Brick Shakespeare: The Comedies—A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Taming of the Shrew (68 page)

DON JOHN

Come, let us go. These things, come thus to light,

Smother her spirits up.

BENEDICK

How doth the lady?

BEATRICE

Dead, I think. Help, uncle!

Hero! why, Hero! Uncle! Signior Benedick! Friar!

LEONATO

O Fate! take not away thy heavy hand.

Death is the fairest cover for her shame

That may be wish’d for.

BEATRICE

How now, cousin Hero!

ACT IV. Scene I (253–326).

W
ith the Princes and Claudio gone, Hero stirs from her fainting spell, and Leonato begs her not to wake up. Believing the accusations, he despairs that he was given a shameful daughter whose supposed actions have made her irreversibly tainted in his eyes. Beatrice defends her cousin, crying slander, Friar Francis bets her chastity against his piety, and Hero arises to plead to her father to believe her. Benedick suggests that this could all just be the doing of Don John the Bastard, “whose spirits toil in frame of villainies” and who may have simply misled the Don Pedro and Claudio. Friar Francis comes up with a plan to determine whether or not Hero is falsely accused: since the Princes and Claudio left Hero for dead at the altar, the family will continue on as if she has actually died, which he hopes will bring out those who falsely accused her from sorrow and guilt. Claudio would forgive his dead betrothed, and Hero would be vindicated. They agree to keep the secret until the moment of clarity arrives.

BENEDICK

Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?

BEATRICE

Yea, and I will weep a while longer.

BENEDICK

I will not desire that.

BEATRICE

You have no reason; I do it freely.

BENEDICK

Surely I do believe your fair cousin is wronged.

BEATRICE

Ah, how much might the man deserve of me that would right her!

BENEDICK

Is there any way to show such friendship?

BEATRICE

A very even way, but no such friend.

BENEDICK

May a man do it?

BEATRICE

It is a man’s office, but not yours.

BENEDICK

I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?

BEATRICE

As strange as the thing I know not. It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you: but believe me not; and yet I lie not; I confess nothing, nor I deny nothing. I am sorry for my cousin.