Shakespeare's Use of Trickery and Disguise In His Plays Shakespeare uses similar comic elements to effect similar outcomes in his works. Many of his plays utilize trickery and disguise to accomplish similar Trickery plays a major role in The Merchant of Venice and drives most of the action, while mistaken identity, specifically Portia's disguise as the "learned attorney's" representative, plays a major role in the resolution of the play. The first instance of trickery in the play is Bassanio's plan to present himself as a financially sound suitor, when in truth, he is not. Bassanio believes that he would stand a very good chance