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Deception In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

753 Words4 Pages

Without the theme deception would the storyline of the play remain the same? Would the development of characters be affected? Would Beatrice and Benedick even be together? What about Hero, would she still be accused? There are just too many questions awaiting to be answered but first of all what is Deception? Deception is the act of making someone believe something that is not true and it has extensively appear throughout Shakespeare’s play ‘Much ado about Nothing’.
There are both negative and positive deceptions and each could lead to either a good or bad ending. There are various type of deception that have been explored thoroughly in Shakespeare's play such as self-deception, playful deception and malice deception. Throughout the play, each of the main characters fell victim of deception. …show more content…

In Act 2 Scene 1, the characters playfully deceived Benedick and Beatrice as they plotted to bring the two together. As quoted “She were an excellent wife for Benedick” foreshadows Don Pedro’s plan to trick Benedick and “I will do any modest office, my lord, to help my cousin to a good husband” reveals Hero’s involvement to help Don Pedro. With the use of dramatic irony, it helps build suspense as the victims, Benedick and Beatrice knows not of what is going to happen. However, the audience is clearly aware of Don Pedro’s actions, as well as recognising possible consequences. “Bait the hook well, this fish will bite”, responded in figurative language by Claudio, to signal Don Pedro to keep talking about how Beatrice loves Benedick whilst he was swallowing all the lies about Beatrice's love for him. ‘He is the only man of Italy”, metaphorically deceiving Beatrice into thinking that he is the only worthy man in Italy besides Claudio. Dramatic irony, metaphor and figurative language presents deception playfully in the play as both Beatrice and Benedick was deceived into believing the

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What Is Don Pedro's Deceit In Much Ado About Nothing

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Don Pedro intentions was bringing people together, helping his friends Beatrice and Benedict fall in love. In Leonato’s garden, Don Pedro prepares to trick Benedict into believing that Beatrice loves him. He plans to hold a conversation and let Benedict overhear it just as Hero will have done to trick Beatrice in the next scene. When the two stubborn characters finally admit they are in love. Beatrice is upset about Claudio humiliation of Hero and asks her new fair madden to “Kill Claudio...

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Examples Of Deception In Much Ado About Nothing

1001 Words | 5 Pages

In act 4, Don Pedro states “If we can do this, Cupid is no longer an archer; his glory shall be ours” (2.1 323-325). This quote demonstrates Don Pedro insisting on turning hatred into love by committing his efforts into making Beatrice fall in love with Benedick. He is deceiving Benedick and Beatrice to eventually fall for eachother. Another act of deception appears in act 2 when Don John schemes up a plan to trick Claudio that his soon to be wife Hero, lost her chastity to another man. “I am sick in displeasure to him and whatsoever comes athwart his affection ranges evenly with mine” (2.2 5-6).

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Deception Of Beatrice And Benedick In Much Ado About Nothing

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Claudio, Hero and Don Pedro all realize how perfect Beatrice and Benedick are together and so they set up a plan to deceive the two of them into falling in love. Don Pedro comes up with the plan to be having Benedick eavesdropping on Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio chatting about how much Beatrice is secretly in love with Benedick. Just as they expected , their plan goes off without a hitch. After the group is done talking and they all leave, Benedick comes out of hiding and start talking about what he just heard and realizes that he is in love with Beatrice. “I will be horribly in love wit her.”

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Examples Of Trickery In Much Ado About Nothing

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Moreover, Claudio's quickness on believing that Broachio, who claims to be Hero’s supposed lover, comes to show that he is unworthy of her. On their wedding he publicly shamed her by stating, “Give not this rotten orange to your friend…Behold how like a maid she blushes here” (4.1.32-34). This then causes Leonato to fake Hero’s “death” so that Claudio can grieve her memory and admit that he was wrong on publicly bashing her. Shakespeare’s

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Much Ado About Nothing Deception Essay

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The word deceit means to take action or practice deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth. In the novel Much Ado About Nothing, a theme of deceit is constantly present, and appears in many different forms. Deceit is used not only for wicked purposes, but mainly for good intentions. In Shakespeare's novel deception is used to initiate and continue the play's plot, by using the masking of characters, faking death and various other forms of deception to demonstrate how true deception can be in our lives. Deception can often be used to mask a certain identity for a particular reason.

