Truth and Deception William Shakespeare is known for his use of dramatic irony and complicated plots. In Much Ado About Nothing, he also adds an element of disguise to what the characters know, or what they think they know. Several characters attempt to ensnare others under different facades, whether for better or worse. The play's deception and illusion can either help the characters or completely destroy the situation, but in either case Shakespeare advises us to infer what we hear or see before jumping to conclusions. Both Benedick and Beatrice benefit from the deception they encounter. At first, the two are enemies in a battle of insults and humor, until they allow themselves to be tricked into believing that the other loves them. When Benedick learns that Beatrice is supposed to be attracted to him, he thinks that it is "a seagull, but that it is the man with the white beard who speaks it: rascality certainly cannot hide in such reverence" (111). He doesn't know it yet: Leonato, the "boy with the white beard", is also there (111). Benedick begins to admire her when he realizes that Beatrice might also be attracted to himself. She is also surprised when she first learns that he loves her. However, when Beatrice accepts their affection, she hopes that “Benedick [will] like to continue…And [she] will believe it better than what people say” (134). In other words, she falls in love with Benedick as soon as she believes that he also loves her. They each begin to fall in love with each other under the pretext that the other was hiding their affection from them. Now that they are both in love, they begin to open up to each other and prove that the deception they endured was ultimately worth it. Claudio is also deceived; ...... middle of paper ...... once Borachio confesses to his and Don John's plot, everyone puts aside their grudges and challenges. Claudio still marries Hero while Benedick and Beatrice also marry together. The characters in Much Ado About Nothing are easily fooled into inappropriate situations that could easily be avoided with a little investigation. We can only imagine how simple their lives would be if Claudio simply questioned Hero about his supposed actions the night before the wedding. On the other hand, Beatrice and Benedick might never have fallen in love if not for the deception that got them involved. Again, if their friends come forward and suggest that this might be a possibility, they might be interested in the idea and adopt it nonetheless. Shakespeare convinces us that it is easier to discover the truth than to clean up a mess caused by premature actions based on illusion..