Fraudulence And Deception In Hamlet Essay

William Shakespeare’s dexterously written tragedy, Hamlet, is composed of multiple themes such as madness, revenge, and spying with deception. This notable tragedy is filled with the deception and lies that create the reasoning behind why the characters spy on one another. Throughout this play, Hamlet as well as other major characters, such as Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, spy on one another and generate plans which develop tension between them. After discovering the cause of death of his father, Hamlet wants to avenge the murder. However, this becomes much harder when people decide to spy on his every move. All characters spy, get spied on, set traps for others, and fall into traps that others

It is this philosophical scepticism which corrupts the mind of Hamlet, as he embarks on a journey to foil his uncle’s betrayal through his “antic disposition”. This feigned madness is one of the central elements of the play, bringing about one of the most discussed questions; whether Hamlet was actually mad or not. His disposition is also linked to the recurring motif of surveillance, blurring the lines between appearance and reality. Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 2 acts as a catalyst for change, springing Hamlet into action as he formulates a surveillance scheme to discover the truth of King Claudius’ treachery. Through this, one can assert that while Hamlet captures the essence of madness, his deep thinking and speculation indicates that he is essentially only “mad in craft”. It is because of his scepticism that Hamlet meticulously utilises the metafictional play-within-a-play to “observe his[Claudius’] looks”, and hence “know my[his] course” and kill Claudius. The fact that acting itself is putting on false appearances symbolises and further highlights the distortion of truth within this revenge tragedy full of dishonesty. Hamlet’s introspective character is able to engage with the audience through his many soliloquies in which he reveals his suspicions and unadulterated thoughts. The structure of the play reflects

According to Gertrude, Hamlet’s madness is caused by “no other but the main - His father’s death and our o’erhasty marriage” (2.2). While Hamlet is so fed up with the quick marriage of Claudius and his mother, he ignores the fact that his mother still loves him. By letting the marriage get the best of him he lost a person who is there to support him, which leads him down a path of self destruction. Queen Gertrude explains to Claudius that Hamlet has gone “to draw apart the body he hath killed, o’er whom his very madness, like some ore among a mineral of metals base shows itself pure. He weeps for what is done” (4.1). Gertrude’s attempt to see the sliver of good left in Hamlet proves that she still loves him. But, Hamlet continues to push her away with his desire to get revenge and loses the only parent he has left. Hamlet then yells to God “a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer” (1.2). Hamlet has lost all respect for his mother by comparing her to an animal. With his frustration, he forgets the reality that he is her son and the duties that come with that. Hamlet’s urgent need for revenge leads him to push away his mother and leaves him without a parental figure in his life as his madness progresses.

Hamlet is a play by William Shakespeare in which nothing can be taken at face value: appearances are frequently deceptive, and many characters engage in play-acting, spying and pretense. What deliberate attempts are made at deception? Are the intended audiences deceived? While some deceptions are perpetrated in order to conceal secrets, others aim to uncover hidden truths. The play itself is built on deception, and can be seen especially through three characters’ words and actions— Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet.

Often an honourable person (such as king Hamlet) will forgive those who have wronged them and respect their mistake or honest effort to defeat them. However, when one uses trickery and underhanded methods in an attempt to gain the upper hand, all such chivalry and moral code falls to pieces. Obeying his father’s command, Hamlet is brought into the matter and in turn follows in his footsteps to avenge and denounce Claudius. After learning about what his uncle had done, Hamlet concludes that he is a “remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain” in a moment of passion. There is not shred of opinion towards Claudius that is not coloured with detestation fuelled by the thought of his dastardly acts.

The play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare is a tragedy where the main character, Hamlet, decides to take revenge on King Claudius, who killed his father and took the throne by marrying his mother. Hamlet learned from the ghost of his father that King Claudius killed him in his sleep and nobody knew. While Hamlet makes it his mission to uncover the truth and seek revenge upon Claudius, Claudius must keep up a mask of deception and disguise. Until Claudius dies due to Hamlet killing him, Claudius was able to maintain deception quite succesfully; although, he was not able to deceive Hamlet.

