a prince's fool
that I was the prince's jester, that I was duller than a great thaw,Much Ado About Nothing · 1993 — 第 8 / 24 章 · 3'32" · C1
Beatrice Outwits Benedick, Explained：speak poniards
Beatrice and Benedick trade insults like a sport both of them play to win, and Benedick is clearly losing: he says she "speaks poniards, and every word stabs." Meanwhile Don Pedro quietly finishes the real business of the scene, winning Hero for Claudio and presenting the match as a done deal.
あらすじ
Benedick complains to Don Pedro that Beatrice mocked him in public, calling him the prince's jester and stabbing him with every word. When Beatrice arrives, Benedick offers to run any errand on earth rather than talk to her. Beatrice then banters with Don Pedro about Benedick's heart, and Don Pedro arranges Claudio's marriage to Hero, with Leonato's blessing.
注目の表現
civil as an orangespeak poniardshold conference withput someone down
00:00 / 03:32Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
speak poniards
words that cut like blades
Benedick complains to the prince that Beatrice's words are daggers, each one cutting deeper.
She speaks poniards whenever she is cornered in an argument.
このシーンの他の表現
- civil as an orange
polite but secretly sour
- hold conference with
talk briefly with someone
- put someone down
out-argue or belittle someone
- the herald of joy
the messenger of happiness
- woo in thy name
court someone on your behalf
このシーンのメモ一覧
42 行のセリフに 27 件のメモ
slow beyond belief
that I was the prince's jester, that I was duller than a great thaw,a court fool — Calls someone a laughing stock; mildly insulting.
that I was the prince's jester, that I was duller than a great thaw,like a target standing still
huddling jest upon jest with impossible conveyance upon me that I stood like a man at a mark with a whole army shooting at me.participle phrase: The huddling phrase works as a participle clause, showing how the jokes keep piling up.
huddling jest upon jest with impossible conveyance upon me that I stood like a man at a mark with a whole army shooting at me.each word wounds
She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.The s in speaks slides straight into poniards.
She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.daggers — An old word for daggers, here used as a metaphor for cutting words.
She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.as dreadful as
If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, she would infect to the north star.subjunctive: The were clause sets up an unreal condition, answered by would.
If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, she would infect to the north star.unrest, dread and confusion
Indeed, all disquiet, horror and perturbation follows her.to the ends of the earth
Will you command me any service to the world's end?on the smallest errand
I will go on the slightest errand now to the Antipodes that you can devise to send me on.bring someone a scrap of something
I will fetch you a hair off the great Cham's beard,talk briefly with someone
Benedick swears he would rather run an errand to the pygmies than exchange three words with Beatrice.
do you any embassage to the pygmies, rather than hold three words' conference with this harpy!ask for someone's company
None, but to desire your good company.pay interest on a loan
He lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it - a double heart for his single one.double object: Lent it me is an old double object, the same as lent it to me.
He lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it - a double heart for his single one.The t in lent often drops, joining the three words.
He lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it - a double heart for his single one.win by cheating
Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice.an old exclamation — An old exclamation, now found only in verse.
Marry, once before he won it of me with false dice.be justified in saying
Therefore your grace may well say I have lost it.the source of many fools
So I would not he should do me, my lord, lest I should prove the mother of fools.polite but secretly sour
Beatrice teases Claudio in front of the prince, calling him a civil count who hides a sour mood.
nor merry, nor well, but civil count - civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion.Link civil as an so it sounds like one run of sound.
nor merry, nor well, but civil count - civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion.the messenger of happiness
Everyone urges Claudio to speak, but joy leaves him silent, and someone calls that silence joy's best herald.
Silence is the perfectest herald of joy.double negative: Not and neither double up for emphasis, a pattern modern grammar rejects.
Speak, cousin, or if you cannot, stop his mouth with a kiss, and let not him speak neither.「Beatrice Outwits Benedick」を読み解く
What's really going on
Beneath the insults, Benedick and Beatrice are performing the same ritual: whoever cares less wins. Benedick's rant is suspiciously detailed — he repeats exactly what Beatrice said about him, down to "duller than a great thaw" — which is not how you remember a person you don't think about. Beatrice's reply is just as practiced: "He lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one." Even when Don Pedro tells her she has "lost the heart of Signior Benedick," she turns it into a joke about interest and gamblers. The two of them are the only people in the room fighting not to be the one who admits anything. When the scene's real courtship finally happens — Claudio and Hero — it's arranged in a few flat sentences, which only makes Benedick and Beatrice's noisy refusal look louder.
