An exploration of the theme of Deception, good or bad in ‘MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (William Shakespeare)’ and ‘THE ROVER (Aphra Behn)’

Deception, the quality of being fraudulent1 orto cause to accept as reliable or valid what is false and handicap2 is a major theme in both pretends Much bother ab come stunned of the closet Nothing and The Rover. withal there is a certain dichotomy for lying here as it is both malign and benign, on purpose good and intention eithery bad. A nonher proof of this is that the both plays atomic number 18 comedies meaning some falsehoods have got to be collectn light essenceedly and blithely. These be dispositionn in benedict and Beatrices gulling and Lucettas gypping of weaken aided by Sancho and Philippo.There be twain main comic fancys in Much Ado these ar benign and harmless to the stack they be directed against. When Claudio professes his hunch forward for Hero to Pedro who strangely, direct offers his dish out to woo her for him, he at first sounds excessively eager to help his agonist (as if he has something else in mind) just we soon view his intentions are tumesce meant.I ordain assume thy part in some disguise, and tell fair Hero I am Claudio and in her bosom Ill unclasp my heart and take her hearing pris championr with the force 3This of lean acts as an introduction to the theme of delusion and shows us, the hearing how easy and tolerated dissimulation is in the institution of Messina .It shows how easy it is to control a someones life and bring in any wizards feelings. This is reflected in the second causa of the benevolent invents erect by the functions the gulling or tricking of the devil, presumably past dearrs, benedick and Beatrice. This deception spate be seen as a white lie4 .The two characters are tricked by a larger group of characters including the ethical and estimable Leonato whose involve workforcet is single of the main reasons the gulling was prosperedI should think this is a gull just that white bearded fellow speaks it5This underlines that no character in Shakespeares world or in Messina i s above deception. A better example of this is the Friars plan to betray the prince and ClaudioYour daughter here the princes, let her for a while be secretly kept in, and publish it that she is assassinated indeed6This shows that dis slicetle a high-ranked sacred/spiritual person could turn to deception. This is actu every(prenominal)y some other example of deception with good intent. The Friar deceives the princes to channelize the nasty accusations for sorrow and make everyone pity her and repute all her civilities and people exit see her loveliness as more precious later on she has gone.Examples of deception in the rover include Pedros deception of his fathers orders for Florida to arse roughly hitched with don vincentio and instead finds her a better suitor, Antonio who turns out to be an stock-still worse suitor for firing after part Pedros back to court Angelica, this causes them to fight and drives the two into a duel where Antonio yet again deceives Pedro by sending in Bellville to fight in his place. Bellville sees this as an opportunity to get Florinda, deceptively in Antonios heel this minute let me make Florinda mine7 and expectantly, Willmore blows Belvilles cover and wrongs their plan.The tricking of Beatrice and Benedick is shown in two of the around comic scenes in the whole play, these scenes are likewise the best examples of deception in the play and this goes to show that a lighthearted or benign deception is very possible in Messina. It underlines the fact that lie can be useful and can lease two people together even if its one of Hercules labours8.Beatrice and Benedicks scam can be employ as a mirror for the gulling of blunt in The Rover however not in the sense that it brings two people together or in the sense that it ends gayly barely in the comic sense, it is the funniest scene in the play and so reflects that deception if taken lightheartedly can be benign or harmless.There are also examples of harmful decep tions which create the dark and deplorable side of the world of Messina, the main catalyst for this is of frame the Princes half brother, Don John. One critic9 blames his evilness on jealousy and/or the bitter resentment of a society that looks down on those like him who are conceived out of wedlock I personally look at he is just a typical villain, mere, gauze-like evil, an ill-conditioned, base and tiresome scoundrel10 created by Shakespeare for the hearing to hate and fear. Don Johns intentions are completely and utterly malefic. He tries to talk Claudio into supposition Don Pedro is wooing Hero for himself- I perceive him swear his affection in the masked ball.The audience is not so sure whether this is straightforward or not since Don Pedro was very eager to get Hero for Claudio earliest but we soon learn Don John was simply being the scoundrel he is. One thing that can be noted is Don Johns deceptive tongue or his ability to persuade many or most(prenominal) of th e other characters in the play easily. This is also true for Willmore in The Rover. He woos Angelica Bianca and gets her to sleep with him even though she was infuriated by him minutes earlier for taking down her picture he turns it against her and lead at her for seducing him and all the other poor men who cannot afford her. He also leads her to deceive herself and Morettas soliloquy in this scene illustrates the extent to which Angelica has helpless herself and her career which is the fate of most whores11 in her opinion.There is a certain parallel or mirrored idea in the two plays. Balthasars song12 is of course echoed throughout Much Ado, it is around deception it speaks, or the deceptive nature of men. This is mirrored through Wilmores protective comment after being accused of chess on Angelica he tell For I never heard of a mortal man, that has not broke a thousand vows13.In other sense deception can be used to show who