Sunday, January 6, 2008
Much Ado About Nothing
I believe that lying is ethically wrong but in certain situations depending on the significance of the lie, it can be ok. In the play Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, many characters are caught lying. Lying for self-gain has a different ethical view than lying to help others. One scene in this play that is not ethically wrong is when Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio lie about Beatrice loving Benedick. They lead Benedick to believe that Beatrice loves him. “Bait the hook well; this fish will bite” (II.3.102). In the middle of their lying speech they realize Benedick is believing them, “He hath t' en th'infection. Hold it up” (II.3.113). They lie to help him be kinder and maybe even love her “back”. This lie is for the good of Benedick. These characters lie, while Benedick is listening, to help him. They weren’t lying for self-gain but to assist their friend in finding the right woman. Although many times lying is considered okay, there are also situations when characters lie and it is ethically wrong. Towards the beginning of the play Don Jon tries to stop Claudio from marrying Hero. He goes to his assistant Borachio for help. In the process of Don Jon trying to stop the love Borachio confesses, “Not honestly, my lord, but so covertly that no dishonesty shall appear in me” (II.2.8). In this case Don Jon and Borachio are being unethical. They choose to lie for their own good. Their lie will only hurt others no help them.
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2 comments:
I agree with you post. I think though,that the reason the Prince, Claudio, and Leonata are lying is because they can see that Benedick and Beatrice actually do like each other, and maybe even love each other,but they just choose to fight instead.I am not sure, it may just be speculation. Any way, great post!
Steph,
I actually used the same example (where Benedick falls for Don Pedro’s trick) in my blog, and I also made a similar statement about how lying is acceptable if it’s to help others, but as I was thinking about this, I realized that there are many instances where this philosophy may not hold true. What if a friend lies in court to save his pal from jail? Is this acceptable? What if, like in the play All My Sons, people know of a crime, but don’t act on what they know in order to save a loved one, is that ok?
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