Examples Of Deception In Much Ado About Nothing

Disguise and deception are central to ‘Much Ado about Nothing’. Not only are they effective comedic plot devices but they are pivotal to the overall construction and establishment of the plot. The masked ball scene, is pivotal to the plot as it sets up the events for the rest of the play, Hero and Claudio are to be together, with the help of Don Pedro. Furthermore, deception as a form of manipulation, as Don Pedro and Claudio convince Benedict that Beatrice is in love with him. The following scene is staged as a parallel, when Hero and Margaret, through deception, convince Beatrice that Benedick that loves her; thus conveying deception in a positive way. Moreover, the audience witness self deception, when Leonato is told that Don Pedro, Prince

of Messina loves his daughter, Hero. In addition to this, there is the deception that Don John sets up, disguising Margaret as Hero thus framing Hero as being ambiguous with her lovers before her wedding day. Finally, through deception we see the truth, in one of the penultimate scenes of the play, we see how Claudio is tricked into marrying Hero, resulting in a big unveiling of the truth that Hero indeed had not died and that they still had feelings for each other.

Firstly, one of the most poignant scenes of disguise is the ‘Masked Ball’, in which the audience witnesses a form of licensed or deliberate deception.

Shakespeare uses this setting as it gives the characters that attend a sense of freedom as they are, for the first time in the play, released from their social status and hierarchy that comes with being nobility in society. They are released from the social etiquette which follows being in the elite and are thus able to, through the form of disguise be free. It is in this scene that we learn more about the Elizabethan marriage and relationships. The ‘masked ball’ setting allows for this “merry war” to continue between Beatrice and Benedick. Shakespeare uses this oxymoron to portray the way in which Beatrice and Benedick have these great battles of words; Leonato, uses this phrase to cover their vicious arguments and make it seem that it is really just fun, “Signor Montanto”, whereas the comments are actually more cutting. The first thing that Benedick says to Beatrice is, “What, my dear Lady Disdain! Are you yet living?", crossing the fine line of comedy and mortality, seemingly disappointed that she is not dead! However, this time with Benedick disguised thinking that Beatrice doesn’t know that it is him, but of course she does, “well, this was Signor Benedick that said so. What’s he?”. This act of deliberate deception defiantly adds to the comic plot of the play as Beatrice portrays her fine wit and intelligence, whilst

Benedick simply questions himself as to what she just said, “Why he is the prince’s jester, a very dull fool”, Shakespeare hints to this motif of the “natural fool”. However, this scene is more significant in terms of the characterisation of Beatrice. The audience are shown that she is witty, the highest form of comedy in Elizabethan England, “I am sure he is in the fleet, I would he had boarded me”, this also conveys her feisty nature and that clearly she is more intelligent than Benedick. This naval metaphor may come across as a light hearted, bawdy joke, however, it is loaded with deeper meaning. The metaphor portrays how Beatrice is worried that Benedick is to conquer or capture her, thus conveying her view of marriage; men are to capture their brides. Furthermore, the audience can see her determination and independence, “Nay, if you lead to any ill, I will leave them at the next turning”. This is so integral to Beatrice’s characterisation as it portrays her to be a ‘new age’ woman, unlike other Elizabethan women at the time, she is clearly not afraid to stand up to a man, who at the time, was seen as her superior. Moreover, Shakespeare also uses this theatrical device of deception to arrange the marriage between Claudio and Hero, using the masked ball in order for Don Pedro to pretend to be Claudio as he is innocent and is less experienced in these matters than Don Pedro. In addition to this, Shakespeare includes this unique view of other couples at the Masked ball using symmetrical scenes to parallel the other couples. We see two conversations from both Don Pedro and Hero, then Balthasar and Maragret, the comdey is that the audience see these segments of conversations between the couples and are shown different types of relationships.

Secondly, deception is used as a form of manipulation in order to find the truth. Don Pedro uses this form of deception in order to uncover Benedick’s love for Beatrice. Don Pedro enacts this ‘play within a play’ as to ‘help the greater good’ in his society, by doing so Don Pedro brings this sense of harmony back to society. This is because Beatrice does not fulfil the typical role of a female in society, she is stubborn that she will not marry a man “Oh by no means, she mocks all her wooers out of suit”, or that is what it seems to the other characters (although the audience see hints that she does). She realises that she cannot fight like a man, therefore her words are her sword. Furthermore, Don Pedro wants to prove Benedick wrong and end this ‘merry war’, and bring this dysfunctional ‘couple’ together at last, as we see it has happened before, “I paid him back with interest: a double heart for his single one”. This is the first time in which Beatrice reveals how both she and Benedick were once lovers; the audience may conclude that this love lost was the reason for Beatrice’s anti-men campaign. Beatrice likens her relationship to being a game of cards, Benedick gambles with their love, leaving Beatrice out of luck and love. Shakespeare uses a parallel scene structure as Margaret and Hero convince Beatrice that Benedick loves her; again mimicking this ‘play within a play’ concept to emphasise the comedy.   

