The average person tries to conceal the truth through disguises and lie multiple times a day, which are both elements of classic comedy. In Wycherley’s The Country Wife, the reoccurring theme of deception is depicted through the characters of Horner and Margery Pinchwife, which reveals the darker side of human nature when compared to the straightforwardness depicted in Alithea’s character. This paper will examine the reoccurring theme of deception using Horner and Margery in comparison to Alithea’s straightforwardness.
Horner serves as the main depiction of deception within The Country Wife, beginning with his own lie about being a eunuch to lure the men and women in to a false sense of security so he is able to spend time alone with the women. The men of London feel confident leaving their women with Horner because he is a eunuch and the women are comfortable because it maintains the outward honorable image they seek to keep for society to see. The women scoff at him in front of their husbands, but behind closed doors they comfort him by thanking him "…to suffer yourself the greatest shame that could fall upon a man, that none might fall upon us women…" (2.1.604-606) Here Horner deceives the women by making himself appear selfless even though he is not. This also suggests that the women believe he is truly suffering from his ridicule rather than seeing how he benefits from it. They appreciate his selflessness to preserve their outward appearances even though they are far from the honorable women they make themselves out to be. He is shown to be clever and quick-witted as he is able to be deceitful even when caught in the act, much like he is when embracing Lady Fidget as her husband walks in. He is able follow along with...
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...I will not only believe your innocence myself, but make all the world believe it. I am now concerned for this woman's honor." (5.4.279-284) Harcourt uses this opportunity to show his honorable side, when everyone else has turned against her. Her good, straightforward nature has made her easily believed by Harcourt, who is known for his own deceptions and disguises. Her virtue has changed his darker nature. Alithea's character represents the meretious side of human nature.
Through the theme of deception, Wycherley illustrates the warring sides of human nature in this classic comedy. The characters and deception of Horner and Margery reveal the daker side of human nature that we participate in everyday when compared to the straightforward nature of Alithea. These three characters all represent different aspects of human nature, both the good and the bad.
Deception as an element can be presented in various forms. One may choose to hide their true self for specific intriguing motives in life. A theme identified in "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson and "A Bolt of White Cloth" by Leeon Rooke is appearance can be used to deceive ones true self and morals for an intriguing motive. In both short stories, that were examined, both main characters use their exterior appearances to deceive their true morals, they deceive the people around them and lastly their deeds show their true intentions which distinguish their compelling motives which are viewed through a sense of morals.
Everyone has a poker face. Everyone has a bunbury. Everyone keeps secrets, and everyone lies. The question is, how does one tell if another is truthful about their intentions? There are many different cases in which one will lie about who they really are, but there is no telling when it is okay and if they can be forgiven. In many different stories that were read in Late British Literature this semester, we have characters that keep secrets from friends and loved ones. The simple truth is, people’s words are often different from the truth.
Deception is present in Tennessee Williams’s drama ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, William Shakespeare’s Tragedy ‘Othello’ and L. P. Hartley’s novel ‘The Go-Between’; the writers choose to use characterisation to explore the theme in depth. Often the protagonists of each text are the primary offenders of deceit, though some supporting characters mislead as well; although Iago is the antagonist of ‘Othello’, he is incomparably the most deceitful character in the entire play. Similarly, Williams uses Blanche to develop the plot by misleading the other characters and even herself at times, though arguably, unlike Iago, Blanche is presented as a character who lacks the motivation to hurt anyone. Conversely Leo, although the protagonist and narrator of the novel, is not the most deceitful character – Ted Burgess and Marian Maudsley not only coerce him into the deceit, but they themselves are presented as masters of the game they play, however, this essay will focus on Leo as he is a unique symbol of deceit; he is unaware of the consequences of his actions.
Both Shahrazad and Shahzaman have cheating wives and the section that tells of Shahrazad’s wife’s infidelity is frank about exactly how adulterous she is. When Shahzaman is witnessing his sister-in-law and her slaves enter the garden suggestive language is used which shows that they clearly have very little modesty (or at least modesty in the way the Victorians would see it). The queen and her ladies are “strutting” around the garden and take off their clothes then “…a black slave jumped from the tree to the ground, rushed to [the lady], and, raising her left, went between her things and made love to her” (558). The second time this happens, when both Shahzaman and Shahrazad are watching, the Queen and her lover have a small discussion during which she is called a “slut” and she responds by laughing and then readying herself for her lover (560). Later on when the two brothers are traveling and moping about their misfortune they happen across a demon who has a woman with a “beautiful figure and a face like the full moon” held captive. The woman tricks the two brothers into making love with her by threatening to wake her demon husband if they disobey her (561). Once the deed is done the woman
When initially asked about the morality of lying, it is easy for one to condemn it for being wrong or even corrupt. However, those asked are generally guilty of the crime on a daily basis. Lying is, unfortunately, a normal aspect of everyday life. In the essay “The Ways We Lie,” author Stephanie Ericsson makes note of the most common types of lies along with their consequences. By ordering the categories from least to most severe, she expresses the idea that lies enshroud our daily lives to the extent that we can no longer between fact and fiction. To fully bring this argument into perspective, Ericsson utilizes metaphor, rhetorical questions, and allusion.
