Character Reflection:

Imagine you are Don John or Borachio. You are to write to a villainous friend boasting of your
deception of Claudio and Don Pedro. In your letter, you will explain what occurred, how it was
achieved and the reasons you had for the deception (i.e. your motivation). You may refer to any
parts of the script in your letter, as a way of reporting on the reactions and words of the other
characters.

Remember to keep your register informal but do not slip into slang usage of the 2020s. Try to
capture the mood and personality of the speaker in your language. Where appropriate, use similes,
metaphors, imagery or allusions.

Think of a dastardly name for your friend and explore your writer's own complex behaviour.

Dear Denizen,

My friend, I have taken vengeance on my dear brother. I have lived as the bastard brother to Don
Pedro all my life. No one, no one in society had any affection for me. Finally, my time for revenge
had come and I had seized the opportunity. It took a great deal of planning to devise a plan. See, the
only way I could get revenge on my brother was if I tore apart the relationship of those he cared
about (Claudio and Hero) and as my brother is so loving I felt that this was the perfect situation. It
was handed to me on a silver platter. Misleading everyone was how I accomplished my mission. I
had to deceive the whole island of Messina into thinking that their virtuous daughter is not as pure
as they thought her to be. First, I planted the bait. I tricked Claudio into believing that my brother is
trying to woo his soon to be wife. It was simple as the man has no trust in his friends and is awfully
naive. This act put some doubt into Claudio’s mind making him think that maybe Hero is, in fact, not
loyal. The man brushed it off, but this was only the start. I needed him to have doubt in his mind for
Hero otherwise my real plan wouldn’t work. He was blinded by love and deceiving him at a bigger
level was the only way I could clear his sight, even if it was still blurry. Then later in the week, once
everything was in position, I ran to tell my dear brother and Claudio the horrific acts that I saw Hero
commit. It was only a matter of time for the fish to bite and that it did. Both Claudio and Don Pedro
ran towards Hero’s window to see her with another man; no hesitations or questions asked. Don
Pedro was guttered that he let his friend start a relationship with a vile woman. In his eyes he
committed the ultimate betrayal. This was exactly how I wanted him to feel. He felt how I have felt
my whole life and it was better than imagined as he felt betrayal for a loved one.

Your dear friend,

Don John