Deciet and Trickery in Shakespeare´s Much Ado About Nothing

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Deceit and trickery play a huge part in the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Deception is a key theme in the play, it also moves the plot along. Trickery and deception is used in the love stories of couples Hero and Claudio, and Benedick and Beatrice, with opposite results. This play demonstrates two different kinds of deceit: the kind whose only purpose is to cause trouble, and the kind that is used to form a good outcome. In the relationship of Hero and Claudio, deception nearly succeeds in breaking them apart forever, while in the case of Benedick and Beatrice, it brings them closer together.
The first use of trickery in Hero and Claudio's relationship is when Claudio's friend, Don Pedro, pretends to be Claudio to woo Hero for Claudio. After that, Don John uses deception as a tool to ruin the happiness of Hero and Claudio. Before the wedding, he tells Claudio: "I came hither to tell you, and, circumstances shortened—for she [Hero] has been too long a-talking of—the lady is disloyal." (3.2.96–98.) Don John brings Claudio to Hero's window and convinces him that he is seeing Hero being disloyal when it is actually Hero's servant, Margaret, with Borachio. Claudio accuses Hero at their wedding, and she faints as a result. Claudio leaves and the Friar, who was supposed to marry them, suggests that Hero's family should tell everyone that she is dead, which is another use of deception. Borachio confesses how Don John bribed him to join in on the plan to make Hero seem disloyal. Upon hearing this, Claudio regrets his accusation and apologizes to Leonato. Leonato brings up the next bit of trickery because he tells Claudio that he has a niece who looks exactly like Hero. Claudio agrees to marry her even...

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... doubt they'd ever reveal their emotions without the trick their friend's played on them.
A central theme in Much Ado About Nothing is deceit and trickery. This theme is also what moves the plot of the play along. While deceit is usually viewed as bad, in the case of Beatrice and Benedick it was a good thing that helped them discover their love for each other. For Hero and Claudio, deceit almost tore their relationship apart, however, it also brought them back together in the end. If deceit and trickery was not in Much Ado About Nothing, the play would definitely be different.

Works Cited

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Much Ado About Nothing Theme of Lies and Deceit." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Thomas, Rebecca S. "Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", Deceit and Love." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. Webpage

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