It is not uncommon for works of literature, especially Greek literature, to use deceit as a motif. Even ancient Greek texts that are considered historiographies contain deception, either from the narrator manipulating the language to persuade the audience to think one way, or even sometimes the narrator completely makes up historical “facts.” Thus, while deception in stories is often seen between the characters, the audience can be deceived by the narrator just as easily. As for Heliodorus’ Aethiopica, deceit is present throughout the entirety of the story and can be seen both between the characters and between the narrator and the audience. The characters in the Aethiopica are often being deceitful in order to reach some sort of benefit, whether …show more content…
The most apparent example of this is Charicleia’s ability to pass as white and Greek, even though she is Ethiopian. Multiple characters are deceitful because of this secret. For instance, after giving birth to a white daughter, Persinna deceives her husband by telling him that their child had died in order to avoid being accused of adultery; Sisimithres aids in this deception by raising Charicleia for a short while and by keeping this secret from Hydaspes. Additionally, Charicleia herself initially deceives her birth parents by continuing to pass as Greek instead of revealing the truth early on. She does, however, claim to do this out of self-preservation. After Theagenes asks her to reveal her true identity, so that they might both be saved from being sacrificed, Charicleia responds with, “If in our jubilation we blurt out our whole story, with none present able to confirm and corroborate it, …[Hydaspes] might regard it as an insulting mockery” (Heliodorus 239). This once again shows that deception appears to be okay if it is done for a good …show more content…
While each character has their own reasons for being deceptive, it seems clear that deception is seen as okay as long as it is doing good. By looking at different aspects of the story, like multilingualism, “passing,” and disguises, it is easy to see the prevalence of different kinds of deception in the Aethiopica. Ultimately, it becomes clear that almost every instance of deception is a way for the characters to have control over how others will view them, as well as for the narrator to be able to manipulate how the audience progresses through the
For many centuries, the art of deception has been a powerful tool for achieving goals, and it has spawned the ancient debate of the ends justifying the means. In the tragedy Philoctetes by Sophocles and in Hesiod's Theogony, there are many instances of deception, particularly on the part of men in the texts. For each of them, the deceit is justified as a means of building and maintaining a reputation or obtaining power. Ultimately, however, the use of deception results in putting the men in positions of further vulnerability.
Deception-the act of deceiving; state of being deceived; artifice practiced; fraud; double-dealing; to mislead the mind of; to impose on; to delude; fraud; guile; cunning (Webster Dictionary). Deception is universal and serves many purposes. Deception can be used to hurt or protect, depending on the motives of the deceptor. In Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game, deception plays many roles. The main use of deception is the adults versus the children. Early on in the novel it is indicated that Ender already realizes adults lie when the subject of the monitor being removed is discussed. The adults are also deceptive when they remove the monitor and allow Ender to think he was not accepted into the program when in fact they just wanted to see how he would behave without the monitor.
	The first example of deception we see is with the characters of Beatrice and Benedick. These two characters provide the humor throughout Shakespeare's comedy; their repartees and soliloquies tend to leave the reader smiling and anxious for more dialogue between them. Beatrice and Benedick have had a relationship prior to their battles of wit to which she alludes to in Act 2: "Marry, once before he won it for me with false dice; / Therefore your grace may well say I have lost it’ (2.1.265-7). We see that at one time in the past they had a relationship that somewhere went wrong. The deception of Beatrice and Benedick comes courtesy of Don Pedro in Act 2. In this scene, Don Pedro, out of pure amusement, asks Leonato, the governor of Messina, and Claudio, a lord attending on Don Pedro, for help to bring these two together: "If we can do this, Cupid is no / longer an archer; his glory shall be ours…" (2.1.363-4). In Act 2.3, Claudio, Pedro, and Leonato, see Benedick in the garden and decide that that is the right moment for them to try and trick Be...
As Plato says, the lie is, “one that requires a great deal of persuasion” (414c). With this persuasion, the mortals of Achaea and Troy could learn to live in peace and without fear of godly intervention. The gods, as well, could learn to live in peace, because they would no longer see mortals as ‘toys’ to play with, causing some to rise up and strike pain in their immortal hearts.
honest man to deceive Othello and other characters in the play. The perception of the public
Deception. A word of great importance. A word that symbolizes not only the sneakiness of the beholder, but the cluelessness of the surrounding people. In regards to The Merchant of Venice, one could definitely argue that Portia signifies deceit. Portia's evident beauty, yet unknown intelligence, deceives the audience as well as characters in the story. Portia resembling deceit, not only reveals a lot regarding her character, but the audience learns a lot about William Shakespeare's take on gender inequality, and the power of women. William Shakespeare created "Portia", to promote a message of great significance, no man is better than any woman. Yet, one could definitely argue that Shakespeare unintentionally made that point evident. But it is evident that he believes no gender is better than one another, due to all the references in the story. It is evident that gender inequality is a main aspect of the book, yet Portia signifying deceit, proves to the audience that gender doesn't depict intelligence.
