The Benefit of Deception in Romantic Relationships: from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to Jack Conway’s Libeled Lady
Natalia Rued-Marshall
2/25/2020
Romantic Comedy
The Benefit of Deception in Romantic Relationships: from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to Jack Conway’s Libeled Lady
Most common love stories today do not often include deception and manipulation, and if they do it is usually the means to the end of the relationship. But, in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, a romantic novel that has been the basis for many love stories to follow, deception is central to the budding romance. In the play, the plot revolves around two couple pairings one of which is Beatrice and Benedick. Their friends use deception to convince them that the other has already professed their love for them which helps trigger their hidden feelings. At first, they disguise these feelings as ones of pity but they eventually acknowledge their love for one another and their love story ends in marriage. Readers understand that the deception helped reveal hidden feelings because the banter between them alluded to this. Without the manipulation of their friends, the possibility of them ever admitting their feelings is left open to question. Like Shakespeare's other works, Much Ado About Nothing was a source of inspiration for many of the romantic comedies we know today with Libeled Lady (1936) being no exception. The concept of deception is also a crucial component of the love story between the leading figures of the wealthy Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) and the charming Bill Chandler (William Powell) even though it seems unconventional. Ultimately, the deception in both these love stories allows connections between the characters to develop and gives a chance for their feelings for one another to foster and eventually be professed.
In Libeled Lady the entire premise of their characters meeting was a part of a master plan devised by Bill and Warren Haggerty (Spencer Tracy) to get Connie to drop a lawsuit against Warren’s newspaper company. The scene where Connie and Bill first meet began with a full shot that then zoomed in to a medium shot of Bill who stood off to the side. When Connie and her father entered the scene, she soon became the center of attention because the bright white of her outfit had a high contrast to the rest of the colors and because a close shot framed her in the center drawing even more emphasis to her. During this scene, Bill is “saving” Connie from reporters and establishing a certain level of mystery. This is seen in the first frame where Connie and Bill are together. There is a loose framing of the scene which leaves the characters on opposite ends of the frame with no proximity to each other and there isn’t ever any direct dialogue between the two.
The camera then pans and follows Bill as he promptly turns and leaves the frame and soon the scene ends with a wipe transition (Conway, 24:04-25:42). The mechanics of this scene help depict Bill and Warren’s plan in motion, where Bill swoops in to save the damsel in distress and leaves as soon as he enters ensuring that they will meet again. This deception is different from Much Ado because in this film the male protagonist is carrying out the deception as opposed to being a victim to it, but nonetheless, the deception still works to connect the love interests so that they can further establish a relationship.
The next major scene in the film that includes deception is the first direct interaction between Connie and Bill. As previously stated the reason that deception worked in Much Ado was because there were underlying feelings between the characters, and the same can be said for Libeled Lady although it takes a different dynamic. In this instance, Bill is trying to charm Connie, but it is her that puts up an emotional barrier. The scene begins with Connie once again the center of attention in a new classy white outfit that accounts for the dominant feature in the frame.
When she sits she is positioned directly in front of the camera perpendicular to Bill so there is a lack of connection between their characters. She then exerts dominance over him emphasizing her wealth when she talks about her private plane, and by cutting him off when he speaks. Considering that this film ends with the marriage of Connie and Bill, this behavior could be assumed to be an effort to conceal any interest she had for the man who saved her from the harassment of the reporters. The scene then continues when Bill once again comes to the Allenburys rescue through another lie. The camera cuts from a focus on the Allenbruys to Bill who we then see advance towards them, then the frame dissolves into the next image after Bill successfully saves the Allenburys from an unfortunate dinner (Conway, 28:30-31:20). This scene helps reinforce why deception was necessary for this love story. His rescuing her was essential to establishing a connection between the characters, and as seen from his second rescue it becomes a recurring theme. Compared to the last scene of deception that was analyzed in Libeled Lady, Connie is now participating in the lying and deceiving which only further strengthens their relationship.
Some may argue that the deception in Libeled Lady was not necessarily a good thing because it led to some issues, for instance, Connie being hurt when she discovers that Bill is “married” to Gladys (Jean Harlow). But, in the end, she becomes aware of the scheme between Bill and Warren and still forgives him as their love for each other was stronger than the deceit.
Deception in a relationship is not commonly regarded as a good thing, but Shakespeare was able to establish it as a recurring element in many romantic comedies that followed after his time. In some, the manipulation is done to the protagonists and in others, it is them that carry out the manipulation. In either case, it is essential to create and maintain a dynamic between the characters that often expose their underlying feelings for one another. In Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Benedick are the victims of deception with the end result of marriage. In Libeled Lady, Bill does the deceiving yet the outcome of marriage is the same. So, although deception and manipulation usually result in broken hearts, it is possible that true love prevails.
Work Cited
Libeled Lady. Directed by Jack Conway, 1936.
Libeled Lady. Directed by Jack Conway, 1936.
Shakespeare, William. 1564-1616. Much Ado About Nothing. London; New York: Penguin, 2005
Hello Natalia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing a paper over deception! I was hoping to write a paper about deceit using this same film but I was struggling to do so and so I changed my topic. But I'm glad I was able to read a version of this assignment that was over deception. I liked the flow of your piece. Your paper was straight to the point and was very clear and easy to follow. I felt that your statement of "it is essential to create and maintain a dynamic between the characters that often expose their underlying feelings fro one another", really hit home on the goal of all romantic comedies. This really compliments your claim well. As long as characters are able to have their feelings admitted, does it really matter how this comes about? A director's, or an author's, goal is to figure out a new fresh way to accomplish this aspect of their story so that love stories don't become repetitive. It's interesting that subjects such as deception and manipulation are used to achieve this because it can catch the audience off guard as it is unusual that a beginning of a relationship can be produced when those same subjects are responsible for the down fall of relationships. I really do like your title too! It mirrors your paper because deception is not something that is generally associated with benefits, just as it is not usually associated with the fostering of a relationship.
-Lauren
Hi Natalia!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your take on deception within Libeled Lady and Much Ado. I thought you did a great job at explaining how deception is a main factor but it was also used as a tactic to hide one's true feelings for the other person. I thought it was so interesting that you chose to write about the connection between Bill and Connie's relationship with Beatrice and Benedick's. It was so interesting because of how different the characters act toward each other in the beginning of their relationships but then ultimately realize how in love they are. Such a good decision in tackling these two works. The only thing that I wish I could have seen more of was if you discussed Gladys' character development within the film. You mention her toward the end of your essay and I was wondering if there could have a been a connection made between her and Hero. Since the two of them share a similarity of wanting to help deceive Beatrice/Connie with their friends but for different reasons of course. Nonetheless, I thought your scene descriptions were very detailed and I could tell that you took the time to know the terms. Great job on your essay!