What is more, the audience see a form of self deception, when Leonato is told by Antonio that Don Pedro loves Hero, “the prince discovered to Claudio that he loved my niece your daughter”. This clearly adds to the comedic plot of the play as there is a sense of pathetic irony, the audience know that Antonio unwittingly deceives his brother. However, Leonato is disillusioned as he is to actually believe what Antonio says even though it is ‘second hand’ information, “overheard by a man of mine”. The simple idea of the Prince being in love with Hero is preposterous, as why would the Prince ‘fancy’ a plain, rather mundane character such as Hero especially as Claudio loves her, it would be wrong to impose on their love. However, this is poignant as Shakespeare draws a parallel between Leonato’s self-deception and Beatrice and Benedick’s deception about their love. Leonato deceives himself that the prince loves Hero; Beatrice and Benedick deceive themselves that they do not still have feelings for each other. 

One of the most misleading acts of deception in the play is set up by Don John using Borachio and Margaret. Don John, the bastard, enacts the traditional role of the obstacle, marring Claudio and Hero from their wedding, and thus ‘happy ending’. This is where Shakespeare skirts between the lines of comedy and tragedy. Borachio uses Margaret sexually to deceive Don Pedro and Claudio into thinking that Hero was being sexually active with other men before her marriage to Claudio, thus humiliating him. By making the unwittingly Margaret dress in Hero’s clothes, Claudio and Don Pedro think that in fact it is Hero, “I came hither to tell you, and circumstances shortened (for she has been too long a-talking of) the lady is disloyal”. Shakespeare uses this comic trope of disguise in order to frame Hero for a crime that she did not commit. Therefore, we see disguise and deception tainting the truth and aiding corruption; a rather sobering concept in an otherwise lighthearted play. Furthermore, through this act of deception and disguise, we learn the extent of Elizabethan misogyny towards women who were ambiguous with their sexual partners, “where I should wed, I will shame her.”, a man was to publicly shame his partner in order to humiliate and downcast them in front of society. 

In the final act of ‘Much Ado’, the audience see the resolution to the play, culminating in Claudio’s wedding scene, however the audience know that Hero is still alive. This use of deception, pretending Hero was dead, was for the greater good, without this Hero would have been shunned from society and perhaps even killed for her ‘sins’. Furthermore, this idea of deception for good adds to this sense of self-realisation, as it was only when Claudio found out that Hero had died that he really realised the extent of what he had done, “Sweet Hero, now the image doth appear in the rare semblance that I loved it her”, this portrays how really knowing that Hero was dead lead Claudio to realise his true love for her, the “marriage of true minds” as Shakespeare wrote in Sonnet 116. Fashion is a pattern that runs throughout the play and reveals how deception relies on disguise to convey how she appeared adulterous, however she now appears in her true, honest state of innocence. It is almost ironic that in a play of misunderstandings and deception, that it is through this we find the truth - Claudio still loves Hero. Paradoxically, although Hero has not really died, there is a metaphorical death of the old hero, she is a changed woman now, “Another Hero”. This is poignant to another of Shakespeare’s comedic tropes, resurrection. It is through the deception of Hero’s death and Claudio’s realisation of what he has done, that leads to a sense of resurrection. No longer are Claudio and Hero the same people, as they have grown morally, “And when I lived, I was your other wife”.  

Overall, deception and disguise is used in a number of different ways in ‘Much Ado about Nothing’, firstly the Masked Ball, causing licensed deception, secondly Don Pedro’s ‘play within a play’, trying to convince Benedick that Beatrice loves him, manipulative deception and thirdly, Leonato’s self-deception about Don Pedro loving Hero, his daughter.

Furthermore, the disguise of Margret as Hero is one of the plays most poignant scenes of disguise and deception as Shakespeare uses this key motif of fashion to disguise and therefore conceal Margaret’s identity as well as Hero deceiving Claudio to think she is dead. One can see that without the theme of deception pulsing through ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ then the comedic plots would not be achieved, as well as not creating such a significant story line captivating the audience. As the critic Dover Wilson said, “Eavesdropping and misinterpretation, disguise and deceit - sometimes for evil ends, but generally in fun and with a comic upshot - such are the designs in the dramatic pattern of Much Ado”. The only character that is not deceived in ‘Much Ado’ is the Friar Francis, perhaps this reflects on the fact that God is the only being that can ‘see the light’, can see through all the deceit and

disguise.