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Shakespeare on Stage
Original Shakespeare Company, Comedie of Errors. To Jun. 22, 2013.
Original Shakespeare Company, A Midsommer Night's Dreame (Midsummer Midsommer). To Jun. 21, 2013.
SIP Editors, King Henry VIII. To Aug. 4, 2013.
American Shakespeare Center, Return to the Forbidden Planet. To Dec. 1, 2013.
SIP Editors, Measure for Measure. To Aug. 4, 2013.
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Much Ado About Nothing (Quarto 1, 1600)

Author: William Shakespeare
Editor: Grechen Minton
Not Peer Reviewed
Much adoe
no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her follie, for
I will be horribly in loue with her, I may chaunce haue some
odde quirkes and remnants of witte broken on me, because I
haue railed so long against marriage: but doth not the appe-
1060tite alter? a man loues the meate in his youth, that he cannot in-
dure in his age. Shall quippes and sentences, and these paper
bullets of the brain awe a man from the carreere of his humor?
No, the world must be peopled. When I saide I woulde die a
batcheller, I did not think I should liue til I were married, here
1065comes Beatrice: by this day, shees a faire lady, I doe spie some
markes of loue in her.
Enter Beatrice.
Beatr. Aganst my will I am sent to bid you come in to din-
1070ner.
Bene. Faire Beatrice, I thanke you for your paines.
Beat. I tooke no more paines for those thankes, then you
take paines to thanke me, if it had bin painful I would not haue
come.
1075Bene. You take pleasure then in the message.
Beat. Yea iust so much as you may take vppon a kniues
point, and choake a daw withall: you haue no stomach signior,
fare you well.
exit.
Bene. Ha, against my will I am sent to bid you come in to
1080dinner: theres a double meaning in that: I took no more paines
for those thanks thē you took pains to thank me, thats as much
as to say, any pains that I take for you is as easy as thanks: if I do
not take pitty of her I am a villaine, if I do not loue her I am a
Iew, I will go get her picture,
exit.
Enter Hero and two Gentlewomen, Margaret, and Vrsley.
Hero Good Margaret runne thee to the parlour,
There shalt thou find my cosin Beatrice,
1090Proposing with the prince and Claudio,
Whisper her eare and tell her I and Vrsley,
Walke in the orchard, and our whole discourse
Is all of her, say that thou ouer-heardst vs,
And bid her steale into the pleached bowere
1095Where hony-suckles ripened by the sunne,
Forbid