What does a dog barking at a crow signify?

Question

In *[Much ado about nothing](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Ado_About_Nothing)* by William Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 1, Beatrice declares to Benedick\n\n>'I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swears he loves me.'\n\nI understand that Beatrice is basically saying 'I would rather X than hearing a man say he loves me.' But I don't understand the dog barking at a crow bit.\n\n**What does a dog barking at a crow signify?**\n\nI did some research and found that a crow is a bad omen, so perhaps the dog barking is warning the owner of a bad omen?

Answer 1

Hello!

I do believe the crow signifies something more along the lines of another woman. Beatrice saying she'd "rather have my dog bark at a crow" signifies she'd rather have her man look for another woman for "comfort" than lie to her about love.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Fun question! I'm sure the omen thing is part of it, but I think her main point is even more basic than that. A dog barking at a crow (which would probably caw back at the dog) would be a really nasty sound. So she'd rather listen to that noise than hear a man, etc., etc.