Theme
RomanceBenedick and Beatrice fight exactly like two people already in love, and Don Pedro's match makes a second couple official.
PrideNeither Benedick nor Beatrice will admit a feeling; each barb is a way of staying on top and never being the one who cracks.
このチャプターで学べること
- Civil hides a pun on Seville oranges and jealousy.
- Put someone down can mean out-argue or belittle.
- The herald of joy line dignifies a happy silence.
- Every image in Benedick's complaint escalates.
発音のポイント
- speaks poniards — The s in speaks slides straight into poniards.
- lent it me — The t in lent often drops, joining the three words.
- civil as an — Link civil as an so it sounds like one run of sound.
She speaks poniards, and every word stabs.Every sentence she aims lands like a blade. Benedick says her talk doesn't just wound his pride; it draws blood.
If her breath were as terrible as her terminations, she would infect to the north star.If her words carried disease the way her tongue cuts, she'd poison everything up to the Pole Star. It's his way of saying her speech is lethal.
He lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it - a double heart for his single one.She turns being told she stole his heart into a loan: he lent it, she paid interest by returning two hearts. Beatrice wins the exchange with a joke about money.
nor merry, nor well, but civil count - civil as an orange, and something of that jealous complexion.The line is a pun: 'civil' sounds like Seville, whose oranges were famously sour. Claudio, she says, is politely sour and quietly jealous.
Silence is the perfectest herald of joy.Claudio is too happy to speak, so he claims silence announces joy better than any words. It's the scene's one unguarded, sincere sentence.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Benedick complain about Beatrice to Don Pedro?
Beatrice mocked him to his face without realizing he was listening, calling him the prince's jester and "duller than a great thaw." Rather than answer her, Benedick vents to Don Pedro — and then flees the moment she arrives.
Why won't Benedick stay in the room with Beatrice?
She's the one person who can beat him in an argument, and he knows it. He says he'd rather fetch "a hair off the great Cham's beard" than "hold three words' conference with this harpy."
Who ends up with Benedick's heart?
Beatrice jokes that he lost it to her: "he lent it me awhile, and I gave him use for it, a double heart for his single one." Don Pedro's line about her losing "the heart of Signior Benedick" is the setup for her joke.
What does "civil as an orange" mean?
It's a pun on "civil" and "Seville." Seville oranges are famously sour, so Beatrice is calling Claudio politely sour — and hinting he's secretly jealous about Hero.
Does Claudio actually say how he feels about Hero?
Barely. When Don Pedro gives him the match, Claudio answers with "Silence is the perfectest herald of joy," claiming he's too happy for words — a very short answer for a man who just got what he wanted.
から騒ぎ · 全 24 章
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次のチャプター · 第 9 章a mountain of affectionDon Pedro Schemes to Match Beatrice
第 1 章merry warBeatrice and Benedick's Merry War
第 2 章turncoatBeatrice and Benedick Trade Insults
第 3 章turn husbandBenedick Scorns Hero and Marriage
第 4 章bear the yokeDon Pedro Woos Hero for Claudio
第 5 章cross someoneDon John Plots Against Claudio
第 6 章as merry as the day is longBeatrice Refuses to Marry
第 7 章wish someone joyDon John Deceives Claudio
再生中 · 第 8 章speak poniardsBeatrice Outwits Benedick
第 9 章a mountain of affectionDon Pedro Schemes to Match Beatrice
第 10 章make an oyster of someoneBenedick Mocks Men in Love
第 11 章bait the hookDon Pedro Tricks Benedick
第 12 章paper bullets of the brainBenedick Falls for Beatrice
第 13 章double meaningHero and Ursula Trick Beatrice
第 14 章by virtue of one's officeDogberry Instructs the Watch
第 15 章a rotten orangeClaudio Denies Hero at the Altar
第 16 章sway someoneFriar Francis Fakes Hero's Death
第 17 章in the height a villainBeatrice Asks Benedick to Kill Claudio
第 18 章little better thanDogberry Uncovers Don John's Plot
第 19 章flesh and bloodLeonato Confronts Claudio and Don Pedro
第 20 章brought to lightBorachio Confesses to Leonato
第 21 章take my leaveClaudio Accepts His Penance
第 22 章woo peaceablyBenedick and Beatrice Woo by Quarrelling
第 23 章an eye of favourBenedick Proposes to Beatrice
第 24 章hands against our heartsBenedick and Beatrice Deny Their Love第 8 / 24 章 · 残り約 50 分