Detecting Deception in Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

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Detecting Deception in Much Ado About Nothing

Deception is usually frowned upon because people are driven to find more about the truth, and deception steers the deceived away from discovering true knowledge. However, in Much Ado About Nothing, the play illustrates that deception is neither good nor bad; instead, deception is simply a controllable tool that requires the right opportunity to serves the deceiver’s objective. Almost every character in the story displays some sort of deception. The very first example of deception happens when Don Pedro promises Claudio that he will woo and win Hero for him in Claudio’s disguise, which set off a chain reaction of mis-apprehension. When right deception is utilized, it leads to harmony, but when wrong deception is used, it breeds conflict and distrust. While Benedick and Beatrice are self-deceiving; they mask their true emotions to protect themselves. In the end, Benedick and Beatrice's peers use their self-deception to help them bring down their doubts and unite the couple together. On the other hand, knowing Claudio is not what people say he is, Don John devises a scheme to hurt Hero's reputation to create chaos. Once this happens, Friar Francis fabricates a fake story which Hero has died of shock and grief to hide her from public until new evidence come to light. This good use of deception saves Hero's image and restores peace in the castle.

It is essential to note how willingly characters in Much Ado about Nothing are deceived by others. Benedick and Beatrice both gather their information through eavesdropping, and once they overhear others, they instantly believe there is hope in love. For Claudio, at the end of the play, he is willing to marry a girl that he does not know very...

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...ve: for malice, or for protection, or for love.

Work Cited

Dennis, Carl. “Wit and Wisdom in Much Ado about Nothing”. JSTOR. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 13. No. 2, Elizabethan and Jacobean. Web, 24 Apr. 2014.

Gillgan, Carol. “Much Ado About…Knowing? Noting? Nothing? A Reply to Vasudev Concerning Sex Differences and Moral Development.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982), Vol. 34. No.4

Henze, Richard. “Deception in Much Ado about Nothing”. JSTOR. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 11. No.2, Elizatbethan and Jacobean Drama. Web, 24 Apr. 2014.

Lewalski, B.K. “Love, Appearance and Reality: Much Ado about Something”. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, Vol. 8, No. 2. Elizbethan and Jacobean Drama.

Shakespeare, William. “Much Ado about Nothing”. Purdue University Press. PDF Achieve. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

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