Deception

Maybe I'm on the lookout for this particular theme, but when I glanced through 3.2 of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, I was struck by deception. In the opening of 3.2, Luciana is speaking to Antipholus of Syracuse, thinking she is speaking to Antipholus of Ephesus, her sister's husband. But the recipient of Luciana's speech is unimportant to me; I am concerned with the message.

In her speech, Luciana tells Antipholus that if he cheats, he should do so secretly to avoid upsetting Adriana. She tells him to look the part of a saint, or in other words to pretend to be innocent in front of his wife. Her exact words are:

Or if you like elsewhere, do it by stealth:
Muffle your false love with some show of blindness.
Let not my sister read it in your eye.
Be not thy tongue thy own shame's orator.
Look sweet, speak fair, become disloyalty;
Apparel vice like virtue's harbinger.
Bear a fair presence, though your heart be tainted:
Teach sin the carriage of a holy saint.
Be secret false..... (3.2, 7-15)

Luciana doesn't seem to care whether or not Antipholus cheats, as long as he hides it. Luciana urges him to be "secret-false", and "become disloyalty" (3.2, 11, 15). This seems like very strange advice from a sister-in-law. If she really cared about her sister, wouldn't she tell Antipholus to stop cheating? Why would she basically tell him it was okay, as long as Adriana didn't know? My theory is that Luciana knows that the knowledge will hurt Adriana, and as long as Adriana doesn't suspect anything, the truth would only make things worse. In other words, ignorance is bliss and Luciana is trying to protect her sister.

The theme of deception is not only present in this particular scene. While it is not always direct, deception is a major part of the entire play. For example, the comic elements of the play depend upon the fact that the Antipholus and Dromio brothers are continually mistaken for each other. Even though they don't mean it, the deception leads to most of the plot. Without the mix ups, Antipholus and Dromio wouldn't be arrested, Egeon wouldn't find his sons, Antipholus of Syracuse wouldn't find his brother, and Egeon wouldn't be reunited with his wife. Thus, The Comedy of Errors hinges on the deception.

This theme of deception makes me wonder, why would Shakespeare include it in a lot of his plays? Iago in Othello deceives almost every character in the play in order to achieve his end, and tricks Othello in to murdering his wife. If I'm not mistaken, Hamlet also includes deception as well (it's been a while since I've read it, so forgive me for not including details). Why the recurring theme?

Perhaps Shakespeare's inclusion of deception reflects a popular topic of his time. After all, if he wanted his works to be read, he would need to include ideas that appealed to the readers and viewers. Or maybe he includes deception for the comic effect. In class yesterday, we learned that Aristotle viewed comedy as successful because the characters are inferior to us. If Shakespeare knew of Aristotle's ideas, perhaps he included deception to make the characters inferior to his reader. I mean, most people I know wouldn't own up to deception, and tend to categorize those who lie and trick others as beneath them. While they might not be physically or intellectually inferior, these deceitful people are often considered morally inferior. Could this be Shakespeare's reason?

Whatever the reason, I thoroughly enjoyed the elements of deception in the play. The mistaken identities of the Antipholus and Dromio brothers made me laugh pretty hard (my roommate probably thinks I'm crazy because of it); I don't think The Comedy of Errors would have been a successful comedy without it.

If you have any comments, please feel free to respond.

Blog Post Numero Uno

Ah, do not tear away thyself from me;
For know, my love, as easy mayst thou fall
A drop of water in the breaking gulf,
And take unmingled thence that drop again
Without addition or diminishing
As take from me thyself, and not me too.
How dearly would it touch thee to the quick
Shouldst thou but hear I were licentious,
And that this body, consecrate to thee,
By ruffian lust should be contaminate? (2.2 124-133)

I chose to reflect on this passage for a number of different reasons. First, I think that there is beautiful imagery in these ten lines. Secondly, I'm not sure what all of the images mean; I'm hoping that by further examination it will make more sense. On that note, please bear with me as I try to interpret the passage.

Adriana, in these ten lines, speaks of the imagery of water. On first glance, I interpreted Adriana's inclusion of the image of water as her way of reminding her husband that there are other fish in the sea. I thought she was telling him that he is unimportant to her, like one drop of water is unimportant to a gulf (2.2 126). You don't notice that the drop is there, and you don't know if that drop is missing. Applying this image to Adriana's love life, she doesn't care if her husband is around or not; he is unimportant to her well being. Regardless of his presence, she will remain the same and unaffected.

However, there are a couple of things wrong with my interpretation. First, Adriana in lines 124 through 133 is speaking to her sister Luciana, not her husband. So she can't be telling her husband that he's unimportant to her. Secondly, her entire speech is about how her husband isn't treating her as his wife. And it seems to me if a person spends so much time dwelling on one subject, it's bothering them. This all makes me wonder if Adriana really is upset by her husband's behavior, and is making this speech in order to put on a brave face for her sister. What if Adriana is saying she doesn't care about her husband so that her sister doesn't realize how hurt she is? This is just a guess, and doesn't seem any more probable than my first interpretation. Any ideas as to what the water image could mean?

I loop the last two images, of a candle and a body, together because I believe they are referring to the same concept. In these lines, Adriana says that it would make her husband upset if she were to ruin their marriage by cheating on her. She seems to be saying, if it would upset you when I did it, why would you do it and upset me? Because Adriana is talking about her marriage, I view the images of a candle and a body in the light of church and religious ceremonies. At least in my experience, candles are frequently used symbolically and functionally (they provide light and decour) during services. As far as the body is concerned...in the Christian religion marriage is considered a sacred union between two people. They become one-almost as if they are one body. So Adriana's reference of a body probably stands for her marriage.

Shakespeare's inclusion of the phrase "consecrate to thee" bewilders me (2.2 132). From my experience, consecration in the Roman Catholic religion refers to the part of the mass when the Eucharist (the bread or wafer) is turned into Jesus' body. By including the word "consecrate", does Shakespeare again mean to reference Adriana's marriage? If Shakespeare is indeed trying to compare Adriana's marriage to the consecration, does he mean to highlight the sanctity of marriage? But their marriage was falling apart-how would that be holy?

Well, that's all I have. If any one has any ideas, please feel free to comment.