Open Source Shakespeare

Speeches (Lines) for Friar Francis
in "Much Ado about Nothing"

Total: 16

# Act, Scene, Line
(Click to see in context)
Speech text

1

IV,1,1647

You come hither, my lord, to marry this lady.

2

IV,1,1650

Lady, you come hither to be married to this count.

3

IV,1,1652

If either of you know any inward impediment why you
should not be conjoined, charge you, on your souls,
to utter it.

4

IV,1,1657

Know you any, count?

5

IV,1,1766

Have comfort, lady.

6

IV,1,1768

Yea, wherefore should she not?

7

IV,1,1805

Hear me a little; for I have only been
Silent so long and given way unto
This course of fortune [—]
By noting of the lady I have mark'd
A thousand blushing apparitions
To start into her face, a thousand innocent shames
In angel whiteness beat away those blushes;
And in her eye there hath appear'd a fire,
To burn the errors that these princes hold
Against her maiden truth. Call me a fool;
Trust not my reading nor my observations,
Which with experimental seal doth warrant
The tenor of my book; trust not my age,
My reverence, calling, nor divinity,
If this sweet lady lie not guiltless here
Under some biting error.

8

IV,1,1827

Lady, what man is he you are accused of?

9

IV,1,1836

There is some strange misprision in the princes.

10

IV,1,1852

Pause awhile,
And let my counsel sway you in this case.
Your daughter here the princes left for dead:
Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed;
Maintain a mourning ostentation
And on your family's old monument
Hang mournful epitaphs and do all rites
That appertain unto a burial.

11

IV,1,1862

Marry, this well carried shall on her behalf
Change slander to remorse; that is some good:
But not for that dream I on this strange course,
But on this travail look for greater birth.
She dying, as it must so be maintain'd,
Upon the instant that she was accused,
Shall be lamented, pitied and excused
Of every hearer: for it so falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lack'd and lost,
Why, then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
Whiles it was ours. So will it fare with Claudio:
When he shall hear she died upon his words,
The idea of her life shall sweetly creep
Into his study of imagination,
And every lovely organ of her life
Shall come apparell'd in more precious habit,
More moving-delicate and full of life,
Into the eye and prospect of his soul,
Than when she lived indeed; then shall he mourn,
If ever love had interest in his liver,
And wish he had not so accused her,
No, though he thought his accusation true.
Let this be so, and doubt not but success
Will fashion the event in better shape
Than I can lay it down in likelihood.
But if all aim but this be levell'd false,
The supposition of the lady's death
Will quench the wonder of her infamy:
And if it sort not well, you may conceal her,
As best befits her wounded reputation,
In some reclusive and religious life,
Out of all eyes, tongues, minds and injuries.

12

IV,1,1904

'Tis well consented: presently away;
For to strange sores strangely they strain the cure.
Come, lady, die to live: this wedding-day
Perhaps is but prolong'd: have patience and endure.

13

V,4,2545

Did I not tell you she was innocent?

14

V,4,2564

To do what, signior?

15

V,4,2578

And my help.
Here comes the prince and Claudio.

16

V,4,2618

All this amazement can I qualify:
When after that the holy rites are ended,
I'll tell you largely of fair Hero's death:
Meantime let wonder seem familiar,
And to the chapel let us presently.