The Motif Of Lying In William Shakespeare's Plays

this is apparent in comedies such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Lee, 2004, para. 2). At first, she explains briefly about why fortune was used, as well as the motivation behind it, but then she goes on to talk about what fortune truly means. She states fortune stands in contradiction with the plans of God, and more specifically goes against what is actually expected. This is huge in many of Shakespeare's comedies and dramas, and Lee even says this is conspicuous in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Not only is the theme of chance and pure luck expressed in the written play, but it is also indicated in various recorded versions of A Midsummer Night’s

Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” In the case of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, there are many questions raised and very few answered. One of the central questions, however, is how the actions of other people affect one’s identity. The way Shakespeare changes the behaviors of confused characters in reaction to their environment and displays their feelings to subtly suggest an answer to this question further develops the meaning of the work as a whole that mistaken identity can cause more than confusion.

The role of fool in Renaissance drama with Specific reference to Touchstone Fools in Shakespeare’s plays are unique. The clowns or fool figures are one of the most fascinating stage characters in Shakespeare’s work of art. A few of his fools have major roles in his works. Their importance and personalities may vary according to the play but their frequent appearance shows how noteworthy and relevant they are in Shakespeare’s theatre.

Deception is a trick or scheme used to get what you want or deceiving someone. Throughout Macbeth things are not always as they seem. Deception was always present throughout the play. There are some questions you should ask yourself. One of them are Does lying to someone else require you to lie to yourself in some way?

In the play, “Much Ado about Nothing”, Shakespeare creates comedy not from humorous situations but deriving it from the characters themselves and their manners. Whilst it also contains some standard devices such as misperceptions, disguises and false reports, this can be interpreted for both noble and distasteful reasons. In the play whether deception is acceptable or not depends on the intentions of the deceivers; if the intention is to promote happiness, then this creates comedy but if the deceiver intends harm then this creates aspects of tragedy. Therefore “Much Ado About Nothing” also contains elements of a tragi-comedy, for example the shaming and denouncement of Hero due to false pretence instigated by numerous characters.

Aside from the dominant repetition of those themes throughout the comedy, there is another crucial motif in this play: ‘deception’ as a “two-sided coin”. (Lawson, 2009) Richard Henze outlines in his article, ‘Deception in Much Ado about Nothing’, that, “… deception in Much Ado is of two sorts – one leads to social peace and the other breeds conflict and distrust.” Deception itself is not candidly condemned by the play – but the negatives of this attribute by far exceed the ‘truth of deception’, and effectively portrays that deception, as a whole, is a caustic thing. A clear representation of destructive deception is shown through the characterisation of Don John, “the Bastard”, who believes that “any impediment [to others] would be medicinal” to him.

Much Ado About Nothing, a comedic play written by William Shakespeare, circulates around the plot of deception and eavesdropping. The story occurs in the city of Messina, which is governed by Leonato. The plot revolves around the characters: Don John, Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, Hero, Beatrice, and many more. The characters were involved in the acts of deceptions that were portrayed such that some benefited the characters, while others were for the purpose of endangering them. There are three major types of lies that are portrayed in Much Ado About Nothing: lies to protect others, lies in the interest of the liar, and lies to cause harm.

Othello is manipulated by the jealous villain Iago as he encourages him to misinterpret what he sees, steering Othello away from the truth. Othello is susceptible to Iago's ploys due to the fact that he himself is so honest and straightforward, “For when my outward action doth demonstrate the

In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the themes vary from conditional and unconditional love, deception, honour, power and ambition and lastly poison. But the most significant theme is loyalty and betrayal. This theme ties all the other themes together. The theme loyalty and betrayal both have major effects on each other. Through the different actions of characters and what they say to one another, is where the audience discovers whether or not they are loyal or disloyal.

Through the outcomes of both plays, the audience is able to receive some hard truths and be confronted with reality. In their respective ways, the two plays reveal truths about the human experience in the way that the plays are symbolic of very real human or societal problems. Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, has a fateful plot with a tragic ending. His play follows the conventions of tragedy, implementing plot, character development,

Lies, fibs, whatever they’re called, they’re considered wrong. But what if a lie was the only way to protect a loved one? Here’s an example: Person A has lied to their spouse, but it’s for their own good. Person A’s spouse always complains of the way that they look, saying they are fat and ugly. Being the amazing partner Person A is, they always lie and tell them how beautiful they are, so that their partner can feel better about themself.

The Crucible Essay The following essay will illustrate how Elizabeth Proctor lying to protect her husband, John Proctor, is ironic and enhances the drama in the play The Crucible. In the play this event makes John look like a liar to the court. To save his life John must sign a confession that says he practiced witchcraft, he refuses. Unfortunately this event ultimately leads to the death of John Proctor.

Everybody has lied in their life, whether is was big or small. Sometimes those lies can start as a small snowball, an innocent little lie. Then as people start asking questions, that cute little snowball can start rolling down the hill, then all of a sudden it starts going faster and faster. Eventually the snowball starts going so fast there is no catching up with it anymore, and when that now huge snowball comes to a stop everything will be divulged. Often in literature, characters face many challenges.

Laden with innuendos, ironies, and intricate wordplay, Shakespeare’s plays are rarely what they initially appear to be. Rather, it takes several readings to be able to barely scratch the surface of all the possible interpretations. Moreover, not everything is black or white, but possible variations of gray. This topsy-turvy approach is encapsulated in the overall outline of Shakespearean comedy, which are typically set during a period of festivities, such as the festivals A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night are appropriately named after. An average festival is usually comprised of chaos through the reversal of the traditional order and rejection of social norm.

In the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, Don Jon and Don Pedro’s deceit are not only told for positive and negative reasons, but have calamitous outcomes on other characters. In the play, The bitter Don John has learned of the upcoming marriage of Claudio and Hero, and desires a way to prevent it. Don John’s servant Borachio devises a plan for Don John to go to Claudio and Don Pedro and tell them that Hero is not a virgin but a whore, a woman who has willingly corrupted her own innocence a day before her marriage and at the same time chosen to be unfaithful to the man she loves. In order to prove this accusation, Don Jon brings Don Pedro and Claudio below the window of Hero’s room on the night before the wedding, where they