Deception in Acts One and Two of Much Ado about Nothing :: essays research papers

Everyone of the main characters is affected by deception in some ay through out the play. Characters make plans to deceive other the other characters in the book. Two of the main deceptions are planned in the first two acts of the play. Some plans to deceive are done in order to help people or to hurt people. The first of the two main deceptions is planned in Act 2, scene 2. Don John and Borachio are planning to deceive Claudio and Leonato?s daughter, Hero. They decide that they will stop their marriage by framing Hero as being unfaithful to Claudio on the eve of their wedding. Borachio makes most of the plans to of deception and to stop the marriage, he says, ?Go you to the Prince your brother, spare not to tell him, that he hath wronged his honour in marrying the renowned Claudio, whose estimation do you mightily hold up, to a contaminated stale, such as one Hero.? They then go onto plan to bring Claudio to see ?Hero? with Borachio, however they will have disguised Hero?s waiting Gentlewoman Margaret as Hero. This deception carries on affecting people throughout the course of the play. The second of the two main plans of deception is planned in Act 2 scene 3, in part. Claudio, Leonato and Don Pedro are talking, in hearing distance of Benedick, of Beatrice. They all know that Benedick is there and have decided to deceive him into thinking that Beatrice is in love with him. They do this as they know that both Benedick and Beatrice have underlying feelings for each other. To deceive Benedick, they talk about Beatrice in such an understanding way of her character, that he truly believes what they say, ?Hero thinks surely she will die, for she says she will die if he love her not, and she will die ere she make her love known, and she will die to if he woo her, rather than she will bate one breath of her accustomed crossness.