is boss, or to show off someones authority. For exa mple the Prince of Aragon immediately marks his territory in Messina by grabbing the first opportunity he could, and that is through wooing Hero. By wooing Hero for Claudio he showed that he was the dominator or leader figure. Don Pedro also does that with Beatrice and Benedick and he succeeds in creating his mountain of affection14 and proof for this is that the pair are lovesick for one another. It is when Leonato falls under Pedro and Claudios side against his own daughter that we see the effects of the dominance Pedro gained from his earlier deceptions. Even though Leonato has seen Pedros deceptive nature in action he still follows himWould the two princes lie, and Claudio lie, who loved her so, that speaking of her foulness, washed it with tears? Hence from her, let her die15The audience here would feel compassionate to Leonato. He is trapped and does not k forthwith who to believe but shortly falls on the Prince and Claudios side since the idea of the Princes lying is inconce ivable to him. Lying was considered a overmuch more serious offence in that cartridge clip than it is nowadaysit was a diabolical trick because monster told Eve lies in the Garden of Eden, causing her to sin.16 This is another type of deception the play duologue somewhat(predicate), deceptive reputations. The prince, Claudio and Leonato are Shakespeares idea of the perfect gentlemen but they all seem to make up their decisions and take drastic measures to regain their honour almost immediately without any real tangible proof of Heros iniquityI stand dishonoured, that have gone virtually to link my dear friend to a honey oil stale. 17 some other example of deception we fall out in the plays is deception between friends. Benedick in a sense deceives his friends in breaking the hoary code of friendship. This is quite shocking since he has known his friends longer than any of the people in Messina. Beatrice asks the messenger in a pun a good soldier to a gentlewoman, but what is he to a lord?18 .A Shakespearean audience would find this repugnant and not the appropriate deportment for a gentleman. Bonds between men, especially ones that were formed in war, were especially valuable and tight-knit in the Elizabethan era. This is also mirrored in The Rover, the cavaliers, almost one by one sell Don Pedro out by marrying his sisters and Valeria(their cousin) .Even though they are old friends, the cavaliers deceive Pedro, their friend for a woman. Some critics have argued that distrust of women is the basis of all male bonds19 this is true in The Rover Fredrick warns Bellville of Florindas intentions when she gave him the note with the instructions to meet her extradite a care, sir, what you promise this may be a trap laid by her brother to ruin you20The cavaliers initial distrust of women is as light-colored as Benedicks initial misogynistic view of them. When Lucetta is introduced to crude(a) all the men knew she was out to trick him, cheat him of all, thusly have him well-favourly banged, and turned out naked at midnight. They, however do not warn Blunt but instead get a present row seat to watch the humiliation of their friend begin.There are many instances of self-deception in both plays actually. For example Benedick and Beatrice undergo a huge change in perspective after their gulling. Both fall helplessly in love with each other even though they were self-declared heretics of love. Beatrice says she will not love a man until man be made from some other metal than earth21 and Benedick claims he will die a live and will not be converted and see with (the) eyes (of love) merely if he met the perfect woman which, as he describes, is quite an impossible scenario. It is important to note Shakespeares position of this scene exactly out front the one with the deception so we can contrast the two views, before and after the deception.The difference is crystal clear, Beatrice says Benedick, love on. I will requite thee22and tha t (her) kindness shall incite (him) to lodge (their) loves up in a holy dance band23. Benedick says that he will be dreadfully in love with her24 and that when he said he would rather die a bachelor than fall in love (the scene before) he didnt think he would live until he was married. We gloss the same with Wilmore from The Rover. His whole life got turned around in the last scene with Helena when she positive(p) him to marry her and putting his past perpetually-amorous life behind him. He forgets his old ways and he is no longer the sexed up Father maestro25 who tries to rape Florindatwice and is continuously spurned by almost every female character in the play His promise which is the bargain is now made26 is his everlasting goodbye to women and a welcome mat to the woman.He is completely self-deceived. Another similar example is Fredrick at the beginning of the play we feel he has an unnatural distrust in women. He seems to warn every one of his friends about women, he ev en tries to get in on the action when Blunt tries to rape Florindaa fierce revenge. Claudio also deceives himself into believing he is in love with Hero when really he has not even met her. He falls in love with her because of his consider first impression of her and mainly because she looks like a pure, good virgin which was considered of great importance in Elizabethan England, a girls honour was entirely base on her chastity, if she loses that she would lose all social rest which is why the second thing he asks about her is is she not a modest young lady?.Don Pedro also deceives himself in thinking his brother, john the dogshit has been washed clean-cut and is now a clean and changed man. In reality he is the villain and the person behind every harmful deception in the play.The two plays both exhibit deception in the most ambidextrous of ways. It is both malevolent and benevolent, in the sense that the plays end happily through all the obstacles that have been set throughou t it.