Much Ado Act 5: Wedding quotes & untidy endings

5.1

we open with Antonio trying to reassure Leonato and Leonato responding:

I pray thee, cease thy counsel,
Which falls into mine ears as profitless
As water in a sieve: give not me counsel;
Nor let no comforter delight mine ear
But such a one whose wrongs do suit with mine.
Bring me a father that so loved his child,

yeah, a father that so loved his child now that he knows she's still a virgin... i don't believe your love is unconditional Leonato!!

also- no one is around to hear this so why is he still crying like hero is dead?

Don Pedro and Claudio enter, there's a lot of talk about dueling which makes Antonio particularly charming- or maybe im just biased towards him since he didnt say the awful things leonato did last scene...

Leonato and Antonio leave and in comes Benedick to fulfill his promise to Beatrice. I find this scene quite moving. Challenging someone who was a friend, and having to do it quietly so the prince can't officially interfere... and the way claudio says benedick invited him to a feast... pain. in my heart. so good.

After that, claudio and the prince start teasing benedick about beatrice, but instead of hurling witty banter back he firmly lets them know its not time to play any more:

BENEDICK

Fare you well, boy: you know my mind. I will leave you now to your gossip-like humour: you break jests as braggarts do their blades, which God be thanked, hurt not. My lord, for your many courtesies I thank you: I must discontinue your company: your brother the bastard is fled from Messina: you have among you killed a sweet and innocent lady. For my Lord Lackbeard there, he and I shall meet: and, till then, peace be with him.

wow. quite a turn around from the benedick we saw at the beginning of the play. the prince show's he's perceptive enough to be a good ruler by calling claudio on what really happened between he and benedick, and to confirm that benedick was right about don john running away, in comes Dogberry & Co. and while you think all sillyness will ensue, instead we get this beautiful confession from Borachio:

Sweet prince, let me go no farther to mine answer: do you hear me, and let this count kill me. I have deceived even your very eyes: what your wisdoms could not discover, these shallow fools have brought to light: who in the night overheard me confessing to this man how Don John your brother incensed me to slander the Lady Hero, how you were brought into the orchard and saw me court Margaret in Hero's garments, how you disgraced her, when you should marry her: my villany they have upon record; which I had rather seal with my death than repeat over to my shame. The lady is dead upon mine and my master's false accusation; and, briefly, I desire nothing but the reward of a villain.

OK, aside from the new weirdness revealed that not only did Margaret let Borachio call her Hero, she was also wearing hero's clothes.... that's a pretty heavy speech.

Now the boys are feeling pretty bad about their horrible behavior/ easy deception:

DON PEDRO

Runs not this speech like iron through your blood?

CLAUDIO

I have drunk poison whiles he utter'd it.

All i'm saying is its a good thing they weren't married already or hero could have been another Desdemona...

Leonato comes back on to see borachio and borachio clear's margaret of knowingly plotting against hero. claudio promises to write a glorious remembrance of hero and mourn for her. dogberry is proud of his work and exits the scene with his usual absurdity:

DOGBERRY

I leave an arrant knave with your worship; which I beseech your worship to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship! I wish your worship well; God restore you to health! I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting may be wished, God prohibit it! Come, neighbour.

5.2

Another favorite scene. It opens with Benedick and Saucy Margaret making bawdy jokes as Benedick tries to get her to bring Beatrice to him. There's something really interesting in a woman who can be so sexual and enjoy that sexuality and never get punished for it. She's open about it but not malicious/manipulative. Its a strange character a little more like something I'd expect to see in a Fletcher play. 

Once margaret leaves we get Benedicks terrible song/poetry. The awfulness does not escape Benedick:

Marry, I cannot show it in rhyme; I have tried: I can find out no rhyme to 'lady' but 'baby,' an innocent rhyme; for 'scorn,' 'horn,' a hard rhyme; for, 'school,' 'fool,' a babbling rhyme; very ominous endings: no, I was not born under a rhyming planet, nor I cannot woo in festival terms.

its almost as though while making fun of himself benedick is also making fun of all those lovers obsessed with showing they are a couple through using couplets.

Beatrice enters and they continue their usual spats but with an air of love. two of my favorite lines are in this scene, the first is:

BENEDICK

Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.

I tell Dan that all the time. :) and the other comes shortly thereafter, and is so applicable and lovely and perfect that Dan and I had it engraved on  what carried our rings at our wedding:

BENEDICK

Serve God, love me and mend. 

(Some of you may recognize the phrase from a Mumford & Sons song...)

 I think that's a solid phrase by which we can all live life... who the "me" is varies of course...

The scene ends with ursula calling them to see the results of hero's proven innocence.

5.3

a very short scene with Cladio's epitaph/song he's written for Hero. I feel like the success of this scene very much depends on how good the music is. 

5.4

the final scene!- the scene starts with a little I told you so from the priest. everyone is happy benedick didnt end up having to kill his friend and that hero isnt really dead.

Benedick tells friar francis he will need help with his own wedding soon.

I dont really have an interest in the weird story that Claudio is going to marry a replacement hero, i think that whole thing is done much better in winter's tale

im much more interested in, after their several confessions of love, Benedick and Beatrice then claim NOT to love each other again. and in keeping with the theme of things said being false but written being true...

CLAUDIO

And I'll be sworn upon't that he loves her;
For here's a paper written in his hand,
A halting sonnet of his own pure brain,
Fashion'd to Beatrice.

HERO

And here's another
Writ in my cousin's hand, stolen from her pocket,
Containing her affection unto Benedick.

BENEDICK

A miracle! here's our own hands against our hearts.

And thus we have my favorite couple in Shakespeare's Canon (yes, even more than A&C)

2 more points to mention before we wrap up this play:

1.  BENEDICK

First, of my word; therefore play, music. Prince,
thou art sad; get thee a wife, get thee a wife:

I love the reversal here. instead of hapring on ursula or margaret to get a husband it is now the prince's turn to have marriage pressure.

2. The complete ignoring of Don John and refusal to tie up loose ends:

Messenger

My lord, your brother John is ta'en in flight,
And brought with armed men back to Messina.

BENEDICK

Think not on him till to-morrow:
I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.
Strike up, pipers.
Dance

Who needs justice/hunting down the bad guy when you've got a happy ending?! Everybody dance!

and that's my favorite, messy, slightly absurd shakespearean comedy.

I'm off to CA for the weekend to see a play at my alma mater. Next week we'll look at As You Like It!!