Throughout Shakespeare's writing, he is well known for using deception in his plays between the characters on stage. This can be observed specifically in one of his major plays, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, as a major theme throughout the theoretical work of appearance vs reality. In the play, characters such as Claudius, Polonius, and Laertes take advantage of the other characters delusions to their own benefit, leading them to believe something that isn't true. Of the characters in the novel, the use of deception is most prominently used by Claudius more than anyone else.

“To be or not to be”, that is the real question, whether Hamlet chooses to live and seek revenge or end his madness driven life. Through Hamlet’s own mental manipulation and the finality of his murderous decision, Shakespeare portrays humanity's constant desire for moral resolution and the confliction of bravery and cowardice. The idea that a deceiver is often manipulated and controlled by their own deception relates to the way in which Hamlet goes through mental manipulation. Hamlet uses this manipulation in attempt to prove that Claudius did indeed kill his father.

This allusion develops the themes of revenge and the uncertainty regarding Hamlet’s mental state. Hamlet’s play will determine if Claudius is a deceptive murderer; therefore, Hamlet created strict acting rules to ensure that the investigation ran according to plan. This play must be perceived by Claudius in a realistic, unexaggerated way, so that he can connect with the plot and show

Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most beloved and performed works, is a tale containing and establishing many literary elements and themes still used in modern writing. One of the most prevalent themes throughout the work is deception. The method in which this trickery is applied so cleverly that it can even deceive the audiences to the playwright’s advantage.

This research paper’s theme is cunningness and deception, which led to the thesis statement: “The Shakespeare play Hamlet, is a story about cunningness and deception.” The reason why I came out with the idea is because throughout the class discussions and personal readings, several instances were perceived how characters are being untruthful. They play their roles cunningly and deceptively to stay in their own games for personal gain. The root of conflict in the play and the series of events that took place in the kingdom of Denmark, are reactionary to the cunning and deceptive deed of Claudius. Whereupon, the following characters that will be subject of discussion about these behaviors are: King Claudius, Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Young Fortinbras, King Norway, and Queen Gertrude.

William Shakespeare uses eavesdropping and spying to advance the plot and enlighten the theme of revenge in his renowned play, Hamlet. Eavesdropping and spying can be seen in many instances throughout the drama, but examining two particular cases shows how the trickery progresses the plot and promotes revenge. The first espionage example is Hamlet being spied upon by Polonius as Polonius is attempting to discover the source for Hamlet’s madness. Hamlet’s anger resulting from these secretive acts advances the plot and the theme of revenge. The second situation in the play is Polonius listening in on Hamlet’s conversation with Gertrude in her chamber. He is killed as a result of his behavior, but his actions have everlasting effects, propelling the plot forward and promoting the ever-present need for revenge.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, King Claudius is widely understood to simultaneously be both well-spoken and extremely intelligent, two characteristics that, added up, complement his dangerous and manipulative motives and nature. However, it is his truly his loud conscience that contributes to the complexity of Claudius as a villain. Though he seemed to have pragmatically planned and executed his goal to take the throne from King Hamlet, he still encountered certain events that even strategic preparation could not predict, such as the appearance of the ghost of his King Hamlet that ultimately made Prince Hamlet seek revenge on Claudius’ wicked ways.

One of Hamlet’s mistakes, or character flaws, evident throughout the play, is his incapability of positive action. After being approached by the ghost of his father telling him that his uncle, Claudius, the new king of Denmark, was to blame for his murder and that Hamlet should avenge him, he logically seeks proof and legitimacy of the claim through the use of a play within the play to see if the remarks were true. Although this is not the most straightforward plan, there is convincing evidence in the extreme reaction of Claudius to the murder of the

The first signs of Hamlet’s downward spiral of insanity follow immediately after the Ghost tells him that Claudius killed his father, as Hamlet starts to eagerly speak of things that make no logical sense. Hamlet whole-heartedly believes the words of this “ghost,” which very well could have been a hallucination, and becomes excitedly obsessed over avenging his father’s death. This dramatic shift in Hamlet’s mood, combined with the circumstances of mystery surrounding the ghost, leave even Hamlet’s close friend, Horatio, concerned as he states that Hamlet is speaking “wild and whirling words” (I.ii.134). Forbes concurs that “this is the first allusion to the wildness and unnaturalness of Hamlet’s disposition” (123). Further evidence of Hamlet’s increasing madness occurs when Hamlet kills Polonius without cause and then continues to severely criticize his mother (III.iv.25-105).