While reading the play “Julius Caesar”, deception, betrayal, and exaggeration were perceived throughout. Cassius was the character that fit these qualities the most. He can be compared to the former president, Richard Nixon. He was the United States 37th President of the United States. He was voted into office receiving great admiration for his speeches, and work he had previously done. When he was elected, it was the time during the Vietnam War. His goal as president was to have reconciliation (Sidey and Freidel). He gave great speeches by using rhetoric; a famous speech is 425 - Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969 rhetorical devices that he used in that speech was by saying “Good evening, my fellow Americans” (Peters) it gave the audience a sense of familiarity within the audience, and Nixon (Zielenski). In Nixon’s “Checker’s Speech” he tells his side of the story and his role in the Watergate Scandal. In his speech he uses rhetorical devices including repetition and anaphora, “I say that it was morally wrong if any of that $18,000 went to Senator Nixon, for my personal use. I say that it was morally wrong if it was secretly given and secretly handled. And I say that it was morally wrong if any of the contributors got special favors for the contributions that they made” (The History Place ). In the same speech, he uses the rhetorical question, “Well, how do you pay for these and how can you do it legally?” (The History Place ). Lastly, in the “Checker’s Speech” he uses irony when he states “I have a theory, too, that the best and only answer to a smear or an honest misunderstanding of the facts is to tell the truth. And that is why I am here tonight. I want to tell you my side of the case. This is a us...
While we all may be shown different faces and persona’s each day, it never becomes clear which a true personality is and which is just a mask. Joyce Carol Oates demonstrates the need for her characters to disguise themselves from the rest of society in order to either be accepted by others or to be seen in a more pleasant manner. However, these characters who conceals themselves are ultimately hurt because of their inability to shed their false fronts and accept who they truly are.
In the reading, "The Story of an Hour," many things weren’t as they seemed. This is called symbolism. Where one write something and it symbolizes another thing. For example, someone’s blood gets warmer. That wouldn’t symbolize them getting hot, it symbolizes them having a warm and happy feeling about something. This shows that things aren’t thought of as they are supposed to be. Symbolism also leads to hidden truths. Things that also don’t mean what they seem. Just as symbolism, hidden truths need to be thought out, and thoroughly processed in one’s head. In the reading, "The Story of an Hour," many things aren’t as they seem, leading to hidden truths, symbolism, and an unusual ending.
In “The Ways We Lie,” by Stephanie Ericsson, she defines various types of lying and uses quotations at the beginning of each description as a rhetorical strategy. Throughout the reading she uses similar references or discussion points at the beginning and ending of each paragraph. Most believe lying is wrong, however, I believe lying is acceptable in some situations and not others when Stephanie Ericsson is asked, “how was your day.” In “The Ways We Lie,” she lies to protect her husband’s feelings, therefore, I think people lie because they are afraid of the consequences that come with telling the truth.
As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen. She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577). These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage t...
The characters in this novel entertain conflicting notions of morality and pride. Sometimes, these characteristics are at odds with one another, creating the immoral and "evil" characters. Other times, they cooperate to create realism in these people. The moral characters are good, but still have enough pride to be dignified, yet not arrogant. Sometimes, when the evil twins (or other halves) run amuck, things get out of hand and troubles abound. Though most of the time these troubles spring from the discrepancy between pride and morality, at other points, dignity and morality work hand in hand to create reliable and realistic characters.
... allows the present day reader to gain insight into commonly held beliefs regarding women during the 14th century. By allowing Alison to have a sense of humor and joke about aspects of her marriage, Chaucer was able to make numerous points regarding women that would not have been acknowledged had a female author created them. By making Alison a laughable character, Chaucer was able to make points about women such as the unfairness of double standards, the acknowledgement of female desire, and the reality of women marrying well to improve their economic situations. Chaucer also provides us with detailed examples of commonly held stereotypes regarding women that are still relevant approximately seven centuries later.
Chaucer chooses to make a comedy of the Wife, putting into question the seriousness of her character. What opinion is the reader to make of a woman who rants about marriage and female domination when she is described as a clown prepared for battle in the General Prologue ? Her bright red stockings, bold scarlet face, shield-like hat and sharp spurs draw the picture of a silly, if not crazy, woman whose manner is larger than life. The Wife's comical 'larger than life' characteristics apply to her feminist beliefs as well. Equal coexistence is not enough; she says men "shall be bothe my dettour and my thral "-something likely unheard of when this piece was written. Much of what makes her comical is the plethora of sexual innuendoes dispersed throughout her dialogue. For instance, when she irrelevantly mentions in her tale the eager friars that have
Illusion vs. reality has been a major running theme in all the plays we have read in class. By interpretation, the idea of illusion is a way to build an alternate fantasy world for oneself where he/she can escape from reality. From all the characters analyzed in class, Blanche from A Streetcar Named Desire would definitely be the one character who is so steadfast on illusion that she lets it shape her life as she believes it is her only way towards a happier life. As seen in the above quote, Blanche chooses to dwell in illusion, for it is her primary defense against the troubles in her life. Illusion has had a freeing enchantment that protects her from the tragedies she has had to endure. However, Blanche is not the only character with this fixation on illusion. In this paper, I will be analyzing other characters like Nora from A Doll’s House, Eliza from Pygmalion and Mrs. Hale from Trifles, who just like Blanche have also succumbed to the world of illusion as opposed to reality.
The Wife of Bath is one of the most famous characters within Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. In her prologue, it is quickly made clear that she has had a lot of husbands and by a lot I mean five. Since she has all this experience with men, The Wife of Bath dedicates her prologue to describing how each of her marriages went. In her five marriages she has been accused of lusting too much, to being too controlling, and being abused. While some good husbands were good and some were bad, The Wife of Bath depicts a solid image of her feelings toward men. In her relationships, she must always have the upper hand. She is the type of woman who gets what she wants when she wants it. While describing one of her marriages, The Wife of Bath explains how