There are two kinds of lies: little white lies and LIES. Both are used throughout William Shakespeare's play, Much Ado About Nothing. Claudio, Don Pedro and Leonato tell a series of white lies when they are speaking together in the garden trying to be overheard by Benedick.
Don Pedro says, "Come hither, Leonato. What was it you told me of today, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signor Benedick?" (II.3. 72-73). Although Beatrice has no such feelings for Benedick, Don Pedro is simply saying this so that the two will grow to like eachother and stop quarelling. In my opinion, this is simply a white lie since it will improve dynamics between Benedick and Beatrice. Consequelty, they may fall in love, and there's always room for more love in a person's life. In this case, the men's lying can be morally justified since they are only trying to help their friend.
However, Don John and Borachio's lies are not so innocent. They are motivated by revenge instead of spreading love. When Don John asks Borachio how he will be able to hurt Claudio and ruin his marriage with Hero, Borachio responds, " Not honestly, my lord, but so covertly that no dishonesty shall appear in me" (II.2.8-9). The two men go on to devise a plan to break apart Hero and Claudio by making it appear as if she is unfaithful to him. Since the villains are only motivated by self gain, and their lies will bring no joy or peace to the household, their dishonesty is immoral.
Concerning real life examples, lying is not okay when you are delibrately trying to hurt someone, like stealing money from your brother and denying it, or telling your friend you saw her bouyfriend cheeting on her just so they will break up and you can date him. However, there are some cases when lying is okay. If your best friend is having a party and you know it means a lot to her that you be there, I think it's okay to lie to your mom and tell her you're going to a study session since your friend really needs to at her party.
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4 comments:
Hey Kenzie! First of all, I really like your title! It's so cute!! :) I agree with you when you say that lies depend on their motivations. I beleive that lies are determined as ethical or not depending on the person's intentions, which is basically the same thing. Anyways, this is a really nice well written post!! Happy Holidays!
Hey Kenzie! Great post! I liked your examples. I used mostly the same ones :) I agree with your opinion about Beatrice and Benedick, and how the other men lied to Benedick to get him thinking of actually loving her. Don John's intentions were definitely not for good reasons and just so he could benefit himself instead of improving circumstances for others. Nice real life examples too! Anyway, nice post!
Kenzie! i agree with you one hundred percent! when the white lies are said for the sake of this person's feelings then i don't think someone could be blamed for such a thing. i know i would much rather hear my friends lie and tell me they liked my new outfit when in reality they don't. it just gives you a little "feel good" boost. i also think that when these white lies become too frequently used and one can never tell the difference between a simple white lie and the big fat lie it becomes an extreme that is unacceptable. great job kenzie! by the way, i love your title!
Hey Kenzie! I agreed with many points on your post. I agree that there are two types of lies, white lies and big lies. You gave very good examples of each type in the play. I think that that is very true and we see both types in lots of different literature. great job!
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