Essay question: In what ways, and with what dramatic effects, does Shakespeare present deceit in Much Ado About Nothing?
Deceit is perceived within Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing as having the power to be used both for villainy and alternatively, to create a sense of harmony. On the surface, it may be easy to assume that Shakespeare has devised a play in which deception is always an act of sin or treachery but in reality, this is not the case. It is true that Don John’s scheming, as well as Claudio’s assumptions that Hero is nothing but a “rotten orange”, highlights deceit as having the ability to cause chaos. However, Don Pedro’s plan to influence Benedick and Beatrice to fall in love proves that deception can be used as a way of producing merriment and altering people’s characters so that they open their hearts to love.
To begin with, it can be argued to an extent, that Shakespeare portrays deceit as a menacing force which produces disruption and disorder through the schemes of Don John. Don John’s plots are clearly shown to be created with the intention of harming others. In Act I, we learn of Don John’s true nature when he plots ways to enact revenge on those around him after his rebellion against his brother, Don Pedro, have been defeated. When discussing Claudio, he declares: “If I can cross him any way, I bless myself every way”. This verb, “cross”, emphasises Don John’s desire to become an obstacle or impediment which blocks Claudio achieving future success or happiness ever again. The thought in itself that there may be an opportunity to wound Claudio is one that Don John will “bless” himself for. It is perhaps ironic that when Don John is alone with Borachio and Conrade, he freely expressed his opinion on his brother and Claudio. Yet, when he is forced to engage with wider society, he becomes a man of “not(..) many words”. This highlights how deceptive and underhand Don John is as a character.
It almost comes naturally to Don John to lie easily to others and manipulate them in order to create hostility and misery. He effortlessly declares that “[Don Pedro] is enamoured on Hero” whilst conversing with Claudio at the masked ball. He similarly accuses Hero of “wickedness” and labels her “every man’s Hero”, illustrating his absence of any kind of moral conscience or decency. The words he selects when accusing others of deception such as “enamoured” and “wicked” have such a tone of certainty to them that they are easily able to be used to shock and manipulate others into believing the lies he speaks are truths. Don John’s ability to deceive the men in particular within the play is largely a comment on the gender inequalities of the time period too. It is relatively easy for Don John to persuade Claudio and Don Pedro of Hero’s disloyalty due to the male attitudes towards women within the sixteenth and seventeenth century. ‘Cuckoldry’ was in itself a notion involving deception and lies, with many men fearing the prospect of becoming a cuckold, a man who a woman had been disloyal to. Being a cuckold was seen as humiliating and rendered the man in question a comic figure of entertainment for the rest of society. It is this doubt cast on women deeply ingrained within the Messinian society which allows Don John to exploit Claudio’s worst fear: Hero potentially being unchaste and amoral.
Additionally, Shakespeare’s presentation of deceit as a force which produces disharmony is evident within the motivations that lie behind Don John’s scheming. Don John’s appetite for mischief is largely due to the fact he is frequently excluded by the rest of society due to a part of himself he can never change: he was born a bastard. A majority of the resentment he holds against the Messinian society is that people smile in one another’s faces yet easily deceive one another. He refuses to act in a polite or decorous manner because he is disinterested in being perceived well by those around him. Instead he rebels against the social expectations required of him and declares he “must be sad when [he has] cause” and that he will “smile at no man’s jests”. The imperative, “must”, emphasises a kind of urgency within Don John to not conform to the customs of such a shallow society. That is not to say he is morally superior than the other characters though. He himself believes he is a “plain-dealing villain” and yet, despite that, he is one of the few characters to discuss the way in which people of high society are often artificial and fraudulent, and that behind their witty banter and polite manners, there often lies rivalry and mistrust. For instance, Hero criticises Don John’s “melancholy disposition” at the beginning of the masked ball, yet she would never voice such an opinion to Don John’s face. Therefore, in a sense, it is somewhat comprehensible as to why Don John feels so isolated from society. People within it deceive him by speaking about him behind his back as though he is invisible.
Even when they do not directly speak of him, there is an atmosphere of hostility between Don John and the rest of society since his blood is from that of an illegitimate birth. Shakespeare has associated bastards with villainy in other plays such as King Lear through the character of Edmund. Many people in the Elizabethan era tended to perceive bastards as more inclined towards villainous behaviour and deception than the average person. This was predominantly linked to religious beliefs since an illegitimate child represented the product of an immoral sexual relationship. As a result, a character like Don John would likely have been perceived by the Elizabethan audience as potentially threatening to the plot from the moment he is introduced.
Furthermore, deceit is also portrayed through women in terms of the assumptions that men within the play hold about women and their “natural” infidelity. Women are commonly perceived by the male characters as wearing emotional disguises used to manipulate others about their chastity and innocence. Claudio in particular is chosen by Shakespeare in order to develop the idea of this further. Even from the play’s first scene, Claudio is depicted as dubious about Hero’s virtue. He asks Benedick, “Is [Hero] not a modest young lady?” The adjective, “modest”, is arguably key here, as is Claudio’s tone of curiosity and concern. The idea that there is a risk of Hero not being the “modest” and innocent maid that Claudio believes her to be causes him, and his relationship with Hero, unnecessary distress. Claudio’s fear that Hero could bring shame upon his reputation highlights that the men within the play believe deception is natural within women and almost a habit that cannot be helped.
