Similar to Don john his brother Don Pedro too appears to be wearing a deceptive mask, as even though he is polite, friendly and appears to be happy yet in the ending scenes, he is seen as sitting alone while the happy couples around him dance gaily. He too appears to enjoy deception but contrastingly his form of deception is meant to do people good, it is fun,lighthearted and almost comical,
The gulling of Beatrice and Benedick lightens the dark mood caused by Don John’s deception and provides comic relief. It also helps shape the lives of Beatrice and Benedick as the deception helps them to face their true feelings towards each other. Shakespeare uses words and sentences that are overdramatic “down upon her knees, she falls, sobs, beats her heart tears her hair, prays, curses”, in these scenes perhaps to make the audience laugh.Benedick is almost challenged into loving Beatrice “he would make but a sport of it, and torment the poor lady worse”, deeming him as almost incapable of falling in love.
Similarly Hero too tricks Beatrice into acknowledging her feelings by tricking her; using convincing words and challenging her to fall in love “nature never framed a woman’s heart of more prouder stuff than that of Beatrice”
One might argue that had the deception not taken place Beatrice and Benedick would have remained bachelors all their lives and that deception was almost necessary.
Leonato’s deception of Claudio and Don John into believing that Hero was dead “done to death by thy slanderous tongues” helps return her reputation and saves her life from falling apart, it makes Claudio see her in a more softer light and to se the goodness in her. It is ironical that Hero’s life is destroyed by deception and saved again by deception, though of a gentler form. It also can’t be denied that it is hero’s life that is affected the most by deception, and helps Shakespeare to bring about unexpected twists in the plot.
Self Deception is another form of deception that is also discussed to some extent though not extensively in Much Ado About Nothing, and also the fact that things are not always what they appear to be.
Beatrice appears to be a confident, and opinionated woman, but in some scenes she appears to be lonely as she is an orphan and therefore in many ways an outsider in Leonato’s family for instance even though Leonato wants to see Beatrice married yet he does not appear as concerned about her marriage as he is about Hero’s marriage. in my opinion, Beatrice’s use of masculine, aggressive language “ I would eat his heart in the market place” is probably to hide her true self which is far more softer and feminine.
Beatrice and Benedick’s hatred for each other on a superficial level is a form of self deception as well for they refuse to acknowledge their mutual love for each other, and use argumentative language, mocking each other to hide their true feelings for each other. “What my lady disdain are you yet living”. In scene 1.1 Beatrice asks the messenger “pray has signor mountanto returned from the wars or no”, showing that she does care for him.
Instances of accidental deception in Much Ado About Nothing are few and far in between scenes, but they have a major impact on the plot of the play.
When Antonio’s men mishear Claudio and Don Pedro’s conversation, and think it is Don Pedro, who will be proposing to Hero at the Masked Ball,
“the prince discovered to Claudio that he loved my Niece ,your daughter, and meant to acknowledge it this night in a dance”,
creates an ambience of confusion and nervous but excited anticipation by the audience.
Later on in scene 3.5 when dogberry and verges come to meet Leonato to tell him about the villainy of Don John but accidentally make a mess of it, turns the plot topsy turvy, for had this not happened undeniably further disasters would have been prevented and Claudio and Don Pedro’s misunderstandings cleared.
Shakespeare uses the theme of deception as a tool, to not only play with the plot but also to link the various other themes like love and the patriarchal Elizabethan society. for example when Claudio accuses Hero of being a loose woman her father who as a parent is supposed to love his daughter unconditionally, wishes that she were dead “do not live hero, do not open thine eyes”, and his use of violent and almost insensitive words would shock the modern audience, but would have been an accepted fact in the Elizabethan society.
Throughout the play Hero who is an example of a conventional Elizabethan woman speaks very little, and makes no decisions, even though the plot of the play mostly revolves around her makes you reflect over the position of woman in the Elizabethan society. It can’t be ignored that all the deceptions in the play are formulated and carried out by the men, but in the end it is always the woman who is shown to have suffered the most.
Deception also brings to light the importance of honour in the Elizabethan society as Leonato believes Claudio and Don John over his own daughter just because they are honourable men.” “Would the two princes, would Claudio, such honourable men lie”
Deception also helps remove the deceptive mask of various characters in the play, as we are able to see the fickle, unconfident side of Claudio, who is supposed to be a brave man. He immediately believes Don John over his fiancé in scene 3.2 over his own fiancé and decides she is a loose woman.
His brutal public humiliation of Hero calling her a “Diane in her Orb”, brings to fore his shallow and insensitive nature. It also goes on to show that the love between Claudio and Hero is very conditional.
It reveals the true Beatrice who even though is opinionated yet not immune to love as she pretends to be, and the fact that deep down even she is feminine and desires a conventional married life.
The fact that Leonato holds honour more important than his daughter reveals his true face, in the scene where Hero is publicly humiliated.
The love between Beatrice and hero is tested by Claudio’s accusation of Hero Beatrice’s reaction leaves the audience in no doubt that the love between them is unconditional. It is ironical that Beatrice trusts hero more than her own father does.
To conclude I think Shakespeare successfully manages to capture the various forms of deception, which are a part and parcel of all our lives, and is something that is sometimes almost necessary. He efficiently contrasts the benign form of deception and the malevolent form of deception. And uses deception as a thread to link other themes beautifully weaving these relatively thought provoking themes into the light-hearted comedy.
Word Count: 1543