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”. How does Shakespeare use characters to explore the themes of trickery and deceit
Essay about the "Much Ado About Nothing " theme
Summary about much ado about nothing
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Have you ever been tricked or deceived? Have you ever been tricked into dating someone you like because you thought what you were told was true? In the book Much Ado About Nothing trickery and deceit is used a lot to get the characters to fall for one another even the ones who say they don’t love one another end up getting involved intimately with each other. For Example, trickery and deception takes place when Don Pedro tells Claudio that he will woo Hero for Claudio to marry her. Tricking her to believe that Don Pedro has feelings for Hero. Don Pedro says Claudio, I will assume thy part in disguise and tell fair Hero that I am Claudio, and in her bosom I’ll unclasp my heart, and take her prisoner with the force and strong encounter of …show more content…
The difference between Beatrice,Benedick,and the other two Claudio and Hero though is that, these two are very headstrong characters with a different outlook on love, but have very much love for one another. Benedick believes in just being a bachelor and spending the rest of his life messing with as many women as he pleases, well as for Beatrice she believes there is no man good enough and willing to show her the love she wants so she much rather be left alone. But the fact that they honestly want to believe what they say is what makes this get way more interesting. What they don’t know is that they are going to soon become curious trying to figure out what they truly feel for one …show more content…
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
The characters, Beatrice and Benedick have a very complicated relationship. They are always exchanging words and calling each other names. They call each other names from the very beginning of the play to the very end. In act 1, Benedick says “ If Signior Leonato be her father, she would not have his head on her shoulders for all of Messina, as like him as she is ” (1.1.111-113). Beatrice follows by saying, “ I wonder that you will be talking, Signior Benedick, nobody marks you ” (1.1.114-115). These quotes show that they have always had a complicated relationship because they insult each other without them expecting it.
Benedick and Beatrice both benefit from the deceit that they encounter. At first, both are enemies in a battle of insults and wit, until they are each fooled into thinking that the other loves them. When Benedick hears that Beatrice is supposedly attracted to him, he thinks that it is “a gull, but that the white-bearded fellow speaks it: knavery cannot, sure, hide itself in such reverence” (111). Little does he know, Leonato, the "white-bearded fellow," is also in on the joke (111). Benedick starts to admire her when he is aware that Beatrice might actually be attracted to himself, as well. She is also astonished when she first hears that he loves her. However, when Beatrice comes to terms with their affection, she hopes "Benedick [will] love on... And [she] Believe it better than reportingly" (134). In other words, she falls in love with Benedick as soon as she believes that he, too, is fond of her. They each start to fall in love with one another under the pretense that other was hiding their affection from them. Now that they are both in love, they start to open up to each other and prove that the deception they endured was worth it in the end.
Throughout Act one and two, Benedick repeatedly says that he will never love a woman or get married. At some stage in the duration of the play his mindset changes. In the end he is head over heels in love for Beatrice whom he once quarreled with habitually. The turnabout in his behavior was brought about by the deceiving Claudio and Pedro who indirectly told Benedick that Beatrice loved him.
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 the book “Much Ado About Nothing” trickery and deceit are central themes that happen throughout the story. The characters find it amusing to trick others into falling in love with one another making them understand that they have always been in love but too stubborn to admit they are. In other cases there are characters that rather see heart breaks instead of happy endings, in some forms trickery was used to harm those who love each other. Trickery takes a huge importance in “Much Ado About Nothing” without it there would not be much of the romance that the characters share in the novel. Without it the characters would not understand what true love truly feels like.
From this we see that Beatrice and Benedick are actually very similar. Both believe that they are joyous and pleasing, for example Benedick states ?I am merry? and is described as ?from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, he is all mirth?. Beatrice also states that she was ?born to speak all mirth and no matter? and is described as ?a pleasant spirited lady?. Beatrice and Benedick are also similar because of their desire to stay single. We see this in the comments, ?I will live a bachelor? by Benedick and ?She cannot endure to hear tell of a husband? by Leonato about Beatrice. This shows Shakespeare?s dramatic irony as they end up falling in love with each other at the end.
