Chapter 8 first act

Scene 1 in front of Leonato's house Enter Leonato, Hero, Beatrice, and a messenger. This letter from Leonato says that Don Pedro of Aragon is coming to Messi's tonight. Messenger He's coming soon; he was but eight or nine miles from here when I parted him. Leonato How many soldiers have you lost in this battle? There are not many messengers, and none of them is famous. The Leonato victors came home with all their troops, and that was a double victory.The letter also said that Don Pedro was very fond of a young Florentine named Claudio. The messenger is indeed a very talented person, and Don Pedro appreciates it well.Although he is young, he does great things. He looks like a lamb, but he goes into battle like a lion;

Leonato He has an uncle here at Messina, and will be glad to know. I have already delivered the letter to him as an envoy. Seeing that he looks very happy, he is so happy that he can't help but feel sad. Leonato Has he wept? The Messenger shed many tears. Leonato This is the natural expression of the most affectionate in nature; Such a face washed with tears is the most sincere.It is better to cry because of happiness than to be happy when someone else weeps! Beatrice, may I ask you, has that Mr. Swordsman returned from the battlefield? Miss Messenger, I have not heard that name; there is no such person in the army.

Niece Leonato, who do you ask? Sister Hero speaks of Mr. Benedick of Padua. Messenger, he's back too, and he's still so joking. Beatrice When he was here at Messina, he declared openly to fight with Cupid; my uncle's fool listened to him, and took a blunt arrow to fight with Cupid high and low.May I ask you, how many people did he kill in this battle?How many people did they eat?But first tell me how many people he killed, because I promised him that no matter how many people he killed, I would eat them. Leonato Verily, niece, you have teased Mr. Benedick too far; I am sure he will take revenge on you.

Miss Messenger, he has made great contributions to this battle. Beatrice He eats your moldy rations all by himself; he's a well-known big eater, and he has a good appetite. Messenger And he's a good soldier too, miss. Beatrice He's a good soldier to ladies and gentlemen; but to lords? In front of the gentlemen, the messenger is still a gentleman; in front of the men, he is still a dignified man - full of various virtues. Beatrice What exactly his belly is full of, let us not talk; none of us are saints. Leonato, don't misunderstand your niece.Mr. Benedick and her were used to joking;

Beatrice, it's a pity that he can't always take advantage of it!I killed four out of five points of his talent when we last met, and now he has only one point left; if he has any left, let him save it He is distinguished from his horse, for that is the only property that qualifies him to be called a rational animal.Who is his companion now?I heard that he changes his brothers every month. Does the messenger have such a thing? Beatrice quite possibly; his heart is as changeable from moment to moment as the pattern of his hat. Miss Messenger, it appears that this gentleman's name has not been entered in your book.

Not Beatrice, or I'd burn my study all together.But I ask you, who is his companion?There is always that kind of frivolous young man who is willing to fool around with him, right? Messenger He was most intimate with that venerable Claudio. Beatrice, dear, he's going to haunt people like a plague; he's more contagious than a plague, and anyone who comes into contact with him is instantly mad.God bless noble Claudio!If he is haunted by that Benedick, it will cost him a thousand pounds to get him out. Miss Messenger, I would like to make friends with you. Beatrice is very good, a good friend.

Niece Leonato, you will never be mad. Beatrice I won't go mad until it's a hot winter. Here comes the messenger Don Pedro. Don Pedro, Don John, Claudio, Benedick, Balthazar, and others. Monsieur Pedro Leonato, you have come to welcome trouble; while all men want to avoid expense, you prefer to be troublesome yourself. It is a great honor for His Royal Highness Leonato Domon to be in vain, how can it be troublesome?Trouble is gone, it is a great relief; but when you leave me, I just feel a sense of loss. Pedro, you are so fond of asking for trouble.This is Ling Ai, right? Leonato's mother told me several times that she was my daughter.

