The comedy of intrigue, also called the comedy of situations, is a type of comedy where the story and events are more important than how characters change. These plays use clever plans, secret schemes, and funny or exaggerated situations to move the plot forward. Characters are often not clearly described, and the story feels full of action and movement. The German philosopher Hegel said that characters in these plays often use tricks and lies to reach their goals. This genre began in the theater of classical Rome, created by playwrights Plautus and Terence. Examples include Niccolò Machiavelli's The Mandrake (1524), an anonymous Italian play called The Deceived Ones (1531), Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (around 1596) and Much Ado About Nothing, Thomas Heywood's The Wise Woman of Hoxton (around 1604), Molière's Scapin the Schemer (1671), and plays by Aphra Behn and Thomas D'Urfey.