedro: he hath borne himself beyond the

12 promise of his age, doing, in the figure of a lamb,    Figure: appearance (Riverside, 366); in . . . lamb: i.e., while seeming young and weak (Mowat, 6)

13 the feats of a lion: he hath indeed better

14 bett’red expectation than you must expect of me to    Bett’red: surpassed (Riverside, 366)

15 tell you how.

LEONATO

16 He hath an uncle here in Messina will be very much    Will: "who will (a frequent construction) (Riverside, 366)

17 glad of it.

MESSENGER

18 I have already delivered him letters, and there

19 appears much joy in him; even so much that joy could

20 not show itself modest enough without a badge of    Modest: moderate; badge of bitterness: sign of sorrow. Leonato’s next question translates these words into literal terms. (Riverside, 366); badge: distinguishing mark (Quality, 2)

21 bitterness.

LEONATO

22 Did he break out into tears?

MESSENGER

23 In great measure.    Measure: abundance (Kahan, 42)

LEONATO

24 A kind overflow of kindness: there are no faces    Kind: "(1) natural; (2) warmhearted; kindness: (1) kinship; (2) affection

(Mowat, 8)

25 truer than those that are so washed. How much    Truer: more honorable; more sincere (Mowat, 8)

26 better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping!

BEATRICE    Beatrice: Beatrice means ‘she who makes happy’ (Asimov, 559)

27 I pray you, is Signior Mountanto returned from the    Mountanto: "from Italian montanto, a fencing term meaning an upward blow or thrust (Riverside, 366); The implication is that the gentleman in question is a great swashbuckler, presumably a phony, whose valor is all talk" (Asimov, 546)

28 wars or no?

MESSENGER

29 I know none of that name, lady: there was none such

30 in the army of any sort.

LEONATO

31 What is he that you ask for, niece?

HERO

32 My cousin means Signior Benedick of Padua.    Benedick: Benedick means ‘blessed’ (Asimov, 559)

MESSENGER

33 O, he’s returned; and as pleasant as ever he was.    Pleasant: jocular (Riverside, 366); given to joking (Brooke, 2)

BEATRICE

34 He set up his bills here in Messina and challenged    Bills: public notices (Riverside, 366)

35 Cupid at the flight; and my uncle’s fool, reading    At the flight: to an archery contest. Perhaps she means that Benedick proclaimed himself immune to love. Fool: jester. It has been suggested that perhaps Beatrice means herself, and is referring obliquely to an earlier romantic encounter with Benedick. See lines 52-55 and II.i.249-53 (Riverside, 366)

36 the challenge, subscribed for Cupid, and challenged    Subscribed for: made an undertaking on behalf of (Riverside, 366); signed (Brooke, 2)

37 him at the burbolt. I pray you, how many hath he    Burbolt: bird-bolt, a blunt-headed arrow for shooting birds at short distance. The bird-bold was allowed to fools and children as being less dangerous than the barbed long-distance arrow, and was frequently assigned to Cupid, perhaps because he was represented as a child. (Riverside, 366)

38 killed and eaten in these wars? But how many hath    Benedick claims to be a better archer than Cupid, who fires arrows of love. (Kahan, 42)

39 he killed? for indeed I promis’d to eat all of his killing.    He: i.e., Benedick (Mowat, 8); promis’d . . . killing: i.e. predicted that he wouldn’t kill anyone (Riverside, 367)

LEONATO

40 Faith, niece, you tax Signior Benedick too much;    Tax: take to task, censure (Riverside, 367)

41 but he’ll be meet with you, I doubt it not.    Meet: even, quits (Riverside, 367)

MESSENGER

42 He hath done good service, lady, in these wars.

BEATRICE

43 You had musty victual, and he hath holp to eat it:    Musty victual: stale food (Bevington, 4); holp: helped (Riverside, 367)

44 he is a very valiant trencherman; he hath an    Trencherman: eater (also, insultingly, ‘parasitical dependent’) (Mowat, 8); trencherman: one who has a hearty appetite (Hahan, 44)

45 excellent stomach.    Stomach: "Beatrice plays on stomach as meaning both ‘appetite’ and ‘courage.’" (Mowat, 8)

MESSENGER

46 And a good soldier too, lady.

BEATRICE

47 And a good soldier to a lady: but what is he to a lord?    To: in comparison with (Riverside, 367)

MESSENGER

48 A lord to a lord, a man to a man; stuffed with all

49 honorable virtues.

