O God defend me! How am I beset!

My life is over. It's completely out of my hands. My love is convinced that I slept with another. How could I? My love for him is boundless; it knows no ends. Yet at the altar, he stabs me and leaves me to die. How I wish I were dead. Living life knowing that my one love hates me is worse than any other fate.

And then there's my father.

The only man I love more than Claudio is the one who raised me. But he too wishes I were dead. It hurts. I hope he knows that. It hurts to have your own father publicly declare he wish his only daughter were dead?

I have done nothing wrong!

And yet I will have to live in deep shame, despite being completely undeserving of it. I have only one plan: the Friar says that if I were to fake a death, perhaps my name can be cleared. I don't fully understand how exactly faking my death will do that, but I think it has something to do with the fact that it is disrespectful to think poorly of those who have perished. So while people are morally barred to think badly of me, the truth of my false conviction will be uncovered. At that time I will “magically” come back to life. Or, if my name can't be cleared I will be taken away from everything that I love and live in some random place.

What choice do I have? There is no chance for me to clear my name on my own. I ask for proof, but what proof can there be? I did not share a bed with Beatrice that night, so all hope is lost. I have to follow the Friar's plan and just hope for the best.

Oh, woe is me.

What shall become of this?

I could not believe my ears when I heard of the accusation. I could not imagine my Hero stopping so low. I would be less ashamed if she was a beggar's child, not my own flesh and blood. The amount of shame this act brings to my family is unbearable. I am fortunate that I have no other daughter for no family would take her now. I am left with this whore. I feel so angry. I want to defend the family's honour, but how? What can you say to subside the ludicrous amount of shame I have to live with now. It is like she has been painted by shame. Even if she were to be bathed a dozen times, the paint would not come off. What on earth was she thinking? How could sleep around? Have I not been a good father? No, this is not my fault. She is damaged, and now there is no way to repair her.

I am confused. The shock of the accusation leaves me in much doubt. However, to my great misfortune, Beatrice herself, Hero's bedfellow, claims that Hero did not sleep with her that night. It was confirmed at that point, but Beatrice still fought for Hero's innocence. But would the two princes lie? Would Claudio? Would Don Pedro? If it proves to be true, I would rather she really was dead.

The Friar thinks Hero is innocent and he is a wise, good man. But I am not convinced. When asked herself, there was no denial. In fact, she was struck dumb with shame. There was no denial; anything she said then would add the sin of perjury to her list of misdeeds. Then Benedick said that Don John is to blame for this misunderstanding. What, my child was framed? If it is indeed Don John's fault, I will rip his face off and feed it to him. If Claudio and Don Pedro speak the truth, these hands will tear Hero.

Faking Hero's death will turn all the slander to remorse. The Friar says that now that the princes have left Hero for dead, we should pretend she is in fact dead. This should apparently shock Claudio into loving Hero again. He also added that if it did not work, I could use the “death” as cover and send Hero away and so gossip of her infidelity will not spread so far and easily. I figured I might as well go along with it. Right now I am just grasping for ways to redeem my family's honour.