D. Pedro. Ha? no, no; faith, thou singest well enough for a shift. Bene. [Aside.] An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hang'd him; and, I pray God, his bad voice bode no mischief! I had as lief have heard the night-raven, 14 come what plague could have come after it. D. Pedro. Yea, marry; dost thou hear, Balthazar? I pray thee, get us some excellent music, for to-morrow night we would have it at the lady Hero's chamber-window. Balth. The best I can, my lord. D. Pedro. Do so: farewell. [Exeunt BALTHAZAR and musicians.] Come hither, Leonato: what was it you told me of to-day? that your niece Beatrice was in love with signior Benedick? Claud. O, ay: Stalk on, stalk on; 15 the fowl sits. [Aside to Pedro.] I did never think that lady would have loved any man. Leon. No, nor I neither; but most wonderful, that she should so dote on signior Benedick, whom she hath in all outward behaviours seemed ever to abhor. Bene. [Aside.] Is 't possible? Sits the wind in that corner? Leon. By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think of it, but that she loves him with an enraged affection: it is past the infinite of thought. 16 D. Pedro. May be, she doth but counterfeit. Claud. 'Faith, like enough. Leon. O God! counterfeit! There was never counterfeit of passion came so near the life of passion, as she discovers it. D. Pedro. Why, what effects of passion shows she? Claud. [Aside.] Bait the hook well: this fish will bite. Leon. What effects, my lord? She will sit you, daughter tell you how. Claud. She did, indeed. you heard my D. Pedro. How, how, I pray you? You amaze me: I would have thought her spirit had been invincible against all assaults of affection. Leon. I would have sworn it had, my lord; especially against Benedick. Bene. [Aside.] I should think this a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot, sure, hide himself 17 in such reverence. Claud. [Aside.] He hath ta'en the infection: hold it up. D. Pedro. Hath she made her affection known to Benedick? 14) Das Geschrei des Raben kündet ein kommendes Unheil an; so auch Balthasars Gesang. 13) to stalk on = leise vorwärts schreiten, um einen Vogel, der sich niedergelassen hat, zu belauern. Unter dem Vogel ist hier der lauschende Benedick verstanden. 16) 17) infinite of thought Unendlichkeit der Gedanken, Gränzenlosigkeit der Gedanken. So steht das substantivische infinite in Two Gentlemen of Verona (A. 2, Sc. 7) instances of infinite of love. knavery ist männlich personificirt gefasst, was manche Hgg. verkannten und itself für himself setzten. Leon. No, and swears she never will: that 's her torment. Claud. "T is true, indeed; so your daughter says: "Shall I," says she, ,,that have so oft encountered him with scorn, write to him that I love him ?" Leon. This says she, now, when she is beginning to write to him; for she'll be up twenty times a night, and there will she sit in her smock, till she have writ a sheet of paper. My daughter tells us all. Claud. Now you talk of a sheet of paper, I remember a pretty jest your daughter told us of. Leon. O! when she had writ it, and was reading it over, she found Benedick and Beatrice between the sheet? 18 Claud. That. Leon. O! she tore the letter into a thousand half-pence; 19 railed at herself, that she should be so immodest to write to one that she knew would flout her: "I measure him," says she, by my own spirit; for I should flout him, if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should." -- Claud. Then down upon her knees she falls, weeps, sobs, beats her heart, tears her hair, prays, curses; 20 "O sweet Benedick! God give me patience!" Leon. She doth indeed: my daughter says so; and the ecstasy hath so much overborne her, that my daughter is sometimes afcard she will do a desperate outrage to herself. It is very true. D. Pedro. It were good, that Benedick knew of it by some other, if she will not discover it. Claud. To what end? He would but make a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse. D. Pedro. An he should, it were an alms to hang him. 21 She's an excellent sweet lady, and, out of all suspicion, she is virtuous. Claud. And she is exceeding wise. D. Pedro. In every thing, but in loving Benedick. Leon. O my lord, wisdom and blood 22 combating in so tender a body, we have ten proofs to one, that blood hath the victory. I am sorry for her, as I have just cause, being her uncle and her guardian. tell D. Pedro. I would, she had bestowed this dotage on me; I would have daff'd 23 all other respects, and made her half myself. I pray you, Benedick of it, and hear what a' will say. 18) sheet Bogen Papier, und Bettlaken. 19) in tausend Stücke, jedes so gross wie ein Halbpfennig. 201 In ihrer leidenschaftlichen Aufregung wechselt sie mit Gebeten und Verwünschungen ab. Die folgenden Worte beziehen sich dann nur auf prays, nicht auf curses. 21) Ihn aufzuhängen wäre ein so verdienstliches Werk wie Almosenspende. 22) Vgl. A. 2, Sc. 1, Anm. 25. 23) to daff für to doff, oder do off = abthun, beseitigen. Leon. Were it good, think you? Claud. Hero thinks surely, she will die; for she says, she will die if he love her not, and she will die ere she make her love known, and she will die if he woo her, rather than she will bate one breath of her accustomed crossness. D. Pedro. She doth well: if she should make tender of her love, 't is very possible he 'll scorn it; for the man, as you know all, hath a contemptible 24 spirit. Claud. He is a very proper 25 man. D. Pedro. He hath, indeed, a good outward happiness. 