This kind of misogyny was not uncommon for the time period Shakespeare was writing in. Women in the Elizabethan period were largely assumed to be two-faced or more likely to be dishonest than men. As a result of being viewed as the inferior sex, they had little voice to defend themselves against such assumptions. The bawdy jokes at the expense of women which are repeated throughout the play are reflective of the humour that males attending the theatres would have found amusing and entertaining. In fact, even within Claudio’s soliloquy in which he expresses his sorrow at being deceived by Don Pedro, he emphasises that it is not entirely Don Pedro’s fault but actually the fault of women’s beauty instead. He claims “Beauty is a witch”, the metaphor conveying his feelings that the beauty of women is to blame for tempting men to sin or to betray their fellow companions. Instead of questioning the morals of Don Pedro, Claudio concludes that female beauty must be the cause for Don Pedro’s deception, implying women are inherently deceptive and disingenuous at heart. Such a belief further builds on Shakespeare’s presentation of deceit being somewhat threatening to the harmony within society, and that it often manifests as a result of resentment, fear or isolation.
On the other hand, Shakespeare’s primary depiction of deceit is that it can be employed for good. Deceit is not always founded on such villainy as Don John’s. For instance, Don Pedro’s plans which aim to influence Beatrice and Benedick into falling in love have pure intentions. After the masked ball divides Beatrice and Benedick even further, Don Pedro aims to “undertake one of Hercules’ labours” in bringing together Beatrice and Benedick into a “mountain of affection” with one another. This lexis connected to extensive effort and determination, (‘labours’, ‘mountain’), implies that the task of uniting Benedick and Beatrice will be extremely challenging. Despite this, Don Pedro is more than willing to undertake the challenge if it means he can create this everlasting bond of love between his two companions. His platonic love for Benedick and Beatrice is evident in his efforts to force them into situations in which they must directly face their emotions. Within the first scene of the play, he responds to Benedick’s rants about his opposition to marriage by predicting he will see his friend one day “(..) look pale with love”. This early example in which he desires to see Benedick in love, foreshadows his plans to deceive Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love with one another. The seeds of the plan are already present within Don Pedro’s mind to begin with, but it is the proposal of Hero and Claudio that allows him an opportunity to put the plan into action.
Moreover, Shakespeare explores how deceit can be utilised for purposes of good in terms of the deeper motivations that lie behind Don Pedro’s plans to gull Benedick and Beatrice. As a result of his plans, peace and order are restored by the end of the play and Beatrice and Benedick ultimately remove their emotional masks of disguise. It is true that Don Pedro desires to see his friends in love, but it is perhaps more than that. What Don Pedro arguably wants is for both Beatrice and Benedick to surrender their personas they wear which deceive others about their true feelings and emotions. After being wounded by Beatrice’s scornful words at the masked ball, Benedick vows he “would not marry [Beatrice] though she were endowed with all that Adam had left him before he transgressed”. Underneath his criticisms of Beatrice’s cold nature lies the truth: that he has considered marrying Beatrice before. He attempts to mask this underlying desire by using a melodramatic tone and biblical imagery in order to emphasise the extent to her harshness.
Though, once the gulling scenes take place in which Benedick and Beatrice are both deceived into thinking the other is in love with them, their attitudes alter entirely. Within his soliloquy, Benedick comments that “[w]hen [he] said [he] would die a bachelor, [he] did not think [he] should live till [he] were married”. Similarly, Beatrice switches from opposing marriage entirely to pledging to tame her “wild heart to [Benedick’s] loving hand”. It is Don Pedro’s scheming that has led to this change of heart within both characters and means they can no longer hide from what they truly feel. Not only that, but the Benedick and Beatrice plot allows for the majority of the characters within the play to be involved in the gulling, making Benedick and Beatrice comic figures for their entertainment. An element of comedy as a genre is that information is often distorted and false truths are spread. However, in this scenario, this actually creates merriment and joy, allowing Shakespeare to highlight how deceit is not always used to harm but can also be used to enlighten people. Benedick and Beatrice are enlightened once they realise that they are in love with one another; a fact they have both tried to ignore and avoid for so long. Therefore, despite the dysfunctional progression of their relationship, the Elizabethan audience largely favoured Benedick and Beatrice over Hero and Claudio, and they became the most well-known characters within the play.
Overall, the theme of deceit within Much Ado About Nothing is explored by Shakespeare through its potential for harm and good. While Don John’s acts of deception as well as Claudio’s assumption Hero is unchaste cause turmoil, Shakespeare arguably uses these instances to highlight the faults in particular characters and personalities. Deceit in itself is not seen as a solely negative act. Don Pedro’s use of deception which results in the marriage of Benedick and Beatrice illustrates that dishonesty can be used for honourable means and can bring about a harmonious ending to a comedy riddled with tragic events.
Leave a Reply