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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.
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.
Much Ado About Nothing. The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 366-398.
The characters in Much Ado About Nothing are easily fooled into inadequate situations that could easily be prevented by a little investigation. We can only imagine how simple their lives would be if Claudio simply inquired to Hero about her supposed actions the night before the wedding. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick may never have fallen in love if it were not for the trickery that entangled them. Yet again, if their friends come right out and suggest that it might be a possibility, they could grow fond of the idea and embrace it none the less. Shakespeare convinces us that it is easier to uncover the truth rather than to clean up a mess from premature actions based on an illusion.
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.
Whedon's production of Much Ado About Nothing is a modern, black and white retelling of the famous Shakespeare play of the same name which tells the story of love and deceit between two couples: Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick. While Hero and Claudio court and prepare to marry each other, Beatrice and Benedick steal the show away with their wit, humor, and constant bickering. Though they both insist that they hate each other, the flashback presented at the start of the film suggests that there is far more to the story than meets the eye. While the style of the film certainly enhances the story being told, making it a timeless classic entangled with modern society, it is the ensemble cast that work both individually and as a unit which make the film a true masterpiece, as well as the genius idea of a change in scenery that propels a sense of realism not often found in your average Shakespeare adaptation.
Barton, Anne. Introduction. Much Ado About Nothing. The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 361-365.
Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare, is a comical story of misunderstandings and funny feuds, but also contains heartfelt love stories, one in which contains an horrible miscalculation that leads to heartbreak and "death." That story is one of Hero, the governors daughter, who falls in love with Count Claudio, a lord from Florence. Claudio undoubtably feels the same and they quickly become engaged to be married the next week. All is well until the evil Don John devises a plan to ruin their upcoming marriage and pulls a stunt to trick Claudio into believing that Hero has been disloyal. At their wedding ceremony the following day, Claudio publicly shames Hero by revealing that she has lost her honor to another man, turning everyone against her. Hero, of course, is innocent, but only a few believe this. This scenario is, of course, horrible to witness as a reader and viewer who knows the truth, and drags on for far too long. Hero's situation is one where no matter how much she protests and demands that she has been wrongfully accused, she is not listened to. Once it has been suggested, by the simple power of words, not even physical proof that can be shown to anyone questioning it, that Hero has lost her virginity, all hope is lost for Hero. Her pleas won't be heard, no one will believe her word over a mans, and she has lost everything in one moment, a blink of eye and the weddings off and she is shamed by everyone she knows.
Shakespeare, William; Much Ado About Nothing; Washington Square Press; New York, NY; New Folger Edition May 1995
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.
"Much Ado About Nothing: Entire Play." Much Ado About Nothing: Entire Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. .
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.
“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.
Exploring Love in Much Ado About Nothing In Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare depicts different kinds of loving relationships - romantic love, family support and loyal friendship - and shows how various characters react to love and marriage. By exploring the effects of this powerful emotion Shakespeare highlights its universal relevance, a relevance that transcends time. The main plot of Much Ado About Nothing is that of the relationship between Claudio and Hero. Their story is a melodramatic saga concerning the realities of relationships based on love at first sight.
Transformations inherently contain traces of the author’s social and cultural context. Much of the same can be applied to “Much ado about nothing”. It incorporates comical features, yet retains the sense of tragedy which is attached to almost all of Shakespeare’s plays. Brain Percival’s role as a director, was determining, understanding and distinguishing the social norms and the social structure of the society, and how the themes represented in the play can be transformed into a modern text. The Elizabethan society was typically a patriarchal society. Percival has used as well as transformed certain themes and textual features to ensure, that the film is more appealing and assessable to the critical modern audience.
In William Shakespeare's short play Much Ado About Nothing, he focuses on the social standings and the roles of women in 16th Century Europe. The female protagonist of the play, Beatrice, understands the restrictions placed upon her by society and how these restrictions should limit her as a woman, but she inexorably escapes them by refusing to succumb to the unifying hand of marriage. Throughout the play, Shakespeare displays his profound respect for woman as independent individuals who are fully capable of making their own decisions and suffering their own consequences. Through the plot, he proposes the idea that women who deviate away from the passivity that society expects them to perform attain a more active role in the determination of their future. Contrary to the roles of women of the 16th Century, Shakespeare depiction of Beatrice's independence is symbolic of his stance on the progression and transformation of women's reputation in society.