Deceit-Based Relationships

How does deception impact on relationships in the texts?

As depicted throughout the selected texts, relationships which are based on deceit are inevitably destined to fail and fewer are ever reconciled. This notion is clearly illustrated in the play Macbeth and the relationship between Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth. Initially their relationship is abound with love, respect and trust and Macbeth refers to his wife as his 'dearest partner in greatness', emphasising the closeness between them. However, when they commit murder and begin to deceive themselves and others, it signals the disintegration of their relationship. As individuals they were each burdened by an overwhelming sense of guilt, and driven to insanity- 'O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!' Because both characters were beset with the horror of what they had done, they are unable to work collaboratively as a couple, which resulted in miscommunication. Macbeth excludes his wife from his greatest plans, making her 'innocent of the knowledge.' This relationship is never reconciled as Lady Macbeth, utterly consumed with guilt, commits suicide. These ideas are again exemplified in the film American Beauty with the mother-daughter relationship between Carolyn and Jane. Carolyn, the wife and mother, is obsessed with attaining wealth and status which becomes 'more important to [her] than living'. Consequently, she is continually preoccupied with her job which causes a severe lack of communication within the family. Oblivious to her daughter's needs, Carolyn calls her a 'brat' for being ungrateful of 'all the nice things' she has bought her, and is clearly unaware that Jane would much prefer love and attention. This family rift is never resolved as Lester, Carolyn's husband, is murdered by their neighbour. Deception in the form of an adulterous affair, as present in The Crucible is as equally damaging to a relationship. While his wife Elizabeth was ill, John Proctor began an affair with 17 year old Abigail Williams. In doing so, he shattered Elizabeth's trust and is on numerous occasions, accused of 'not being open with [her].' Both individuals in this marriage suffer the effects of Proctor's deceit. In Elizabeth's case her anxiety is caused by the feeling of being unable to trust her husband. From John's perspective, Elizabeth 'forget[s] nothin' and forgive[s] nothin' which makes it increasingly difficult for him to forgive himself of this sin and tensions between them intensify. Unlike, in Macbeth and American Beauty, this relationship is somewhat repaired when Proctor confesses his affair in court and sacrifices his pristine reputation to save Elizabeth from Abigail's claims of witchcraft against her.

The evident lack of relationships in the short story "Miss Brill" is revealing of the deadening effects of self-deception. The protagonist, Miss Brill, spends her time imagining that she is part of the lives of complete strangers by eavesdropping on their conversations and fantasising that they are an audience in her

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