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Hamlet Deception Analysis

Decent Essays

Deception in Hamlet is fundamental, without it there wouldn't be a plot, the characters wouldn't be interesting and get the audience involved, honesty and transparency would destroy the play.
Throughout the whole play the actors hide behind a mask, trying to figure out thoughts of the others while trying to hide theirs.
Spying is the most recurrent form of deception used by Shakespeare, friends are spying on friends, parents on their son and the other way around.
This leads to their death in most cases; the only truly honest figure in the whole play is Horatio, he always tells the truth and in fact he is the only one surviving in the end.
Specifically Polonius, the king's right hand, who swore his loyalty, is the biggest spy of the play, …show more content…

Some think it's his way of hiding, defend himself from the situation, handle this unreal and scary situation his own way, after seeing that his trust has been betrayed, he has lost every faith in his country after seeing how quickly his father has been replaced, seeing the corruption and all the secrets and spying "O villain, smiling, damned villain! my tables- meet it is i set down that one may smile and be a villain. At least i'm sure it may be so in Denmark." (1.5.113-116).
The final scene of the play contains the most deception but also its resolution.
As they did during the play, spying on each other reactions, they set up a duel between Hamlet and Laertes, Hamlet's own family is trying to kill him by helping Laertes win, the poison they try to make him drink ends up killing Gertrude, The false Honor of Laertes in his fight ends up killing him too, Hamlet himself dies after everyone, but Horatio, passed away also.
" I am Justly Killed with mine own treachery" (5.2.337) they were all victims of their own secrets and dishonorable ways, their lies and deception, their constant double

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