Final answer:
The provided excerpts do not relate to Antonio or 'Much Ado About Nothing' by Shakespeare. There is no mention of the characters or plot points from the play, making it impossible to answer based on the given texts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The text provided does not pertain to Antonio or Much Ado About Nothing, which is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. Instead, the excerpts reference different characters and situations that are not related to the play in question. For instance, the characters like Montresor, Fortunato, Claire, Anthony, and Harry, as well as the scenarios mentioned, do not appear in Much Ado About Nothing. Therefore, answering how Antonio escalates things in the play is not possible with the given excerpts. Much Ado About Nothing features characters like Beatrice, Benedick, Claudio, and Hero, and the conflict often involves misunderstandings, mischief, and love entanglements, none of which are hinted at in the provided texts.