Romeo And Juliet Deception Essay

“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.” ― Niccolò Machiavelli. The term deception takes a part in betraying another for one’s self interest. It was a key element within Shakespeare’s works. Romeo and Juliet are one of the prime examples of this topic. They showed deception very clearly by hiding their actions and betraying their families, leading to their tragic ending. However, it was not the only piece Shakespeare wrote that showed the multiple consequences caused by an act of betrayal. The power of deception and the consequences that follow is a staple in literature, and no one shows this idea more clearly than Shakespeare.

"Oh! What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice To Deceive" -Sir Walter Scott. Shakespeare

is one of the most celebrated authors in history, weaving deception throughout his writings. As he wrote about love, deception was seen over and over within his pieces. An example from Shakespeare’s work is from Sonnet 138, “O, love's best habit is in seeming trust.” This sonnet was based around a man and his mistress. The man knows that she lies about being faithful, but he also is aware that they do it in order to protect each other and their relationship. Later in Sonnet 157, the audience sees the outcome of the deception in Sonnet 138, as they are told that the man and his mistress are no longer. In the story of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo quotes, “O, how may I call this lightning? O my love! My wife! Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath.” (V, iii, page 119). This scene took place after Juliet made the decision of drinking a sleeping potion to deceive her family into thinking she was dead, so she could run away with Romeo. However, Romeo was not part of the decision that Juliet made and in his grief over his mistaken belief of his beloved’s death, he chose to take his own life. In Sonnet 138 and in Romeo and Juliet, the actions that were undertaken were for a good reason, whether if it was for wanting to be in the relationship fully or not wanting to be alone initially, doesn’t always fix the outcome of a partnership. They did this with best intentions in thinking of their own relationship, not thinking of how it could morally affect the people around them.
Creating an atmosphere where others around you feel betrayed by your actions, affects everything in the close relationships depicted throughout Shakespeare’s tales.

Shakespeare did not only write about love for a partner, but love for power. He masterfully depicted the love of power through the use of deception. In the beginning of the story Hamlet, the king has passed with little suspicion of him being murdered. It was not until the son of the king was told, by his father’s ghost, that he had been murdered by his brother, Claudius. Claudius wanted to control his future in terms of power and wealth. He did this through the murder of his brother and the deception that he was stung by a serpent and not poisoned. Instead Claudius confesses, “That cannot be, since I am still possessed/ of those effects for which I did the murder; my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen." (III, iii, 54-56). This statement given by the king’s brother, Claudius, informing the audience of his vicious act, greed, and deception in his pursuit of the crown. Juliet, being one of the main characters in Romeo and Juliet, states, "My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed enemy." (I, v, 35). Within this story, the audience is aware of the Capulet and Montague feud between the two families and who Romeo and Juliet are. When Romeo and Juliet meet, they are not aware who the other is. By Juliet stating

that if she had known who Romeo was, there would have been no love between them. However, she states it was far too late, acknowledging how her feelings towards Romeo could hurt her family. In Romeo and Juliet, both the Montagues and Capulets along with Romeo and Juliet wanted to be able to control who could be loved and who could not. In Hamlet, Claudius wanted to control his future in terms of power and wealth. Deception in both plays, moved the stories forward and became a main theme in these compositions. In an article titled, “The Theme of Betrayal in the Works of ’William Shakespeare”, by Richard M. Waugaman, he states, “When we betray others, we violate their confidence in us. When others betray us, they pierce the veil of our innocent reliance.” (1). In the works discussed, the readers can see how betrayal and deception affect the outcome of the literature. Although in making deception a main theme in these compositions, Shakespeare used the characters most inner desires and laced their actions with deception to create tragic endings.
In the previous stated works of art, Shakespeare showed that deception led to tragic endings.

In the play Macbeth, the title character went along with killing his king, Duncan, and three other characters throughout the play because it was foretold by three witches in multiple prophecies. Despite these betrayals perpetrated by Macbeth, he believed he was doing the right thing. This is illustrated in the final scene of Macbeth, where Macbeth was forced to battle against a man who used to trust him. In his last remarks he says, “I will not yield, to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet… Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff, and damn'd be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!” (V, viii, 27-34). Despite achieving all his gains by murder, lying, and betrayal of every single person that trusted him, he refused to admit defeat or any wrong doing. This ultimately lead to his life being taken away. In Romeo and Juliet, the final scene begins with Juliet having just awoken after her sleeping potion, discovering Romeo lying over her dead. Shattering any hope of a future with him. She then decides she cannot and will not live without him and decided to take her own life, stating, “O, happy dagger, this is thy sheath. There rust, and let me die.” (V, iii, 122). Tragedy was an overall element in comparing these two works. An essay titled, “The Essence of Shakespearean Tragedy”, the author states, “We recognize tragedy in literature because we find that it

corresponds to a sense of the tragic within us.” (Chandler 1). In most of Shakespeare’s works, he uses many kinds of deception that lead to tragic endings. Shakespeare’s recipe has been copied by many other authors and withstands the true test of time.
The deceptions that Shakespeare used throughout his literary works were so effective, the works have become a model for other writers across history. His use of deception, betrayal, and tragedy, brought his characters to life. Although characters had used deception in these works, the actions lead to conclusions that became unsolvable. Deception is a character flaw that can be found throughout the history of literature. Without it, readers of these works would never have a reason to question the actions of these characters.

Works Cited
“Quotes about Deception (545 quotes).” (545 quotes), www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/deception.
Robertson, W O. “"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" (Sir Walter Scott, 1808).” Veterinary and human toxicology., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2003, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12678303.
Shakespeare, William, and George Richard Hibbard. Hamlet. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Shakespeare, William, and Kenneth Muir. Macbeth. Bloomsbury, 2013.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Paramount pictures, 1968.
Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 138: When my love swears that she is made of truth by William Shakespeare.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50386/sonnet-138-when-my-love-swears-that-she-is-made-of-truth.
The Essence of Shakespearean Tragedy, www.lcurve.org/writings/Tragedy.htm.
Waugaman, Richard M. “The Theme of Betrayal in the Works of ’William Shakespeare’.” DigitalGeorgetown Home, Karnac Books, 1 Jan. 1970, repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/761070.