Understanding Shakespeare: Much Ado about Nothing by Robert A. Albano - HTML preview

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Act V, Scene 1: Leonato Challenges Claudio and the Prince

 

Leonato and Antonio soon meet up with Don Pedro and Claudio (beginning at line 45). Despite the fact that Leonato and Antonio are much older than Claudio and the Prince, Leonato challenges them and accuses them of villainy. But Don Pedro and Claudio are in a hurry, and they practically ignore the older men. They definitely do not take them seriously. At this point Antonio becomes angry and curses both Claudio and the Prince with an entire series of insults:

Boys, apes, braggarts, jacks, milksops! (91) Scambling, outfacing, fashion monging boys,

That lie, and cog, and flout, deprave, and slander. (95-96)

 

Essentially, Antonio is calling them liars and cowards. But the Prince and Claudio, despite the insults, believe that Leonato and his brother are just too upset about what has happened and are not acting rationally. At any other time, such insults would be cause for fighting. Leonato does not really want to fight at this point: he just wants to put the friar's scheme into action. But the scene becomes comical because Antonio almost does start a physical quarrel among them.