Hamlet's Deception

Once Hamlet found out the truth about his father’s death, his rage and anger took over his conscious. Sometimes the truth can be easy to comprehend when the expected outcome of one’s revenge takes

It could be said that Hamlet is deliberately delaying his revenge for fear of actually committing it. However, religion was a focal part of people’s lives at the time the play was set and at the time it was

One must always be weary of the truth because it is quite often manipulated to serve the needs of any person who requires that the truth be on their side. Quite often, the only way to discern the truth from the fiction is by way of a deceptive act, because an act of deception always exposes both its self and the truth to be two quite different things. Nowhere is this more true than in William Shakespeare's, Hamlet. One of the major themes in the play is in fact, deception. This central theme is expressed throughout the play in three major forms: the fear of being deceived, the act of deception, and the ultimate result of the deceptive act. The first facet of the deceptive

Hamlet says "the spirit that I have seen may be a devil, and the devil hath power t’assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps, out of my weakness and my melancholy, as he is very potent with such spirits, abuses me to damn me" (2.2.627-632). Fearing deception, Hamlet has doubts, which initiate his inaction. His hesitation is somewhat resolved in the form of a play. In order to test the truth of the ghost, Hamlet devises a scheme to perform a play to "catch the conscience of the King"(2.2.634), by reenacting a scene similar to the events recounted by the ghost about King Hamlet’s murder, in order to prove Claudius’ guilt. Here, Hamlet’s inaction results not only from his distrust of his father’s apparition, but from his distrust of his own senses. Had Hamlet trusted his father in death as he had in life, Hamlet’s life would never have resulted in such a tragic end.

The Ghost said “Leave her to heaven.”(I,v, 93) By using scripture words, the spirit may be trying to disguise himself to get Hamlet to perform his evil deed. If the Ghost was good, it will not use any

Hamlet’s inaction due to fear ultimately leads to the death of six characters, including himself. Hamlet’s outward conflict is the death of his father and consequently, his uncle becoming the King of Denmark. Hamlet expresses his distaste of his uncle becoming King when he says, “A little more than kin, and less than kind” (1.2.65). Hamlet implies that his uncle is too closely related to him after becoming his step-father. Moreover, during his soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet blames his mother for being weak and criticizes her decision to marry someone one month after her husband’s death when he says, “A beast that wants discourse of reason/ Would have mourn’d longer” (1.2.146-7). Hamlet denotes that his mother is less reasonable than an animal as she marries one month after King Hamlet’s death, which is an insult to her intelligence. Furthermore, Hamlet compares the world to “an unweeded garden” (1.2.135) and this displays how he does not want to live in this corrupt world anymore. Hamlet’s inward conflict is his inaction after swearing to the ghost that he would exact revenge for his father’s murder.

Texts reflect their context and paradigms but transcendental texts that explore aspects of humanity can resonate through time and remain relevant and accessible to audiences. William Shakespeare’s introspective play, Hamlet, explores the complexity of the human condition by reflecting ideologies such as justice, loyalty and morality. Although these deeply human ideas ensure the plays resonance, they are somewhat secondary to the depths of Hamlet’s human struggle. These thematic concerns reflect how flaws in the values of society descend into corruption. Through an exploration of the characterization, Shakespeare invites a re-evaluation of the values that shape human nature. The textual integrity of Hamlet makes it of distinctive

He is secretly attracted to his mother, which explains why he hates Claudius so much, apart from the fact that Claudius murdered his father. Claudius took away his chance of becoming the king and to have his mother, but those feelings, according to Freud, are hidden in his subconscious. He is angry at Claudius because deep down he wishes he had done everything Claudius had done including killing his father, taking the throne, and marrying his mother. The Oedipus Complex could be causing Hamlet's behavior and probably is the reason why he is struggling when it comes to revenge his father's murder.

Relationships are based on trust. However, when that trust is betrayed by deception, there comes an influx of anger and regret from the one who is hurt, and pitful amounts of apologizes or explanations from the betrayer. Sometimes, this betrayal or to use a less aggressive term...this deception can be justified. Even when deception is justifiable, there still comes to play a question of other ulterior motives, that prohibits the betrayer from being pardonded. In the tragic play Hamlet, Shakespare explores the theme of deception and also considers the complexity of such behavior by highlighting all motives genuine and dubious.

Wordplay and misinterpretation of words go hand in hand, and is used to achieve a better knowledge on who the players actually want to be. A bigger idea of the the play, is what should be twisted to uncover the truth that is buried within the lies. Hamlet can be seen as a masterful example of what a play writer should show his or her audience, in addition to in depth analysis of the characters. Shakespeare is taking a traditional model of a play and twisting the meaning of theatrical techniques in order to achieve a better knowledge of what is the truth.

In Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet there is a dominant and overwhelming theme that is amplified throughout the entire play. Things are not always what they seem. Many of Shakespeare’s most complex characters hide behind multiple masks of lies and deceit. The American Heritage Student Dictionary defines illusion as “an unreal or misleading appearance or image” and reality as “the state of things as they actually exist”. The focus of this essay is the struggle between illusion and reality in Hamlet. The theme of illusion versus reality outlines the great play due to the fact that various characters portray themselves as different people on the outside than they really are on the inside. Because illusions

Deceit and lies are rampant in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet. It can be seen in the characters’ actions and words, as well as what they fail to say and do. It comes in various types of relationships -- between husband and wife, parent and child, siblings, and between lovers. Nearly every character in the play either deliberately spins a web of their own lies, uses another person for their trickery, or is used in another person’s deceitful plot. Each has different motives for their deceit -- to maintain power, to achieve their goals, to attain vengeance, or simply because it is necessary to function in this twisted society -- but all of them face a tragic ending no matter their initial intentions. In this play, deceit is so uncontrolled, intertwined, and multidimensional that it becomes impossible for either the characters or audience to ascertain what is true.

Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).

Hamlet showed disgust during the lines one hundred thirty-three through one hundred thirty-seven in which he questioned the purpose of the world (Hamlet Prince 71). He felt that the world's only purpose was to raise "weeds." Those weeds or the things that are "rank and gross in nature," represented the wicked people of the world that were in power. It is evident throughout these lines that he has strong feelings of mistrust and hatred towards his uncle. It is undetermined if Hamlet ever thought that his mother was also a murderess who helped devise the plan to kill the king. Hamlet's anger is justified, as his trust was lost in almost everyone that was close to him.

To begin with, the exploration of human strengths and frailties in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ provides a strong understanding of the complex nature of revenge, because Hamlet is determined to kill Claudius, which is the main reason for his father’s death. This is the most pivotal moment at the end of Act 1 because it leads Hamlet into insanity because it’s his primary mode of interacting with other people later in the play. The idea is used by Shakespeare to further develop Hamlet’s character because the concept of sin must be returned with punishment because Claudius has committed a sin on his father. The quote “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder,” is used as a motif on the centre of honesty, as it explores the fact that Hamlet would do something for his father if they had a close relationship. He is rather keen to undertake this task so that he can get revenge on Claudius. “With wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to my revenge,” uses a simile to express Hamlet’s determination