> “deceit of Shakespearean proportions.”

It is true that some of Shakespeare's characters exhibit grotesque exaggerations of human frailties. They go mad with ambition, cruelty, and delusion, imposing their whims on victims around them. They typically show no sign of compunction until they have brought themselves to a miserable, self-inflicted end in tragedy.

It is ironic to read such recriminations from this particular character.