Don John is responsible for much of the deception in the play and the deception which he causes leads to misery. In Elizabethan times, children born out of wedlock were thought to be out to challenge the claims of the legitimate heirs and were therefore perceived as evil and malicious. It is for this reason that Don John, (himself born out of wedlock), is so conveyed. Don John tries to deceive Leonato and others that he is really quite an honourable character. He is introduced into the play, being welcomed into Leonato’s house with Don Pedro to which he responds, “I thank you, I am not of many words but I thank you.” In his repetition of the thanks, despite being “not of many words”, he tries to gives the impression to Leonato and his household that he is sincere and genuine. However, as the play unfolds, it becomes evident that he is one of the main “deceivers” within the play.
The masked ball sets the scene for the rest of the play. The idea of masking is implemented by Shakespeare as a symbol of the deception and the hidden reality of the circumstances within the play. This scene sees the first real deed of deception. Don John approaches Claudio, who is masked and asks him if he is Benedick, although he knows perfectly well that it is Claudio. Claudio pretends to be Benedick and Don John continues his cruel plot by telling Claudio that Don Pedro is wooing Hero, with whom Claudio is in love, for himself. Claudio instantly believes Don John, despite the fact that he does not know him, and he becomes upset by this discovery.
The second couple to have a main plot in the play, Benedick and Beatrice . initially appear to detest one another although there is some indication even now that they do indeed have feelings towards one another. When talking to Claudio about Hero, he exposes a hint of his emotion towards her, “(Beatrice) exceeds her (Hero) in as much beauty as the first of May does the last of December.” Beatrice also enquires after Benedick upon hearing of the returning of the men. This indicates that she shows some sort of affection towards his condition after the battle.
“I pray you, is Signor Mountanto (referring to Benedick) returned from the wars or no?”
Interestingly, the only person who originally notices the affection between the two of them is Don Pedro. He is not deceived by Benedick’s apparent hatred for Beatrice and for women in general, “I shall see thee, ere I die, look pale with love.” Don Pedro also points out their fondness of one another before anybody else, “She were a pleasant wife for Benedick.” The others see this as a preposterous idea at first, Leonato being the first to respond, “They would talk themselves mad.”
There is an incident of deception on Claudio and Hero’s wedding night. Don John persuades Claudio to come with him and catch her being disloyal. Don John has already paid Borachio to sleep with Margaret pretending that she is Hero. Claudio believes that this is indeed Hero and so he decides to disgrace her in public on their wedding day. When Don John tells Claudio that Hero has been ‘disloyal’, Claudio almost instantly considers this likely to be true. He goes along with the belief that this is true. Don John succeeds in deceiving Claudio for the second time, and few people are not deceived by him. In fact it seems that the only people who are not deceived by Don John’s plot are Benedick and Beatrice. This is significant because these two have just overcome their deceived hatred for one another. They are no longer deceived by themselves nor by Don John. Benedick says that (referring to Claudio and Hero), “Two of them have the very bent of honour, and if their wisdoms be misled in this, the practice of it lives in John the bastard, whose spirits toil in the frame of villainies.” Beatrice does not believe that Hero has done such a thing either, “Oh on my soul my cousin is belied.”
It is agreed by Friar Francis, Leonato and a few others that Hero is “secretly kept in” and it is published that she died from a broken heart. Then, if it turns out to be a trick, there will be no problem, but if it is true, she will be sent away, possibly to a nunnery. This deceives Claudio who begins to feel more sympathetically towards Hero and it deceives Borachio, who finally tells the truth to Leonato as a confessional.
In the end, the first person to genuinely find out that the culprit of the deed was Don John and that Hero was not disloyal to Claudio was Dogberry. He finds the wrongdoer which is surprising given that he is stupid and unintelligible. He makes mistakes in his language which deceives everybody into thinking that he is stupid and could not possibly be wise enough to work out what has happened. His language is muddled and confused, “You, constable, are to present the prince’s own person” what he means to say is ‘represent the prince’s own person’. This has a similar effect to the puns for some of the audience which makes the uncertain of the situation making them more interested.
In the end, Claudio (still under the impression that Hero has died) begs for Leonato’s forgiveness (Leonato being Hero’s father). Leonato forgives him but makes him marry his niece, Leonato knows all along that it will be Hero. Claudio does not realise that it is Hero until the wedding day when she takes off her veil showing him that she is alive and ending the deception. This is a symbolic ending to the play, the veil which obscures reality is removed revealing the truth. At the end of the play, there is no further deception, everything has been untied and now even Benedick exposes himself to ridicule, “A college of wit crackers cannot flout me of my humour.” His final comment in the play is about men and women “Prince, thou art sad, get thee a wife, get thee a wife. There is no staff more reverend than one tipped with a horn.”
Deception makes things seem other than they are, and in the plot, lack of sober judgement and inexperienced noting of matters is what causes some moments of enormity in the play. The title of the play is deceiving in that the actual play involves many happenings; the plot is filled with action, albeit as a new act of deception, a battle in the merry war between Benedick and Beatrice or a song and dance. Deception is the key to excitement and captivation in a play, as Shakespeare evidently appreciated.