BEATRICE

50 It is so, indeed; he is no less than a stuff’d man:    Stuff’d man: i.e., a dummy, not a real man (Riverside, 367); suggesting that he is full of himself or egotistical (Kahan, 44)

51 but for the stuffing,—well, we are all mortal.    The stuffing: i.e, what he’s truly made of (Bevington, 4); for . . . mortal: as for his character—well, we all have our faults (Riverside, 367)

LEONATO

52 You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a

53 kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her:

54 they never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit    Skirmish of wit: i.e., exchange of verbal thrusts (Mowat, 10)

55 between them.

BEATRICE

56 Alas! he gets nothing by that. In our last

57 conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and    Five wits: Usually listed as memory, fantasy, judgment, imagination, and common wit; halting: limping (Riverside, 367)

58 now is the whole man governed with one: so that if    With: i.e., by (Mowat, 10)

59 he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him    Wit . . . warm: Proverbial for minimal intelligence (Riverside, 367); "His sparking wit fires with creativity. She then suggests he’s as witty as a horse." (Kahan, 44)

60 bear it for a difference between himself and his    Difference: a variation in a coat of arms to distinguish a junior member or branch of a family from the chief line (Riverside, 367)

61 horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left,    Is: i.e., takes’(Bevington, 5); all . . . creature: i.e. his only mark of superiority, to show he has something of human reason (Humphreys, 92)

62 to be known a reasonable creature. Who is his    Known: recognized as (Riverside, 367)

63 companion now? He hath every month a new sworn brother. Sworn brother: "brother in arms. (Frater juratus, an allusion to the ancient practice of swearing brotherhood.)" (Bevington, 5)

MESSENGER

64 Is’t possible?

BEATRICE

65 Very easily possible: he wears his faith but as    Faith: allegiance, or fidelity (Bevington, 5)

66 the fashion of his hat; it ever changes with the

67 next block.    Block: wooden mould for shaping hats; hence, fashion (Riverside, 367); newest fashion… . Shakespeare’s brother, Gilbert, was a haberdasher. (Kahan, 46)

MESSENGER

68 I see, lady, the gentleman is not in your books.    In your books: i.e., in favor with you, in your account books for credit (Bevington, 5); books: good books (Quality, 3)

BEATRICE

69 No; and he were, I would burn my study. But, I pray    And: if (Riverside, 367); study: i.e., library (Mowat, 10)

70 you, who is his companion? Is there no young

71 squarer now that will make a voyage with him to the devil? Squarer: quarreler (Riverside, 367)

MESSENGER

72 He is most in the company of the right noble Claudio.

BEATRICE

73 O Lord, he will hang upon him like a disease: he    He: i.e., Benedick (Mowat, 10)

74 is sooner caught than the pestilence, and the taker    Taker: i.e., victim (Mowat, 10)

75 runs presently mad. God help the noble Claudio! If    Presently: immediately (Riverside, 367)

76 he have caught the Benedick, it will cost him a    The Benedick: i.e., as if he were a disease (Bevington, 5)

77 thousand pound ere ‘a be cured.    ‘A: he (Riverside, 367)

MESSENGER

78 I will hold friends with you, lady.    Hold friends: keep on friendly terms (so as not to incur your wrath) (Riverside, 367)

BEATRICE

79 Do, good friend.

LEONATO

80 You will never run mad, niece.    Run mad: i.e. ‘catch the Benedick’ (Riverside, 367)

BEATRICE

81 No, not till a hot January.

MESSENGER

82 Don Pedro is approached.    Is approached: i.e., has come near, has arrived (Mowat, 10)

Enter DON PEDRO, DON JOHN, CLAUDIO,

BENEDICK, and BALTHASAR and JOHN THE

BASTARD    Bastard: In Shakespeare, bastards often suggest both dubious parentage and a dark temperament. (Kahan, 46)

DON PEDRO

83 Good Signior Leonato, are you come to meet your    Your trouble: i.e., the expense of entertaining me and my retinue (Bevington, 6)

84 trouble: the fashion of the world is to avoid

85 cost, and you encounter it.    Cost: expense; encounter: go to meet (Riverside, 367)

LEONATO

86 Never came trouble to my house in the likeness of

87 your grace: for trouble being gone, comfort should

88 remain; but when you depart from me, sorrow abides

89 and happiness takes his leave.

DON PEDRO

90 You embrace your charge too willingly. I think this    Embrace your charge: welcome your burden (Riverside, 367); charge: orders (Kahan, 48)

91 is your daughter.

LEONATO

92 Her mother hath many times told me so.

BENEDICK

93 Were you in doubt, sir, that you asked her?    Were you in doubt: playfully suggesting that Innogen has been false to Pedro’s bed (Kahan, 48)

LEONATO

94 Signior Benedick, no; for then were you a child.

DON PEDRO

95 You have it full, Benedick: we may guess by this    Have it full: "are well answered, have got back as