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Deception In William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

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William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing emphasizes the subject of deception through the use of language, but the 2013 film adaptation of the play directed by Joss Whedon emphasizes the actions that go along with the words, making the film a superior representation of deception. The concept of deceit starts getting momentum in the scene of the masquerade, where all the characters are masked, so nobody knows who is who. Benedick and Beatrice are dancing together and making small talk, but before Beatrice will confess anything to Benedick, she wants to know who he is. She politely asks “Nor will you not tell me who you are?” to which he replies “Not now”, implying that he will eventually tell her who he is (Much Ado.II.I.125-126). He is deceiving her through his words first by not telling her who he is, and because he is masked, she can not identify him, so …show more content…
Also, Benedick implies that he will eventually reveal who he is, but this is also false, because he never does, he only says this to earn her trust so that she will talk to him freely. However, the film took this scene to new heights because there was the addition of alcohol and the body language of the actors. In the 2013 Much Ado About Nothing directed by Joss Whedon, alcohol was ubiquitous at the masquerade party, and Beatrice clearly was under its influence, for she spoke her opinions on Benedick quite freely. Benedick was masked and clearly was not drinking because he was acting very rationally and characteristically throughout their conversation. Beatrice is being deceived because she is not in her right state of mind, and therefore she is more likely to believe anything that she is told. Benedick is taking advantage of her unstable state to appear trustworthy and to get information out of her that he would not have been able to procure

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