One of the most common forms of deception is the inevitable self-deception; the simplest lie to form is a lie to convince oneself. Throughout William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, self deception is shown as pride among the characters. The play is set in Messina, Italy during the 16th century and at its core is a story of love and the deceptions that create love. Two of the main characters, Beatrice and Benedick, are both towards the end of the acceptable age for marriage and could not be more similar; pride and wit prevent their expression of true emotion--while their exterior reflects that of a confirmed bachelor or bachelorette, internally both wish to find their perfect match. Don Pedro, a prince and soldier, devised a plan along with numerous members of the Leonato household and the military to get Beatrice and Benedick to marry--which was eventually successful. Deceiving Beatrice and Benedick was necessary for them to openly express their love, however was unnecessary for them to fall …show more content…
in love, as shown through their past feelings for each other, Beatrice's denial of the prince’s proposal, and the lies they told themselves for pride. The mask of pride was donned by Beatrice and Benedick throughout the play; the sole preventer of their expression of love was pride itself.
When the Leonato’s were informed of the return of the soldiers from war, Beatrice instinctively asked, “ is Signior Mountanto returned from the war” (1:1). Beatrice being the first to ask of Benedick’s return is indicative of a longing for his companionship and well-being, thusly suggesting a hidden love for him. While wearing a mask at a party, Beatrice insulted Benedick--who was also wearing a mask-- by pretending that she did not know who he was and declaring that, “he is the prince’s jester: a very dull fool”(2:1). Beatrice making fun of Benedick while wearing a mask parallels how Beatrice’s mask of pride prevents her from openly expressing her true feelings for Benedick. Prior relationships often leave their members with a mixture of love and pride, inhibiting the ease of future revelation but increasing the prominence of
love. Don Pedro, the prince, acted in accordance with Cupid in order to aid in the process of courtship that lead to the eventual expression of Beatrice and Benedick’s love. After Don Pedro asks Beatrice for her hand in marriage, she turns him down saying, “no, my lord, unless I might have another for working-days”(2:1). Don Pedro asking for Beatrice to marry him suggests an affinity for her; denying the prince for the reason of needing another man mirrors Beatrice’s passion for Benedick and ultimate goal of obtaining his love. After the unison of marriage, Benedick addresses the prince, saying, “thou art sad: get thee a wife, get thee a wife” (5:4). Being sad at a wedding is unusual and suggests envy on the part of the prince, thusly exemplifying his initial reasoning for unifying Beatrice and Benedick: ensuring that the one he loves is happy. In some reactions a catalyst is necessary in order to render the reaction worthwhile; Two individuals often need motivation to remove the shawls of pride. The deceit on which Beatrice and Benedick’s relationship was built were self-deceptions, or pride. After Benedick asked Beatrice if she loved him, she said, “troth no, no more than reason” (5:4). Beatrice loving Benedick less than reason echoes the true rationale for their initial love, their love of each other’s wit; Beatrice is too prideful to admit outrightly that she loves Benedick, therefore, she gave him an ambiguous response and preserved both of their reputations. Shortly after Beatrice and Benedick’s denial of love for each other, Hero and Claudio each presented a poem from one of the lovers to the other, to which Benedick responded, “A miracle! Here’s our own hands against our hearts”(5:4). Beatrice and Bendick each seeing the other with hand’s on their hearts mimics how they both encountered center of personality engulfed in a stratum of pride. True love is often a parallel of true discovery in which all lies and deception are nullified. For the expression of their love, deception was necessary, however Beatrice and Benedick needed no deception to remain in their previous state of love. Even though they were separate at the beginning of the play, their flirtatious wit caught not only each other's attention but that of the prince, leading to a series of deceptions with the ultimate result of Beatrice and Benedick’s marriage. Through the numerous conflicts of pride true emotions and thoughts of all of the characters were discovered using this form of good deception; the greatest deceptions in life can be good deceptions as long as they are built on a grain of truth and purity of desire.
“And when I lived, I was your other wife, And when you loved, you were my other husband(Shakespeare 60).” In the beginning of the play it was overwhelming, steeped in love at first sight between Hero and Claudio, until Don John’s evil-manner took a role in ruining the love between them. And because of this a conflict developed between them, but was resolved when their vigorous love for one another overcame the conflict. In Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, Hero serves as the foil character of Claudio because of Hero’s dignified, well-mannered, eminent reputation is illuminated through Claudio’s insecure, accusing, and doubtful weakness; thereby, interminably influencing the conflict in the plot.
In the play, “Much Ado About Nothing”, love and romance play a major role throughout the play.It takes place in Messina. The play has a lot of characters that fall in love with each other. Besides romance and love there is a lot of jealousy in the play. Characters will have up and down moments throughout the book, but they will all get together at the end of the story. Many scenes in the play will be about characters making other characters fall in love by telling one another that one likes the other. The play is all about characters getting together and being happy.
The 3 deliberately have a conversation about Beatrice love and affection for Benedick, causing him to question whether or not what is being said is true or not. As Leonato starts to speak, he says… By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell him what to think of it, but that she loves him with enraged affection, it is past the infinite of thought. (3.4.107-110). Typically saying Beatrice love for him is by far more than any man can comprehend by far even withstand having knowledge of. By this time Benedick seems to question whether or not this is credible, but hearing it from Leonato he thinks it has to be true because he has never spoken any words other than the
William Shakespeare is known for his use of dramatic irony and complicated story lines. In Much Ado About Nothing, he also adds in the element of disguise to what the characters know, or what they think they know. There are multiple characters trying to ensnare others in different facades, whether it be for better or for worse. The deception and illusion in the play can either assist the characters or completely shatter the situation, but in both cases, Shakespeare advises us to infer about what we hear or see before we jump to conclusions.
