Unlike most of the other sonnets which are full of love and praise, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 138 is about a less than perfect relationship which is based on lies and is complicated and difficult, yet “both speakers practice, again and again, a self-deceptive illusion, compulsively complying with it rather than giving it up” (Vendler 294). They continue to flatter each other for the sake of their sexual needs and the persona simply ignores his mistress’s adultery. When we look at the first two lines of the first quatrain, we see that there is a mutual deception. The persona complains that when his lover swears that she is true and faithful to him, he believes her but at the same time knows that she is lying. It is a paradoxical situation and it gets more paradoxical when we see that Shakespeare’s use of the word ‘lie’ perhaps is not a coincidence, as it has both meanings which suit the themes in the sonnet.
A short essay cannot investigate all instances of this occurrence in all works of the author, but could provide the reader with the major categories. This way, deception will become more recognizable and appreciated as a major element and a spine of the particular story. In two of the most famous Shakespeare’s plays where deception appears as a building block of the story are Hamlet and Othello. In Hamlet the prince uses deception as a tool to distract attention and hide better his strange but vital moves and activities necessary to gather enough information regarding Claudius. The deception comes in the form of fake madness.
The play illuminates how difficult it is to search for truth in an ambiguous world Within Hamlet, each character uses language in different ways to create their own sense of truth and to manipulate those around them to believing their truth. It is in this that Hamlet realises that language can be broken down to show that in fact it is meaningless, and is used to put on a façade. The character of Horatio uses language to tell stories, and is often used to provide the objective truth in the play as he appears very sure of his interpretations, however this can be contrasted by Hamlet who speaks in riddles and puns to show the degradation of language. Claudius, as a Machiavellian leader, manipulates language to seem trustworthy to the other characters. Young Hamlet breaks down language to show that it cannot be trusted for the objective truth.
However, Shakespeare presents Benedick’s change in a more positive and light-hearted manner, whilst Macbeth’s change revolves around negativity and wrong-doing as the approach to each individual genre is different, where comedies are humorous and happy, whilst tragedies are gloomy and grief-stricken. INTRO: The opening scene of the play, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, is significant as Shakespeare introduces the genre of the play as a romantic comedy through the comic names given to Benedick and Beatrice by each other. Beatrice nicknames Benedick as “Signor Mountanto”, which uses sexual innuendo expressing their love hate relationship, created by the definition of the word ‘montanto’ (technical term for an upward thrust in fencing). This insulting, but hilarious comment would have only been understood by the Shakespearean audience. Opposing this, Benedick personifies disdain in the form of Beatrice, by calling her “Lady Disdain”, suggesting that she is in fact, the epitome of disdain or contempt.
“How far would you agree that the characters’ susceptibility to deception is what drives the plot in this dramatic comedy?” Much Ado About Nothing is a dramatic comedy written by William Shakespeare. Its main themes include deception, social grace, honour, marriage and gender- with characters falling in love, falling out of love, being disgraced and being accepted once more; but what really drives the plot in this dramatic comedy? Many would argue that it is the characters’ susceptibility to deception as deceit is one of its main themes. I am going to argue for and against this and come to a conclusion of how far I’d agree that it is what drives the main plot. Much Ado is a play based around the theme of deliberate deception- sometimes this deception is malevolent and sometimes benevolent but much of the play hinges around them and their effect on the characters.
Wilde uses his wit in order to expose the hypocrisy and artificial nature of his social environment. This is conveyed through Jack and Algernon’s “bunburying”, which has negative consequences due to the encounter between them and their female counterparts. Literary devices such as tone, inversion, and parallelism are used to communicate the theme of the passage. The tone of the passage expresses Wilde’s attitude toward what he is depicting. For example, social interaction in Victorian England was very formal and serious.
The repetition of words with meaning of beauty is conveyed throughout this passage from Act IV scene v of Hamlet. Earlier in Act III scene i, Hamlet and Ophelia had a discussion about “fairness” and chastity. Literary features such as double entendre and pun are used constantly to enhance a character’s emotions as the theme lunacy unfolds to reveal more about characters. As this passage climaxes with Ophelia’s insanity, secrets and the personality of each character are revealed through her singing. Perhaps Shakespeare is trying to convey the message that women are bound by societal expectations and are thus silenced and taught to obey and not talk back or express their own ideas.
These comments presented by Hamlet are vicious in nature illustrating that he views himself as, “dull,” and, “pigeon-livered.” The self-criticism apparent here provides an explanation for Hamlet’s inaction, as he sees himself as too much of a, “coward,” to be capable of undertaking the ghost’s directions. Here, Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s
The over-arching conflict of Shakespeare’s Othello taps into the very darkest corners of the human psyche. The most poignant of these, Othello’s moral quandary over the faithfulness of his beloved provides an insight into the tragic and emotional limits of humanity within a greater plot that cannot be controlled, an inexorability that suffocates the protagonist in this tale and draws upon the empathy of a captivated audience. Conversely, the audience may be forced into feelings of contempt for Othello’s adversary, the quick-witted and shamefully sly Iago. Iago seems to be driven by an extreme form of jealousy, a kind that provokes him to seek weaknesses in his perceived enemies, and cause destruction. It would be reasonable to assume that the individual actions of these characters and the interaction between these characters would expose the most base of emotions, and due to this, their intentions.
The play of Much Ado about Nothing, written by Shakespeare is based upon deliberate deceptions, some malevolent and others benign. The deceiving of Claudio and Don Pedro results in Hero’s disgrace, while the ruse of her death prepares the way for her redemption and reconciliation with Claudio. In a more lighthearted vein, Beatrice and Benedick are fooled into thinking that each loves the other, and they actually do fall in love as a result. Much Ado about Nothing shows that deceit is not inherently evil, but something that can be used as a means to good or bad ends. Shakespeare starts his play with love that Claudio speaks for Hero, the passion and affection is shown by Claudio throughout the play even though in Act 3, there was deception