26 Claud. Before God, and in my mind, very wise. D. Pedro. He doth, indeed, show some sparks that are like wit. D. Pedro. As Hector, I assure you: and in the managing of quarrels you may say he is wise; for either he avoids them with great discretion, undertakes them with a most Christian-like fear. or Leon. If he do fear God, he must necessarily keep peace: if he break the peace, he ought to enter into a quarrel with fear and trembling. D. Pedro. And so will he do; for the man doth fear God, howsoever it seems not in him by some large 27 jests he will make. Well, I am sorry for your niece. Shall we go seek 28 Benedick, and tell him of her love? Claud. Never tell him, my lord: let her wear it out with good counsel. Leon. Nay, that 's impossible; she may wear her heart out first. D. Pedro. Well, we will hear further of it by your daughter: let it cool the while. I love Benedick well, and I could wish he would modestly examine himself, to see how much he is unworthy to have so good a lady. 29 Leon. My lord, will you walk? dinner is ready. Claud. [Aside.] If he do not dote on her upon this, I will never trust my expectation. D. Pedron. [Aside.] Let there be the same net spread for her; and that must your daughter and her gentlewoman 30 carry. The sport will be, when they hold one an opinion of another's dotage, and no such matter: that 24) contemptible zur Verachtung geneigt, auf Andere verächtlich herabsehend. So in Drayton's Poly-olbion: The mad tumultuous world contemptibly forsook || And to his quiet cell by Crowland him betook. 25) Vgl. A. 1, Sc. 3, Anm. 14. 26) happiness glückliche Begabung, hier von dem Aeussern Benedicks. 27) large weitgehend, frei im Reden. 28) seek in Q.; see in der Fol. 29) So die Fol.; in der Q. fehlt to have. 30) So die Fol. Die Q. hat gentlewomen im Plural. 's the scene that I would see, which will be merely a dumb show. 31 Let us send her to call him in to dinner. 34 [Exeunt Don PEDRO, CLAUDIO, and LEONATO. Bene. [Advancing from the arbour.] This can be no trick: the conference was sadly borne. 32 They have the truth of this from Hero. They seem to pity the lady: it seems, her affections have their full bent. 33 Love me! why, it must be requited. I hear how I am censured: they say, I will bear myself proudly, if I perceive the love come from her: they say, too, that she will rather die than give any sign of affection. I did never think to marry. I must not seem proud. Happy are they that hear their detractions, and can put them to mending. They say, the lady is fair; 't is a truth, I can bear them witness: and virtuous; 't is so, I cannot reprove it: and wise, but for loving me. By my troth, it is no addition to her wit, nor no great argument of her folly, for I will be horribly in love with her. may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have railed so long against marriage; but doth not the appetite alter? A man loves the meat in his youth, that he cannot endure in his age. Shall quips, and sentences, and these paper bullets of the brain, awe a man from the career of his humour? No; the world must be peopled. When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married. Here comes Beatrice. By this day, she 's a fair lady: I do spy some marks of love in her. Enter BEATRICE. Beat. Against my will, I am sent to bid you come in to dinner. Bene. Fair Beatrice, I thank you for your pains. Beat. I took no more pains for those thanks, than you take pains to thank me if it had been painful, I would not have come. Bene. You take pleasure then in the message? Beat. Yea, just so much as you may take upon a knife's point, and choke a daw withal. You have no stomach, signior: fare you well. [Exit. Bene. Ha! „Against my will I am sent to bid you come in to dinner" there's a double meaning in that. than you took pains to thank me" I took no more pains for those thanks that's as much as to say, any pains that I take for you is as easy as thanks. If I do not take pity of her, I am a villain: if I do not love her, I am a Jew. I will go get her picture. [Exit. 31) Das wird recht eigentlich eine Pantomime sein. dumb-show, insofern die beiden Schauspieler sich nicht gegenseitig aussprechen und also nur ein stummes Spiel entwickeln. 32) Das Gespräch wurde ernsthaft geführt. 33) bent == Spannung, zunächst von der Bogensehne. Die Fol. hat the full bent. 34) to censure beurtheilen: ich höre, was man von mir denkt und voraussetzt, in Bezug auf mein Benehmen gegen Beatrice. 1 ACT III. SCENE I. LEONATO'S Garden. Enter HERO, MARGARET, and URSULA. Hero. Good Margaret, run thee to the parlour; Made proud by princes, that advance their pride Against that power that bred it. There will she hide her, To listen our propose. 4 This is thy office; Bear thee well in it, and leave us alone. Marg. I'll make her come, I warrant you, presently. As we do trace this alley up and down, Our talk must only be of Benedick: To praise him more than ever man did merit. Enter BEATRICE, behind. For look where Beatrice, like a lapwing, runs [Exit. Ebenso ist weiterhin das substantivische propose = der Gespräch, Gesprächsthema. So kommt in Hamlet (A. 2, Sc. 2) proposer 2) Die Q. hat hier und in der vorhergehenden Bühnenweisung Ursley, die Fol. Ursula. 3) Vgl. A. 1, Sc. 2, Anm. 3. *) So die Q. Die Fol. liest purpose. 5) Der Pfeil, den der kleine Cupido schlau verfertigt hat, verwundet schon allein (only) durch das Gerede, das man hört, ohne dass es zu einer wirklichen Wunde käme. |