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Examples Of Deception In Much Ado About Nothing

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On the other hand, deception can be turned into a bad situation that leads to anger and chaos. One example of good deception in the play, is when Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio talk about how Beatrice is in love with Benedick, while Benedick is hiding behind the trees and listening. They come up with explanations for Beatrice’s attitude saying how it is an act to hide her feelings for Benedick. This is the good deception that is used to benefit their friends’ lives that brings upon happiness.

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IN Shakesphere’s Much Ado about nothing, there are many instances of such deception. However the biggest deception would be of Don John’s. In this case it would be in the intrest of the liar just to cause pure misery to others. It caused the most harm, not only in Hero’s and Claudio’s life but in everyone who was there.

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Within the play, Much Ado About Nothing, there is a central theme of deceitfulness, as a way to solve a problem or an issue amongst the characters. Though this deception may be evil, it can often lead to positive endings after several conflicts. In the creation of this theme, Shakespeare uses both negative and positive examples to contribute to his lesson on ruses. Within this particular scene, all of the cons the various characters have put on are officially revealed to each other. This scene highlights that deception is not always evil, nor is it always moral, but is always solved.

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Or how Don John falsely accused Hero of cheating the day before the wedding. Lying is an ongoing theme in this play that changed the course as it progressed. At the beginning of the play we see young, insecure Claudio fall in love with the beautiful Hero. He says “ In mine yes she is the sweetest lady that ever I looked

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Many of the characters in Macbeth use deception to persuade others to do things they want done. Most times these deeds are bad and in the end come back to haunt the characters. Throughout the whole play, Shakespeare uses the theme of deception to create tension, and scandals. These acts of deception will be the falling of many characters and also one of the main themes of the play. In acts one and two, the use of deception is demonstrated.

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BORACHIO: So did I too, and he swore he would marry her tonight.” (Act2 Scene 1;Lines 161-168) Claudio, although Don John was known to be a deceitful person, believed him and had become upset and angry until Don Pedro happily handed him Hero. Claudio is one who embraced these misunderstandings and enlarges the drama. When Claudio is told that Hero is seen with another man at night by Don John, he chooses to believe him: “DON JOHN: I came hither to tell you; and, circumstances shortened, for she has been too long a-talking of, the lady is disloyal.

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Play Analysis Of 'Much Ado About Nothing'

941 Words | 4 Pages

The audience may understand the concept of love and romance flowing within the characters because it was to portrayed that way but the critics would argue the fact that some of the characters like Beatrice and Benedick were made to fall in love with each other through deception. As simple as the characters were, the situations arousing in the play became more complexed as scenes passed by. What led to the trouble and chaos in the play also led to the solution in the end, when Claudio and Don Pedro were deceived into thinking by Don John that Hero was unfaithful. That very same idea also solved the problem in the end when Leonato, Hero’s father, deceived Claudio by making him believe that she is dead and that it is his duty to clear Hero’s name by reading out on her tomb and marrying the said niece who looks just like Hero. Again the plotting against own is present where the said niece turns out to be Hero and she comes back to life again.

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1295 Words | 6 Pages

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Throughout the play, deception is a vital element in the betrayal of both King Lear and Gloucester. For example, Shakespeare depicts Edgar’s scheme personality by saying, “A credulous father, and a brother noble— / Whose nature is so far from doing harms” (1.2. 192-193). By utilizing descriptions such as “credulous” and “noble” to describe Gloucester and Edgar, it reveals the malicious aspect of deception. Shakespeare shows the evil behind this deception by revealing Edgar wants to take advantage of the innocent for his own personal gain. In contrast, Kent’s deception is seen as, “If but as well I other accents borrow, /

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