Lord Benedick, when you asked her, did you feel a little puzzled? Leonato No, Mr. Benedick, because you were a boy then. You too have been ridiculed, Pyotr Benedick; so we may guess what you are now grown up.Really, the lady was very much like her father.You are so happy, madam, that you are such a noble father. Benedick If Monsieur Leonato were her father, she would not have his face, even if all the wealth of Messi's city were given to her. Mr. Beatrice Benedick, why are you still talking there?No one is listening to you. Benedick O my proud lady!are you still alive Beatrice There is Mr. Benedick in the world, and pride never dies; and the most polite man, When he sees you, he will be proud too.

Benedick is so polite and capricious.But every woman loves me except you, there is no doubt about it; I hope my heart is not so hard, because I must tell you the truth, I don't love any of them. Beatrice That's the luck of women, or they'd be in trouble for a nasty suitor.I thank God and my own hard heart, I am in your spirit on this; rather than hear a man swear he loves me, I would rather hear my dog ​​bark at a crow. Benedick God bless your lady always in such a mood!Thus a certain gentleman could escape his fated fate of scratching his face. Beatrice, a countenance like yours, can't be scratched any worse.

Benedick, you are a good parrot teacher. Better yet, Beatrice, a talking bird like me, than a brute like Your Majesty. Benedick I wish my horse could run as fast as your talk, and as tireless as your tongue.Please go ahead, I will not pardon you. Beatrice When you say you don't like someone, you always slip away like a disobedient horse, looking at the sidewalk; I know your old temper. Pedro So be it, Leonato.Claudio, Benedick, my good friend Leonato invites you to stay with us.I told him we would stay here for a month at least; but he sincerely hoped something would keep us a little longer.I can swear that he is not a hypocritical person, all his words come from the heart.

