Lying in Much Ado About Nothing

Lying can be good or bad, although it commonly seems to end up with negative results. I think that lying for the sake of wrong-doing is bad (such as lying to your parents that your little brother broke the vase, when it was really you), while lying to protect someone or just for good intentions can be good (such as lying to a friend and telling her that her crush really likes her so that she'll pluck up the courage to ask him out). In Much Ado About Nothing, lying proves to be both good and bad.

Don John lies frequently for the sake of evil. For example, when he lies to Claudio and Don Pedro about Hero's virginity and plays a trick on them to make them believe that she is no longer a maid. He told them, "I came hither to tell you, and, circumstances shortened (for she has been too long a-talking of), the lady is disloyal" (III.2.91-93). That was obviously a lie, because we know it was Margaret and not Hero that Claudio and Don Pedro saw in the window. And in this case, lying proved to be a very bad thing, because it resulted in Claudio dumping Hero in a very traumatic way. He tells the public, "She is none [a maid]:/ She knows the heat of a luxurious bed;/Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty" (IV.1.37-39). Because of Don John's lie, Claudio and Hero's marriage was ruined, which proves that lying can be very harmful.

Lying can also have benefits. In MAAN, Claudio, Don Pedro, and Leonato lie about Beatrice's feelings for Benedick while Benedick is listening. They say that she is madly in love with him, when in reality she has no such feelings. However, Benedick believes the lie, and realizes that he himself is in love with Beatrice, thinking, "Love me? Why, it must be requited!" (II.3.186) Similarly, Hero and Ursula lie about Benedick's feelings towards Beatrice. This forces Beatrice to realize her own feelings for Benedick. She says, "
And Benedick, love on; I will requite thee, /Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand" (III.1.117-118). This allows Beatrice and Benedick to open up to each other, and so they can have a happy relationship. So in this case, lying is a good thing. It was for good intentions, and ended in positive results.

Poem (yay for unimaginative titles)

Flying at Night

by Ted Kooser

Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations.
Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies
like a snowflake falling on water. Below us,
some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death,
snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn
back into the little system of his care.
All night, the cities, like shimmering novas,
tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his.


I think this poem is saying many things. In the first line, "Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations" implies that everything in the universe is part of one thing, and everything is related to something. The next two lines compare the death of a galaxy to a snowflake falling on water. This could mean two things. One, even though death may seem like a big deal, it's really insignificant. A snowflake falling on water is nothing of concern. It could also mean that when something dies, it just changes, and joins others in death. When a snowflake falls on water, it turns into water and joins the rest of the water molecules. So those who die simply join a new world. The part of the farmer shows that most people are still afraid of death. "Drawing his sheds and barn back into the little system of his care" show that people take comfort in what they know. The last two lines once again compare the universe to life on Earth. It also cheers up the mood a bit with "shimmering novas" and "bright streets." What the poem is saying overall is that life on this planet is like life in the entire universe. Death is a reality, but in the broad scope of things, it is insignificant, and we should take joy in the living.

I like this poem mostly because of the mood it sets. The way it compare normal human life to the cosmos gives the poem a very relaxed feel. Or maybe that's just me. But when I read the poem I imagine a lot of shimmering stars and galaxies, and then lights going out as some of it dies, but it doesn't matter because there's still so much light left. For a spacey person like me, that's pretty cool. I also like the overall message. Basically it's saying that death is no big deal, but it manages to say it in such a nice way.