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.
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ReplyDeleteThe voice suits the situation perfectly, especially considering what Leonato's mood and tone would be like (if he were writing this) after an event such as this one. The character's ideas and feelings are conveyed clearly in short but straightforward sentences - I didn't have to guess anything. However, there is a lack of detail in much of what is being said, although someone in a state of mind such as Leonato's would not care much to delve into the minor things. There are many instances where sentences could have been linked together but were instead separated, as if each was a separate thought altogether.
ReplyDeleteNot much to agree or disagree with; Leonato is very angry, as any (proper) father would be.