Beatrice and Benedick show their apparent distaste for each other right from the first scene. Beatrice mocks Benedick to the Governor of Messina, claiming that she always beats him in a battle of wits and the last time they crossed paths Benedict’s “five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed by one” (1,1,50). Clearly relishing resuming their ‘merry war’, Beatrice cuts Benedick down at the first opportunity, telling him “I wonder that you still will be talking, Signor Benedick, nobody marks you” (1,1,105). Incredulously, Benedick retorts, “what my dear lady distain! Are you yet living?” (1,1,95). So, the dynamic of the two is set and it goes on from there in the same vein. Yet, the reader, even at this early stage may ponder if the lady doth protest too much.
In this world rumors and dishonesty happen to be everywhere, no matter where you are. Nowaday people start rumors just to hurt and insult people’s feelings that later on lead to dramatic events. In the story “Much Ado about Nothing”, we encounter different scenes that lead to rumors and deception. One scene that we encounter is when Don John, the bastard brother spreads rumors about Hero being disloyal to Claudio and Don Pedro to corrupt Claudio’s and Hero’s relationship. Another scene that we run into is when Ursula and Hero have a talk in the garden about how Benedick has love affection towards Beatrice. Later on, these two scenes play a huge role and become dramatic elements of the story. We will encounter on how rumors and dishonesty can destroy and corrupt not just one person, but many.
William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a play involving by deception, disloyalty, trickery, eavesdropping, and hearsay. The play contains numerous examples of schemes that are used to manipulate the thoughts of other characters; it is the major theme that resonates throughout the play. Ironically, it is one of these themes that bring serenity to the chaos that encompasses most of the play.
The title of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing has sparked scholarly debates about its meaning for centuries. Some say it is a play on the term “noting”, revolving around the theme of all sorts of deceptions by all sorts of appearances (Rossiter 163). Others claim it has more to do with everyone making a fuss about things that turn out to be false, therefore, nothing (Vaughn 102). Regardless of these speculations, there is something rather profound going on in the play that is worth making a big deal about: four characters in the play learn about love, and eventually, how to love.
In William Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’, there are many instances of trickery and deception, which seem to surround the whole of the play.
In this Shakespearean comedy ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ two similarly obstinate characters of Beatrice and Benedick are presented between the rather normal relationship of characters Hero and Claudio. Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Benedick’s obstinacy towards the rather obligatory act of marriage and also their particularly similar personalities that cause reason for their familiar act of squabbling; he does this whilst also presenting two characters that are completely interested in marriage and who are hardly intellectually capable of squabbling in a similar manner. As the play unfolds both characters remain combative with one another but as love becomes the better of them, they begin to reveal that somewhat secretive sensitivity amongst the complications of their hearts. In this essay we are going to explore the fundamental scenes that contribute to this, as well as overall changes in the characters and the techniques used to imply given ideas.
Beatrice is the ever-witty Lady Disdain, outspoken and opinionated niece of Leonato. She and Benedick are involved in a "merry sort of war". Always ragging on each other in a sort of easy going way, but never the less hurting each other's feelings. Both are cynical about Love. Beatrice is described by her uncle to mock all of her wooers out of suite.
In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents us with a romp through the realms of truth and illusion. The play is full of characters plotting and deceiving, for both noble and repugnant reasons. It is a study in the importance and necessity of illusion in our everyday lives, and shows how deeply ingrained deception is in our social behaviors.
Each of the main characters in Much Ado About Nothing is the victim of deception, and it is because they are deceived that they act in the ways that they do. Although the central deception is directed against Claudio in an attempt to destroy his relationship with Hero, it is the deceptions involving Beatrice and Benedick which provides the play's dramatic focus.
Plot development and comedy in Much Ado rely heavily on the use of noting. The play appears to have a simple plot; the romantic couple, Claudio and Hero, are denied marital joy by the evil Don John while the sub-plot, Beatrice’s and Benedick’s resisted but growing love, provides us with some humour until order and happiness are re-established in Messina. However, Shakespeare cleverly employs the many forms of noting (observation, misunderstanding, misreporting) to move the dramatic action forward. The main plot and the sub-plots are laced together with this device and, to emphasise the importance of noting, the audience is denied viewing the vital episode where Claudio and Don Pedro witness what they think is Hero’s debauchery – we observe the watch eavesdropping on Borachio recounting the event to Conrade. This eavesdropping reminds us of the orchard scenes where Beatrice and Benedick are tricked into loving each other. They both come closer to a position of self-knowledge and this enables the “merry war” of Beatrice and Benedick to move a step further to its conclusion.
One of the most important relationships in the play is between her and Benedick. In the beginning of the book where Leonato and a messenger are conversing, Leonato says, “You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a kind of merry war between Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there’s a skirmish of wit between them,” (I.i). He is telling the messenger that Beatrice, his niece, is not a bad person for insulting Benedick, but rather that she is competing in a game of wits against him. It is established from the start that Beatrice likes to insult Benedick.