How to interpret this Shakepeare monologue?

Question

I'm having difficulty figuring out what a particular monologue from Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing" means in modern English.

By the way, this is the friar's 16 lines in Act IV Scene I.

Hear me a little;
For I have 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.

i understand some parts; but if someone could translate this in a way i can understand that'd be great. thanx!

Answer 1

here what i found first i search much ado then i searched ado only visit that link
http://www.reference.com/search?q=%20Ado
good luck
sorry i cant get you from the first
unt=until for more about unto visit http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unto
hath=have http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hath%20
doth=do http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/doth
hope i help if you need more add it and I'll check it again after a while
good luck

Answer 2

I agree. There is no such thing as "translating" Shakespeare. It is written in plain English, he is just a little more verbose than we are today and the sentences are written in a more poetic style to keep within iambic pentameter.

Here is a rough idea of what the Priest is saying, following the accusations of the Prince that Hero has been "with" another man:

"Listen to me,
I have held my tongue and said nothing during all these events and have watched the lady (Hero).
I have seen her blush a thousand times over nothing, and now her face does not blush instead there is a fire in her eyes that outright deny the accusations these princes have made about her virginity.
Call me a fool, no longer trust me, my observations of the lady which is backed up by years of experience. Do not trust my age, my priesthood, my religion or my piousness if this lady (Hero) is not entirely innocent against these accusations, and that there has been some sort of terrible mistake."

Shakespeare says it so much better, I hate when teachers ask for a translation as well. All you need to do is figure out one or two words that you may not be familiar with and you will understand exactly what is going on.

Try reading it out loud to yourself a few times next time. Shakespeare was meant to be performed. You will find the meaning if you "act it" as opposed to reading it.

Answer 3

ARGH!!! Shakespeare is written in modern English! Trust me, if it were in Middle English or Old English, you would not be able to read a word of it.

Sorry, I know this isn't any help to you. It's just that the fact that teachers keep giving their students assignments to "translate" whatever passage from any of Shakespeare's plays into "modern English"- which it was originally written in-irritates me to no end. I don't blame the students for it (I blame whatever idiotic teacher first decided that it would be a good idea and all those who have since done the same thing), and I do know how difficult his work can be to understand, but if you can read English it does not need translation! Reinterpretation into more contemporary phrasing, perhaps...

Answer 4

Which parts do you understand? And then, why not start by telling us what you THINK the difficult passages might mean, so that we can comment on your perceptions...instead of spoon-feeding you the entire thing, which, as you've no doubt noticed, most of us are unwilling to do.