“I do love nothing in the world so well as you.”
Why it's great
After a lifetime of denial, he says the plainest possible thing and means it.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
I love nothing so well as a long walk with you.
00:00 / 03:52
00:00 / 03:52
Beatrice Asks Benedick to Kill Claudio, Explained
Much Ado About Nothing · 1993
Chapter 17 of 24 · 3'52"
Beatrice is grieving for Hero, and when Benedick confesses his love she gives him one order: 'Kill Claudio.' He refuses — 'Not for the wide world' — and she accuses him of loving her less than he fears to fight. The scene ends with him agreeing to challenge Claudio.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:32–1:27
Beatrice and Benedick Confess Their Love
56s - 2:14–2:33
❝ Monologue · 5 lines Beatrice's outburst
She climbs from self-pity to raw revenge, and the sudden stop makes it land.
19s - 3:17–3:50
Benedick Agrees to Fight Claudio
34s
Beatrice Asks Benedick to Kill Claudio, explained
What happens
Hero has been shamed, and Beatrice, though she claims to be cheerful, has been weeping for her cousin. She tells Benedick she loves him, and he answers that he loves her more than anything. Then she asks him to do one thing: kill Claudio. He says he will not, but finally agrees to challenge him.
What's really going on
The scene turns the play's love story inside out in a few minutes. Beatrice and Benedick finally admit what everyone has known, but the admission comes attached to a test. When Benedick offers her anything, she gives him the one thing she can imagine that would settle the wrong done to Hero: 'Kill Claudio.' His refusal, 'Not for the wide world,' is honest, not cowardly, and her answer cuts deeper than an insult: 'You dare easier be friends with me than with mine enemy?' The demand for justice and the declaration of love cannot be separated here. He agrees to challenge Claudio only after she convinces him that she believes Hero fully, and he leaves with the hard instruction to say she is dead. The comedy is long gone.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I do love nothing in the world so well as you.”
- Benedick's plain confession: there is nothing and no one in the world he loves as much as Beatrice.
- “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”
- Beatrice's answer: her whole heart is filled with love, leaving no room even to argue about it.
- “I would eat his heart in the market place!”
- Her furious image of revenge on Claudio: she would cut out his heart and eat it in front of everyone.
- “He is now as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie and swears it.”
- Her bitter joke: Claudio is now a hero as mighty as Hercules, simply for telling a lie and swearing to it.
- “You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy?”
- Her charge against Benedick: he finds it easier to make peace with her than to defend her family by fighting their enemy.
- “I must say she is dead.”
- Benedick's parting instruction to Beatrice: to protect Hero she must let the world believe she has died.
Theme
- Romance — Beatrice and Benedick finally confess their love, but only after she makes it a test of his loyalty.
- Justice — Beatrice demands action against Claudio for ruining Hero, refusing to let the wrong pass as words.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level0/6
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Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”
Why it's great
She confesses love by saying she has no heart left to take it back, tender and absolute.
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literary
Use it yourself
I have put so much into this that none is left to doubt.
“I would eat his heart in the market place!”
Why it's great
Her rage turns into a public, almost theatrical image of revenge.
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literary
Use it yourself
I would shout his name in the market place if it would help.
“He is now as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie and swears it.”
Why it's great
She dresses a liar in a hero's name, and the gap between them is the joke.
Register
literary
Use it yourself
One win and he is as valiant as Hercules.
“You dare easier be friends with me than fight with mine enemy?”
Why it's great
The comparison shames him more than any accusation could.
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Formal
Use it yourself
You dare easier agree with everyone than stand with me.
“I must say she is dead.”
Why it's great
A short, cold sentence that has to be a lie in order to save her.
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Formal
Use it yourself
I must say the meeting is still on, whatever happens.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Beatrice's outburst
Oh, that I were a man! What, bear her in hand until they come to take hands, and then with public accusation, uncovered slander, unmitigated rancour... Oh, God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place!
She climbs from self-pity to raw revenge, and the sudden stop makes it land.
Up next · 18little better thanThe scene: Dogberry Uncovers Don John's PlotTakeaways
What you walk away with- A confession here doubles as a challenge.
- Her love keeps its teeth: she asks him to kill.
- The Hercules simile is pure sarcasm.
- Certainty is sworn on having a soul.
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Questions, then the linesWhy does Beatrice ask Benedick to kill Claudio?
Hero has been publicly shamed on Claudio's word, and Beatrice believes her cousin is innocent. She cannot fight for Hero herself, so she asks the man who loves her to do it.
Why does Benedick refuse at first?
He says he will not do it 'for the wide world.' Killing a friend is beyond what he will agree to, even for Beatrice, though he later changes his mind.
What makes Benedick change his mind?
Beatrice convinces him that she is certain of Hero's innocence. Once he believes the wrong is real, he agrees to challenge Claudio instead of letting it pass.
Do Beatrice and Benedick confess their love here?
Yes. Benedick says he loves nothing so well as her, and she answers that her whole heart is filled with love, though the confession is quickly swallowed by the demand for justice.
Why does Benedick say he must tell people Hero is dead?
As part of the Friar's plan, Hero is to be hidden and believed dead. Benedick agrees to keep that story, so the wrong done to her can be addressed later.