How much better is it to weep at joy, than to joy at weeping!' (Act 1 Scene 1 Lines 28-30). .
Racist references are cut, such as Benedick's if I do not love her I am a Jew' (Act 2 Scene 3 Line 255). .
Lines that would definitely be incomprehensible to today's audience like Don Pedro's My visor is Philemon's roof, within the house is Jove. (Act 2 Scene 1 Lines 87-88) are also cut. .
Regrettably, poetic speeches like Don Pedro's Good morrow masters, put your torches out, The wolves have prey'd, and look, the gentle day Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about Dapples the drowsy east with spots of grey: Thanks to you all, and leave us, fare you well. (Act 5 Scene 3 Lines 26-29) are cut down to a simple Thanks to you all, and leave us, fare you well. .
Hero's lines are also drastically cut and she is just a passive observer for most of the play, having no say even in the things that directly affect her, like her father's matchmaking, the wedding slander and the resurrection plot. An example of a cut line would be Hero's O god defend me how I am beset, What kind of catechizing call you this?' .
The director changes the script in many ways, and these are just a few of these differences .
Many characters are also portrayed in a very different way. .
Constable Dogberry is not portrayed in the way Shakespeare would have wanted him to be. The constable in charge of the Watch, or chief policeman, of Messina, Dogberry is supposed to be very sincere and take his job seriously. However, he has a habit of using exactly the wrong word to convey his meaning. Dogberry is one of the few middling sort', or middle-class characters, in the play, though his desire to speak formally and elaborately like the noblemen becomes an occasion for parody. However, the actor playing Dogberry is over-the-top. He makes Dogberry look like he is a character from a comedy, complete with non-existent horse, grimaces, performing antics, faking a growly voice, among other weird things.