My lord Leonato, if you take your oath, you will not break it. (To DON JOHN) Welcome, my lord; now that you have reconciled with Brother Ling, I owe you my best regards. Thank you, John; I'm a dumb man, but I thank you. His Highness Leonato invites. Pedro Let me take your hand, Leonato, let us go together. (Exit all but Benedick and Claudio.) Claudio Benedick, have you noticed Leonato's daughter? Benedick saw it, but I paid no attention to her. Claudio Is she not a chaste maiden? Benedick Do you want me to tell you the truth, or do you want me to express my opinion with the face of a tyrant who rules women as usual? Claudio No, I want you to answer me honestly and with cool judgment. Well, Benedick, I say, then, that she is too short to give her too high a compliment; too dark to give her too beautiful a compliment; and too small to give her too much Big compliment.The only compliment I can give her is that she would be very unbeautiful if she were not what she is; but since she couldn't be any better, I don't like her at all. Claudio, you think I am joking.Please tell me honestly what you think of her. Benedick Are you going to buy her by asking her like this? Claudio Can all the wealth in the world buy such a piece of jade? Benedick can, and will attach a box to hide it.But are you serious when you say this, or are you talking nonsense, like blind Cupid is a good rabbit hunter, and Urgon the blacksmith is a good carpenter?Tell me, what is the key of your song? Claudio was in my eyes, the loveliest girl I ever saw. Benedick I can still see without my glasses, but I don't see anything cute about her.Her elder sister is just a little bit too bad-tempered. When it comes to beauty, it's like the Spring Dynasty in May and the end of the year in December. She is much prettier than her.But I hope you don't want to be a husband, do you? Claudio Even if I had sworn never to marry, I could not believe myself if Hero would be my wife. Had things come so far with Benedick?Is it true that every man in the world is willing to wear a green turban, and is feeling agitated?Shall I never see a boy of sixty?Well, if you will put your neck in the yoke, put it on, and die on your Sunday rest.Look, Don Pedro is back for you. Don Pedro re-enter. Pedro Why don't you come with me to Leonato's house, what secret talk are you talking here? Benedick I wish my lord would order me to speak. Hi Pedro, I order you to speak up. Listen Benedick, Count Claudio.I can keep secrets like a mute, and I hope you will believe that I am not a gossiper; but what can my lord order me so?He is in love.With whom?It is up to His Highness to ask him.Notice how short his answer is: he loves Hero, Leonato's short daughter. Claudio If there is such a thing, he has told it for me. Benedick As the old saying goes, my lord, "Neither so nor so, but true, God forbid such a thing." Claudio If my feelings It doesn't change all at once, and I don't want God to change that fact. Pedro Amen, if you really love her; this lady is worthy of your affection. My lord Claudio, do you mean to confuse me by saying this? Pedro Truly, I only say what is on my mind. My lord Claudio, I speak what is in my heart. Benedick swears by my half-heartedness, my lord, I speak what is in my heart. Claudio I think I really love her. Pedro: I know she's a fine girl. Benedick I see neither why I should love her, nor what is good for her; nor can you change me at the stake. Pedro, you are always a stubborn heretic who rejects beauty. Claudio's inhuman attitude was deliberately done against his conscience. Benedick A woman gave birth to me, and I owe her; she brought me up, and I owe her all sincerity; but for a woman's sake I wear an indecent hood, Or invisibly, there is a trumpet hanging on the chest, then I have no choice but to thank you for not being sensitive.Because I don't want to be suspicious of any woman and cause her to be wronged, so I would rather not trust any woman, so as not to wrong myself.In short, in order to dress myself nicely, I would like to be a bachelor all my life. Pedro Before I die, I shall see you dying for love one day. My lord, Benedick, I may be pale with anger, sickness, and hunger, but never with love; if you can prove that one day the blood I consume with love will not be drained by wine When it comes back, goug out my eyes with the ballad-maker's pen, and hang me for a sign at the door of the brothel, as if I were a blind Cupid. Well, Pedro, if your resolution ever wavers, don't blame people for laughing at you. Benedick, I'll let you hang me in your pocket like a cat, and shoot me with arrows; whoever shoots me, you can pat him on the shoulder and praise him He is a good guy. Well, Pedro, we'll see; some day the buffalo will be yoked too. The Benedick may succumb to the yoke, but if the rational Benedick will also fall into the trap, pull the horns off my brow, and put them on my brow; I'll let you paint me Oil paint, write a sign for me in large characters like someone writes "Good Horse Rental", and the sign says: "See Benedick married." If Claudio really treats you like this, you You must be so angry that you will use all your strength. Pedro Why, if Cupid hadn't shot his arrows all together in Venice, he'd show you how good he is. Benedick must have been turned upside down then. Hi Pedro, let's see.Now, good Benedick, go to Leonato's, and greet him for me, and tell him that I will be on time for the supper, for he has gone to great trouble to prepare it there. Benedick So say, I still have brains to do this errand, so I would like to respect - Claudio Daan, from my own - Pedro July 6th, Yours sincerely, Benedick. Benedick, don't be joking.If you keep talking in such fragments and fragments, please ask your consciences if you continue to repeat this cliché, for I will excuse you. (Down. ) Your Highness Claudio, you can help me now. Pedro We are good friends, tell me what you need; no matter how difficult it is, I will try my best to help you. My lord Claudio, has Leonato any son? Pedro did not, Hero was his