In Othello, Iago uses his fine reputation as an “honest man” and Othello’s insecurities to manipulate him and carry out his master plan of destroying Cassio, Othello, and Desdemona. Iago’s insight towards the other characters’ weaknesses enables him to let them know exactly what they want to hear, which helps him gain their trust. He plays upon the insecurities of others to maneuver them into carrying out the actions he needs done in order to fulfill his own desires. In looking at Othello, we will consider the Othello’s blind acceptance of “the truth” as it is presented to him and find that when we blindly take another’s “truth” and accept it as our own, we merely become tools utilized by the person who gave us that supposed truth and give up the power of being ourselves—we fail to assert a self.
There are many accounts of Iago’s manipulations and deceit in the play of Othello, which leads the audience to the assumption that he is in fact a pathological liar, and probably has been his entire life. Iago even makes reference and gives reason to his habitual lying in the lines, “Virtue? A fig!...love to be sect or scion” (I.iii.316-327). In these lines, he is essentially explaining his belief that in order to get anything from your life, you must manipulate it as you would a garden. Iago also views the community in which he lives as a giant garden that he is constantly sowing the seeds of deceit and lies that he hopes will eventually grow into the plants of destruction. There is even a comical aspect to these lines as Iago explains that one must even spread manure over the garden to allow the seeds to grow, so essentially Iago knows what he is saying to the other characters can be likened to manure in the sense that it is completely untrue and holds no grounds in any moral
Honesty is one of the most important factors in Othello. And although there is very little honesty actually present in the play the term is most commonly applied to Iago, who also happens to be the most dishonest character in Othello. Due partly to the other characters naiveté, Iago is capable of manipulating, brainwashing, and molding the other characters to satisfy his need for revenge against Othello.
The reason for a person’s deception gives light into the nature and desires of that person. In the play “Othello” Shakespeare’s character Iago deceives many of the other characters in the play for the sole purpose of revenge based on his speculation alone. Iago’s deception and the ultimate death of Roderigo, Othello, and Iago’s own wife Emilia, shows how harsh and inhumane Iago is. This harsh reaction to simple speculation shows Iago’s cruel insensitive nature as well as calls the reader to reflect on their own ill-considered reactions.
Manipulation of words can have a great impact on human behavior. The impact of manipulation is uncontrollable; individuals use it without even thinking about it because it is what humans do to get what they desire. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Manipulation, jealousy and betrayal by characters change how they perceive themselves and others. Iago uses manipulation of words to persuade Othello throughout the whole play. Iago uses his cleverness and his patience to achieve his goals in the play. Othello becomes a dynamic character after getting convinced by Iago, that he began to perceive everyone differently. There are many ways in which characters in “Othello” perceive themselves and others differently.
The most obvious character in Othello that appears to deceive everyone is Iago. He is a character that hides behind the mask of a honest solider who is blunt, unsophisticated, loyal and well-intentioned. This is the view of Iago portrayed in the opening of the film. It is not until the end of the third scene, when we hear his soliloquy, that the audience learns of his true real intentions.
Without a doubt, one of the main themes that runs throughout William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello, is that of honesty. In the play, the most interesting character is Iago, who is commonly called and known as "Honest Iago." However, this could not be farther from the truth. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits and moves him closer to his own goals. He is smart and an expert at judging the characters of others. Because of this, Iago pushes everyone to their tragic end.
The passage below is found in the opening act of one of Shakespeare's most illusive plays of control and manipulation. The word "deception" is defined as "the act of misleading" or "to trick, cheat, lie, and mislead". From this definition, it is obvious that deception is normally perceived to be evil and results in the harm of others mentally and physically. It leads to broken hearts, untold truths, or even unpunished murder. However, in Shakespeare's The Tempest, deception is used as a virtuous art to manipulate an unjust situation and rectify it.
The most obvious character in Othello that appears to deceive everyone is Iago. He is a character that hides behind the mask of an honest soldier who is blunt, unsophisticated, honest and well-intentioned. This is the view of Iago portrayed at the opening of the film. It is not until the end of the third scene in the film, when we hear his soliloquy, that the audience learns of his real intentions.