Finding us in All's Well That Ends Well, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing and Shakespeare's Hamlet Who are we? Paul Simon said, “I am a rock.” John Lennon said, “I am the walrus.” Steve Miller said, "I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight smoker." Richard Nixon said, "I'm not a crook." Basically it all boils down to this: people naturally don't really know who they are, or really are. These metaphorical song lyrics (excluding Tricky Dick) appear to be searches for an explanation of the self. People have always tried to protect their identities. At the beginning this search seemed synonymous with the search for an origin. Religious doctrines were designed to explain who people are and, if not, what they should be like. However, one's identity, soul or true self, is not a stagnant or secure identity. One's character or self is always inclined to evolve with age and experience, or more rapidly, depending on situations such as if one is drunk (Cassius), etc. The ambiguity of people's character is a theme that Shakespeare explores in most of his works. He does this by many means: the use of costumes, magic, dishonesty and, very often, confusion. Shakespeare's characters are never what they seem. Hamlet says, "I don't know 'seems'." Iago says, “I am not what I am.” Henry V says, “Do not assume that I am what I was.” What Shakespeare seems to be doing is breaking down identities. We develop a discussion of model-based predictions about who people are and how they will behave. When people act differently or differently from our perception of their character, we assume that something is wrong. We all have a natural tendency to look for black and white or at least know where people stand. Trust and honesty, declared and respected virtues, are based on this intrinsic need. Shakespeare repeatedly breaks down these beliefs by basing all significant actions in his plays on people acting on their perceived characters. Examples include the love quadrangle in A Midsummer Night's Dream; Falstaff's rejection in Henry IV, Part 2; Othello's struggle with Desdemona's potential promiscuity; Assumption by Claudio and Prince John of Hero's prostitution; the confidence of the archbishop, Mowbray, and Hastings in the honor of Lancaster's supposed intentions; etc. Very often in Shakespeare's works, characters disguise themselves and wear masks to hide who they really are for one purpose or another. Much of his plots hinge on instances where people's assumptions are false perceptions about who someone really is.