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Trickery And Deceit In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

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Much Ado About Nothing is a play written by Shakespeare set in Messina. Throughout the play, trickery and deceit is used on the characters to either break their heart or ignite a flame of love. We see throughout reading this play that not all deceit is bad, it can very well lead to a good within the characters lives. The play can tie into modern day life and how deceit is used in hurting a person, starting a relationship or completely ruining trust. In this play, Benedick is tricked into loving Beatrice, Beatrice is tricked into loving Benedick and Hero is made to look disloyal to her new found love, Claudio.

Throughout the play, it is obvious that Benedick and Beatrice have a bitter act towards each other as they are always bickering when the chance arises. Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro put …show more content…

Don John has both Claudio and Don Pedro come with him to the outside of Heros chamber to prove the disloyalty that she carries, but it is proven to just be another couple, one of which is in on the plan. When Claudio confronts Hero of this at their wedding, surprising everyone at the accusation, causing Hero to faint. Claudio says “There, Leonato, take her back again. Give not this rotten orange to your friend.” (4.1.31-32). This explains Claudio's new views on how he sees Hero, Claiming she is now nothing and he doesn't want her anymore. When Hero wakes up and clears her name with Leonato and Beatrice, they put together a plan to deceit Claudio to think Hero is dead, which works, and surprises him by being given away in disguise as Leonato's niece. When Claudio learns Hero is still alive after agreeing to marry who he thought was Leonato's niece, Hero says “One Hero died defiled, but i do live, and surely as I live, I am a maid’ (5.4.65-66). Hero confirms in this quote to Claudio that she has stayed a virgin and she is nothing but

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Do you also think that Benedick is Claudio’s foil? In the play: “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare, a villain named Don John tricked Claudio by making him believe that Hero have been cheating on him which resulted in Claudio getting mad and ruining his and Hero’s wedding, accusing Hero that she was being unfaithful. After that, Hero faked her death and one of Don John’s minions admitted that he was paid to make Claudio believed things about Hero that are not true; Claudio married who was supposed to be Hero’s cousin without knowing that it was Hero that he was married to which surprised him and made him happy when it was revealed that it was Hero that he was married to. In this story, I do believe that Benedick serves as Claudio’s

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503 Words | 3 Pages

While they are conversing, Beatrice plainly states that she wants Benedick to “kill Claudio...a villain, that hath slandered, scorned, dishonoured [her] kinswoman (Shakespeare 74-75).” Beatrice makes very bold actions, and she is not afraid of doing so. This shows how Beatrice and Hero are foils of each other because Hero takes actions that are safe and pleasing to others, while Beatrice does what she wants and doesn’t care about what others think of her actions. Another example of this occurs during the Masquerade Ball. Beatrice talks with Don Pedro and is quoted to have said, “My cousin tells him in his ear that he is in her heart (Shakespeare 27).”

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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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At the end of the play, after Claudio has agreed to marry Leonato’s “niece” as penance for killing Hero, not knowing Hero is the fake niece. During the second wedding the deception is revealed when Hero unmasks. When Claudio says, “Another Hero” and Leonato replies, “She died, my lord, but whiles her slander lived” (193). Here Leonato is admitting to lying and deceiving Claudio, yet Claudio is not mad at Leonato for lying. He is simply happy to be able to marry Hero.

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1143 Words | 5 Pages

In Much Ado About Nothing, the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice develops throughout the course of the play. As their relationship develops from hatred to friendship to romance, these characters are forced to make sacrifices in order to make room for the new love in their lives. Benedick, in particular, makes a sacrifice out of love that shows the powerful impact of love on his life. Benedick’s willingness to sacrifice his friendship with Claudio for Beatrice demonstrates the emboldening, life-changing impact that love has on a person’s values and loyalties. Benedick’s loyalties completely shift from his fellow soldiers to Beatrice after he and Beatrice profess their love for each other.

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Therefore, he clearly considers Beatrice as a potential life partner and lover. By not fighting for his love, Don Pedro sacrifices his probable content future with Beatrice to appease her. This shows that Don Pedro will not pursue his own happiness if it interferes with someone else’s. Don Pedro comes to a conclusion after interacting with both Beatrice and Benedick; the conclusion is as he says, “She would make a good wife for Benedick” (II, i, 295). Setting up Beatrice and Benedick together would satisfy Beatrice’s want of a suitable husband.

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When one is in love, they can be hurt by the words, and actions of their special someone. For example, becoming a cuckold because of your special someone. This was something Benedick was always afraid of, as shown when says, “Friar, I must entreat your pains, I think… to bind me, or undo me, one of them -” (5.4 18-20) Much Ado About Nothing. This quote was said by him around the end of the play where he had already came into terms with his love for Beatrice, however this quote shows that even now he knows the

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In his play, Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare has his characters participate in the practice of deception and dishonesty of others - after all, the foundation of Shakespeare’s play resides within a lie. One of the major deceptions in the play is executed by the Illyrian countess, Olivia, as she repeatedly claims to need solitude to mourn her brother’s death in order to avoid Duke Orsino and his obsession towards her. This deception contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole by adding the thematic message, deception and dishonesty is sometimes the better option when it comes to love.     From the beginning of the play, Olivia is introduced as the grieving countess that has recently lost a brother.

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What is a relationship without love? It isn 't something that can last forever. It can not overcome the issues that arise in everyday life. It is a business deal that 's as fragile as the bonds it was built around. Only relationships that are completely based in love can survive the turmoils we encounter.

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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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Even though this “war” happens amongst them, it is obvious that they care for one another or else they would not continue the fight; realistically, they would have ceased communication years before. Their relationship, through the war of wits was only seen as deceptive to themselves. Beatrice and Benedick constantly lie to themselves about their feelings towards the other, while their true emotions are apparent to anyone from the outside looking in. It is obvious from the beginning of the play, that the truth of their emotions would be revealed purposely or unintentionally by themselves or those around them. Their ironic nature towards each other, though seen as somewhat deceitful is more honest than their counterparts of Hero and Claudio who solely act upon opinions and rumors of

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It was a set up marriage and she would just try to make the male proud. Relationships, in the modern day, are more egalitarian than they use to be. This allows Benedick and Beatrice to represent more of a modern time ideal couple, than Claudio and Hero. A great quote about relationships is “ Respect is as important as love in a relationships”

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Hero express that you must manipulate someone's love life no matter the consequences when she explains, “some cupids kill with arrows, some with traps” (3.2.112). You must use trickery, to reveal their true feelings for the other person. In Much Ado About Nothing trickery and deception are central themes in the play. At least, every character in this play have been a victim of trickery or deception. This comes to show that manipulation can reveal the true feelings and thoughts about one another.

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This is shown with their views on marriage. Hero is willing to marry whoever her father asks her too and when Leonato finds out that Don Pedro seeks marriage with Hero, he encourages Hero to marry and says to Hero, “Daughter, remember what I told you. If the prince does solicit you in the kind, you know your answer” (II.i.57-58). Beatrice, however rebels completely against marriage and says “If he send me no husband; for the which blessing / I am at him upon my knees every morning and evening” (23-25).

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Love comes unexpectedly to the most unexpected people. The beauty of it is when love surprises you. It comes to the least likely people to be together. One example is Beatrice and Benedick relationship in “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. Their relationship is interesting in the sense of chaos and love.

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