Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is a play based around deception. Sometimes this deception is done with evil intentions in mind and other times with good intentions in mind. The entire play revolves around deception and how it affects each character. Don John uses deception with wicked intentions to try and stop the marriage of Hero and Claudio. Leonato, Don Pedro, Hero, Claudio, and Ursula use deception for good to try and get Benedick and Beatrice to marry. Beatrice and Benedick even deceive one another by masking their true feelings. Why does Shakespeare base the entire play based around deceit? How does this shape the play? What message is he trying to get across? .
Deception happens constantly through Much Ado About Nothing. Beatrice and Benedick insult each other constantly, maybe not consciously, they are hiding feelings they have for each other. At the party all the men are covering their faces with masks which can be considered a form of deception. Benedick uses that deception to try and tell Beatrice his true feelings for her. While at the party Don Pedro woos Hero in the name of Claudio. While this is going on, Don John tells Claudio that Don Pedro is really doing this for himself this is just to deceive him. When Don Pedro returns Claudio hides his true emotions by telling Don Pedro that nothing is bothering him. Leonato along with his family deceive everyone when they tell them Hero is dead.
The way that Shakespeare has instilled deception into the play makes me think about my own life. The lives of each of these characters are absolutely full of deception. Every time one turns there back there is some form of deception happening. Some of the deception is so small and hardly noticeable by any of the characters. The reality that Hero was wooed by Don Pedro does not cause much suspicion until, Don John plants a seed of doubt. The characters act as though this type of deception in not unusual like it happens all of the time, as if it's a way of life.
