Deceit and Much Ado About Nothing
Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a play based around the theme of deliberate deception. Sometimes this deception is malevolent and sometimes benevolent but the entire play hinges upon these deceptions and how they affect the characters. Don John uses malevolent deception to try to ruin the marriage of Hero and Claudio. Don Pedro, Leonato, Claudio, Hero and Ursula use benevolent deception to try to bring Benedick and Beatrice together in marriage. Beatrice and Benedick even try to deceive each other by hiding their true feelings. Why did he base the whole play around deceit? How does this theme shape the play? What message is Shakespeare trying to get to his audience with this play? Deception happens over and over again in Much Ado About Nothing. Beatrice and Benedick hurl insults back and forth while, though maybe not consciously, they hide feelings of love for one another. At the party all the men are wearing masks a form of deception of identity. Benedick uses this deception to try to talk to Beatrice "honestly," without all of the insults and wit. Don Pedro woos Hero in the name of Claudio at the party. While this wooing is going on, Don John deceives Claudio by telling him that Don Pedro is really wooing
Leonato: O God! Counterfeit? There was never counterfeit of passion came so near the life of passion as she discovers it. (2. 3. 96-99) Benedick: Why then, your uncle and the Prince and Claudio The deception that Benedick and Beatrice carry out with their exchange of insults and witty comments is an interesting one. They pretend not to think much of each other and each succeeds in fooling the other, but they don't seem to fool anyone else. Their friends and family do not seem to have many qualms about trying to fix them up, almost like they know already that the two have feelings for each other. At the very end of the play after Benedick and Beatrice has confessed their love to each other and Claudio and Hero are reunited, Benedick asks which of the masked ladies is Beatrice with the intention of asking the Friar to marry them. Beatrice steps forward and: Benedick: Troth no, no more than reason. Here Benedick and Beatrice again try to pick up the deception of their true feelings, but this time no one will allow them to carry it out. The way this deception that showed itself at the very beginning of the play reemerges at the end makes the audience think that the deception is never going to end. Shakespeare, however, ends the deception this time with the open and written declaration of Benedick's and Beatrice's true feelings for one another. Behold how like a maid she blushes here! Can cunning sin cover itself withal! (4. 1. 31-34) Malevolent deceit in Much Ado About Nothing takes the play to the point that it could be a tragedy. When Don John ruins the marriage of Claudio and Hero by making Claudio doubt Hero's love and chastity, Claudio is devastated and angered. Instead of leaving in the night and forgetting about Hero, he decides to ruin her by telling everyone at their wedding ceremony wha
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1247
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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