Social Illusions in Much Ado About Nothing In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare presents us with a romp through the realms of truth and illusion. The work is full of characters who scheme and deceive, for reasons both noble and repugnant. It is a study in the importance and necessity of illusion in our daily lives and shows how deeply deception is rooted in our social behaviors. Everyone is involved in some kind of illusion, from the masquerade celebration to the unveiling of the Hero's "cousin". Two of the major conspiracies in the play are the Claudius/Hero story and the Benedick/Beatrice story. Both of these situations counter the multiple nature of illusion. Claudio and Hero do not operate in the realm of illusion. Their intentions and emotions are easily visible, so much so that they are transparent. Their total inability to engage in social illusion makes them unbelievable: Claudi... middle of paper... is dead, things are finally resolved. By showing the deep entanglements of illusion that exist in normal social relationships, Shakespeare reminds us of our dependence on fabrication. It shows us that we both long to be and have a deep need to deceive ourselves and others. This is why we watch plays and read literature. But Shakespeare also shows us the precarious balance of illusion in our lives and the ease with which we can lose control over fact and fiction..