Deception In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

In the play Much Ado About Nothing the characters all play schemes and tricks on each other. They form allies with each other, all to achieve their plans. Unlike the others plays by Shakespeare this one doesn’t have an overall storyline, it just many different storylines in one play. These include the love of Hero and Claudio, evil schemes of Don John, and the overall life competition between Benedick and Beatrice. All of these short inclusions in the play have some form of deception which is what the whole play is composed of. The characters are all an important factor because they make the lies even more easier to flow with the story. Take Claudio, he was so gullible and impulsive that he didn’t even confront Hero about the supposed affair

It’s like love at first sight for both of them. In order to help his good friend, Prince made the plan to court and impress Hero at the ball under the disguise of Claudio. In the following quote Prince explains his plans, “‘Tis once, thou lovest, and I will fit thee with the remedy...I will assume thy part in some disguise and tell fair Hero i'm Claudio,” (1.1.313-317). At to this point the victim of deception is of course but the intriguing part is why they had such a plan. I think claudio didn't feel confident enough or was to shy and Prince noticed, being one of the protagonist he wanted to help out right hand man. This being the first building block to shakespeare plan, was set with a purpose. If you notice that as the play progresses the other tricks and scheme(building blocks) come along as well, all revolving the instant love of Hero and

As the second love story in this play, the faith of their relationship is placed by the whole cast with the exception of Don John and his two followers. Besides them three, all the characters were set to make both Benedick and Beatrice believe they had such a forbidden love for each other but neither was willing to tell the other. Before they were formed into a love scheme they just constantly argued and were always bickering, the following quote is just an example of their attacks towards each other, “Why, he is the Prince’s jester, a very dull fool, only his gift is in devising impossible slanders,”(1.2.135-140). This quote by Beatrice is valuable because in this scene she is talking to Benedick who is supposed to be disguised under a mask, but the context gives the impression that Beatrice knows that underneath the mask is truly the man she is indirectly insulting. Beatrice and Benedick end up as a couple because both her family and the men help to configure false words that are supposedly said by each of them and the plan is described in the following quote, “And I, with your two helps, will so practice on Benedick that, in despite of his quick wit and his queasy stomach, he shall fall in love with Beatrice,”(2.1.373-378). At this point Prince is make ties with Hero to make sure that she