This can be seen during his conversation with Beatrice, after every one hears of Hero’s “infidelity”. In this scene, when Don John and Claudio were leaving, Benedick doesn’t follow them. Instead, he sticks around with Beatrice. His action in this scene is highly critical, as it shows that he considers his love for Beatrice more important than his Allegiance to his brothers, Don John and Claudio. This action is something Benedick from the beginning would never think of doing. While in the beginning, Benedick’s allegiance remained rooted to his brothers, it has now pledged allegiance to his lover, Beatrice. In this scene, Benedick is seen to have grown as a person. Instead of losing complete trust due to un-proven rumours like Don Pedro and Claudio, he is able to take in the situation more substantially. He further proves himself during his conversation with Beatrice. By telling Benedick to “Kill Claudio” (Shakespeare 4.1.288), “Beatrice asks for her newly-professed lover the utmost favor: to place his love for her above that of his long-established friendship with Claudio. The command shows that Beatrice and Benedick are now more serious than they were. Rather than jest about serious problems as they did at the play’s beginning, they are now engaged with them” (Smith 182). Although a bit reluctant in the beginning, Benedick decides to follow his lover’s orders, and challenges Claudio to a duel. From this point on, all of Benedick belongs to Beatrice, for “Love is his compass” (Horowitz 50). To Benedick, “Love is immediately the basis for decision over life itself…. [and] Benedick’s love for Beatrice must determine his [decisions]” (Horowitz 49). The fact that Benedick decided to challenge his long-time friend Claudio further proves how much he has changed as a person. To Benedick, Beatrice has now become more important than his fellow
In the beginning of the play Benedick is just another soldier with Claudio but is also known for arguing with Beatrice. He is constantly getting in to arguments with her and at the masquerade Ball she pretends to be somebody else to try to interrogate her. When he first arrives in Messina he says “Look, it’s my dear lady distain.” This quote represents the relationship in between Benedick and Beatrice. The relationship they have is one of hatred and anger. However when Benedick is in the Orchid and over hears Claudio and the others he falls in love with Beatrice. When he falls in love with Beatrice he wants to pronounce his love to her himself. AS soon as he sees Beatrice after he was tricked into loving her he started being nice to her and didn’t make fun of her. Benedick also says “Lovely Beatrice, I thank you for taking the pains to tell me that” This highlights his change of heart towards Beatrice and that he is willing to love her. This shows how Benedick was manipulated to love Beatrice by Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato. Afterward When Claudio shammed Hero in front of everybody and left Benedick wants to help Beatrice clear Hero’s name. Benedick doesn’t believe that Hero cheated Claudio and wants to fix the situation. Also he convinces Leonato of the friar’s plan to clear Hero’s name by faking her death. Benedick even says that “I really
The first instance of trickery and deception is when Don Pedro tells Claudio that he will woo Hero for Claudio to marry her in Act I Scene I. Tricking her to believe that Don Pedro himself has feelings for Hero:
John said that “...the lady is disloyal” (49). Claudio was in disbelief, saying things like “Who, Hero?” and “Disloyal?” showing that he was very confused about all of this. That was until John said that he could show Claudio that it was true. Claudio agreed to go out one night with a few others. The group was lead by Don John who was showing them Borachio and another woman making love rather than Hero and another man. Claudio believed what he saw and so did everyone else so yet again, Don John had succeeded in tricking them into thinking that someone else was doing something bad. This ended up with Claudio making the biggest mistake in the entire play. In Act 4, Scene 1, Claudio and Hero are getting married officially until Claudio says he won’t marry Hero. He then goes into a huge tantrum, saying things like “Not to be married, not to knit my soul to an approved wanton” (66) and in the end Hero faints. The people that were left there made a plan to make it seem like Hero died so that Claudio’s love, as shown when the Friar says “She dying-as it must be so maintain’d-” (72) for her would be rekindled and he would love her again. This plan ends up working, but only after Claudio goes through so much to show his
Beatrice's courtship with Benedick greatly contrasts with the courtship of Hero and Claudio. Hero gladly and willingly submitted to marriage, and she accepted the role of the relatively powerless woman. In contrast Beatrice chose her submission after openly criticizing the institution of marriage.
Both of them despise marriage, are witty, and are each their own people. These, however, are not the reasons why they come together. They are brought together by their respective companions who conspire to tell each of them that the one loves the other as the two misdirected lovers listen in. In his speech directly after this, Benedick is swayed to a life that he previously would have avoided at all costs. In hearing of Beatrice’s supposed affection, he immediately changes his entire outlook on perpetual bachelorhood and pronounces a love that is not real or his own, but comes secondhand from trickery.
...he other hand, Beatrice and Benedick are comedy-makers and Beatrice is not ruled by her father as Hero clearly is. It does take Don Pedro’s benevolent plot to bring Benedick and Beatrice together, however. A modern audience would prefer Beatrice to Hero as she is her own self and admirable. The relationships also differ because Benedick and Beatrice’s relationship slowly grew whereas Claudio and Hero’s relationship was love at first sight. Perhaps it was a little hasty as we see in Act 4 how their love turns sour.
From the very start of the play Beatrice shows her independence but openly admitting to everyone that she does not, by any chance, want to be married, especially to Signior Benedick. Whom it was hinted at throughout the play had a past with Beatrice and the “relationship” ended up with her being hurt and him going off to battle. She makes it clear in their battle of wits after he says “….But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love no one.” (A1; S1; L122-125). After hearing Benedick say that she then replies with “A dear happiness to women. They would else have been troubled with a precious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.” (A1; S1; L126-130). This was basically her way of telling Benedick that she does not want someone to swear the love her when in reality the love is not actually there. She would rather not deal with the nonsense of someone who is not true to their word. Even at another moment in the play, Leonato says to h...
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.