only heir.Do you like her, Claudio? Claudio, my lord, I looked at her with a soldier's eyes, as we marched to the field, envious, but with a more difficult task before me, too late to care for my children; and now I Back home, the thought of war had left my head, replaced by strands of tenderness, which showed me how beautiful young Hero was, and told me I loved her before I went off. Pedro sees that you look like a lover, and you tire people with your tirade.If you really love Hero, go ahead, and I can tell her and her father for you, and I will make your wish come true.Isn't it for this purpose that you said all this to me in a roundabout way? Claudio, you are such a good cure for lovesickness!But people may think that I am too Meng Lang to fall in love at first sight, so I think we should take our time. Pedro only needs to measure the width of the river when he builds the bridge, so why bother with extravagance?Do things only according to the needs of the fact; whatever can help you achieve your end is the means you should adopt.Since you are suffering from lovesickness now, I can give you the bait to cure lovesickness.I know we'll have a masquerade to-night; I'll pretend to be you, tell Hero I'm Claudio, pour out my heart's songs before her, and charm her ears with sweet words of love ; Then I will convey your meaning to her father for you, and in the end she will definitely belong to you.Let's get to it right away. (same below.) Scene 2 A room in Leonato's house Leonato and Antonio from opposite directions. Leonato, brother!Where is my nephew, my son?Did he get the band ready? Antonio he is busy there.But, brother, I can tell you some fresh news that you never dreamed of. Is Leonato good news? Antonio That depends on how things go; but from the outside it looks like good news.The Prince and Count Claudio were just now walking along a shady path in my garden, and one of my servants overheard what they said: The Prince told Claudio that he was in love with my niece, Your daughter, wants to pour out her heart at the dance to-night; and if she agrees, he will seize the moment before him to mention it to you at once. Leonato, the fellow who told you this news, was he a wise man? Antonio He's a very clever fellow; I'll fetch him, and ask him yourself. Leonato No, no, until it's proven, we'll just think it's a dream; but I'll go and tell my daughter, and if it's true, she'll be ready to answer.You go tell her. (Several people cross the stage) Nephews, remember your duties.Ah, sorry, my friend, come with me, I still have to rely on your strength.Brother, please take care of me when everyone is in a hurry. (same below.) Another Room in Leonato's House in Scene 3 Enter Don John and Conrad. Conrad O my lord!Why are you so sullen? John My troubles are boundless, for there are too many unpleasant things. Conrad You should follow the advice of reason. What good did John gain by heeding the counsel of reason? If Conrad can't cure your boredom right away, at least he can teach you how to bear it with peace of mind. John, I don't understand that a man like you who says you are Saturn's destiny can use moral maxims to heal people's fatal ailments.I can't hide my own personality: when I'm unhappy, I'll be downcast, and I'll never listen to people's ridicule and smile with me; I'll eat when I'm hungry, and never care about other people's convenience; I'm tired I sleep when I'm sick, and never care about other people's business; I laugh when I'm happy, and never spy on other people's colors. Conrad's words are right, but you are under the constraints of others now, and you can't completely act according to your own wishes.Recently, you had a disagreement with the prince, and it is not too long before you and your brothers reconcile. If you don’t take extra precautions, then all the favors he shows you now are unreliable; you must create an opportunity yourself, and then you can achieve it. your purpose. John, I would rather be a wild flower under the hedge than a rose that is favored by him; rather than flatter and steal others' favors, I would rather be despised by all; I am not a gentleman who is good at flattering, but anyone can It cannot be denied that I am an upright villain. People covered my mouth with a muzzle to show their trust in me, and tied my feet with wooden stakes to show that they gave me freedom; I was locked in a cage, and I could still sing ?If I have a mouth, I will bite; if I have freedom, I will do what I like.Now you'd better let me be what I am, and don't try to change it. Conrad Can't you do something about your injustice? John I'm making the most of it because it's my only weapon.Who is coming? Enter Boracchio. Any news from John, Borachio? BORACCHIO I have just come from the great supper yonder, where the prince was well received by Leonato; and I can tell you of a marriage that is being planned. John can we have an idea to mess with them on this?Who is that fool who is willing to ask for trouble? Boracchio is the prince's right hand. John who?The most wonderful Claudio? Boracchio is exactly him. Good guy John!What about that woman?Which one did he fancy? Daughter and heir of Boracio Leonato, Hero. John a precocious pullet!How did you know? Boracchio They told me to smoke the house with spices. I was smoking a moldy room there when the prince and Claudio came in arm in arm, discussing something solemnly. ; and I dodged behind the screen, and heard them agree that the prince should go and propose to Hero, and when she promises, give her to Claudio. Come, John, come, let's go yonder; maybe I can get my breath out here.Since my fall, the young upstart has been in the limelight; if I can cause him some setbacks, I'll applaud him.Both of you are willing to help me, won't you change your mind? CONRAD BORACCHIO We will die for my lordship. John Send us to that great supper too; they must be glad to see my humiliation.If only the cook had the same mentality as me!Shall we first plan how to proceed? Borachio We are willing to serve your will. (same below.)