The Use Of Deceptation In Shakespeare's Hamlet By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is a timeless play which continues to remain relevant across all generations due to its presentation of ideas that are fundamental to humanity. The play highlights aspects that relate to the society of not only Elizabethan England but also that of our modern society. Hamlet, as a character, considers ideas from outside his time and is somewhat relatable to modern day man. By drawing from ideas of archetypes and the human psyche, it reveals that Hamlet relates deeply to the elements of humanity.

Shakespeare's drama Hamlet has become a central piece of literature of Western culture. It is the story of a prince named Hamlet, who lost his father. Soon after that he has to confront multiple obstacles and devises a series of situations to defend the new king's royalty. Furthermore, he had to prove that King Claudius, who was the prince's uncle, had killed Hamlet's father. This story has remained among the most popular and the most controversial plays around the world. It generates controversy for all the doubts that this play leaves with the readers. One of the most questioning situations in the play is the delay of Hamlet in avenging Claudius' for his father's death. As a reader this

Claudius’ speech also has a tremendous effect on the Elizabethan audience because of its ability to relate to the various aspects of the Elizabethans’ lives. As Claudius mourns for Ophelia with a false sense of worry for her, he declares, “Poor Ophelia/ Divided from herself and her fair judgement, /Without the which we are pictures, or mere beasts” (4. 5.60-62). Ophelia was most likely suffering from chronic depression and in today’s world, she would have had therapy or been treated, not compared to a beast. But in the Elizabethan era, there was no scientific research on mental illness and those who suffered from them were just thought of as maniacs. Elizabethans may have felt pity for Ophelia, but would have thought of her as a lost cause. Along with this mindset, those in Elizabethan society had a sense of honor and pride that all, especially the king, must follow. Claudius worries about the rebellion of the people after Polonius’ death, saying “the people muddied, /Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers/For good Polonius’ death, and we have done but greenly/ In hugger-mugger to inter him” (4.5.56-59). Polonius was considered part of the nobility social class and the idea of him not having a proper and ornate funeral would create

A lot of people would see insanity and corruption to play the most important role in Hamlet. However, other people may argue that the main theme in Hamlet is Shakespeare’s use of actors and acting and the way it is used as framework on which insanity and corruption are built. Shakespeare demonstrates the theme of actors and acting in his characters, the illusion that the individuals assume and the introduction of the ‘play within a play’. This connection allows certain characters to wield the actions and thoughts of others.

In the play Hamlet, Claudius is known as the villain of the play. He is the lead antagonist who is characterized as a cunning, incestuous, and vile, usurper. Many readers and critics of the play do not dispute this perception, especially after reading how Claudius became the King of Denmark; He steals the throne by poisoning his brother, the previous king, and quickly marrying Queen Gertrude his widowed sister in law (1.5.42, 60-74). The general reading of Claudius’s character paints him to be a corrupt, cowardly politician, in addition to being Hamlet’s (the protagonist) foe. This portrait engages first-time readers to judge Claudius immediately and although this perspective of his personality is proven to be true, it is limited. Claudius

There comes a time in one’s life when he loses faith in his beliefs or in his relationships. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, murders Hamlet’s father to inherit the crown of Denmark and the love of Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Throughout the play there are six soliloquies that reveal the character of Hamlet and others. In more than any other Shakespearean play, the audience is painted a better picture of Hamlet’s mind. Shakespeare questions the social and Christian institutions in the face of tragedy with the usage of several ambiguous phrases. Through word play and tone shifts, Hamlet’s collapsing sanity is reflected and shows the deconstruction of his views towards the Church and its values and his family. Hamlet’s

“Always mystify, torture, mislead, and surprise the audience as much as possible (Roff).” Hamlet is a dramatic production written by William Shakespeare. “The play, set in the Kingdom of Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old King Hamlet, Claudius's own brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, the King Hamlet's widow and mother of Prince Hamlet ("Hamlet”).” Shakespeare’s main objective was to impress his Elizabethan audience because entertainment through theater was extremely important to everyone in the era ("Elizabethan Theater"). Shakespeare successfully captivated an

Claudius attempts to prove Hamlet is immature and effeminate by pointing out his “unmanly grief” (94). He continues to defame Hamlet by mentioning he has “a heart unfortified” (95) and “a mind impatient” (96). Claudius’s direct claim to Hamlet’s weakness proves that he is insecure and in need of self-empowerment. It is clear that Claudius intends to degrade Hamlet when he claims he has an “understanding simple and unschooled” (97). While Claudius claims Hamlet’s grief proves a lack of intelligence, he later claims that “going back to school in Wittenberg,/ It is most retrograde to [Claudius’s and Gertrude’s] desire” (113-114).

The play ‘Hamlet’ was written during a frenzied time for England; caused by ‘The plague’ and poverty. Using his understanding of humanity, William Shakespeare, entertained the people by showing friendship, love, honor, loyalty, and as well as power. Shakespeare's play ‘Hamlet’ is meant to show the importance of monarchy and insecurity which leads to the theme that anything can happen to anyone at anytime. In act 1 scene 1, William Shakespeare, uses several dramatical devices in order to manipulate the moods, behavior and attitude of his audiences toward the play. For example, by using the one-dimensional characters, Shakespeare has entertainingly delivered the background information to his audience.

     Claudius’ lies are effective enough to persistently deceive to play’s antagonist, Hamlet. Despite Hamlet’s disgust with Claudius for marrying Gertrude, and his view of Claudius as “a king of shreds and patches” (III.iv.104), Hamlet suspicion of Claudius as a murderer is preliminarily nonexistent. The appearance of a spirit claiming to be Hamlet’s dead father first alerts Hamlet to the actions of “that incestuous, that adulterate beast, /With witchcraft of his with, with traitorous gifts” (I.v.42-3). And yet still, Hamlet remains hesitant to believe that Claudius was the murderer, searching for complementary evidence. The play that Hamlet enacts -- designed to “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.562) --succeeds in revealing Claudius’ guilt, but does not provoke instant action on Hamlet’s part. So effective is Claudius’ manipulation of the royal circle that he manages to almost permanently stay the revelation of his guilt, and if it weren’t for supernatural intervention against an injustice, he may never have been exposed.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Claudius’ speech, in act I scene ii, brings to light information regarding the recent death of his brother Hamlet, his marriage to Gertrude, and Denmark’s current relations with Norway and Young Fortinbras which all provide an insight to Claudius’ characterization including the themes of corruption, appearances and reality, and political instability with the use of structure, textual context, and speaker presentation. Throughout the entire passage, Claudius presents himself as a humble and sincere man who has the capability of managing affairs within his kingdom and his rival neighbors. This is accomplished with him seeming to mourn and grieve over the recent death of his brother, whom he forgets about rather quickly. The theme regarding

Throughout the first two scenes of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the plot revolves around the idea that King Claudius murder his brother, Hamlet’s father, to seize the throne and all its power.. This idea is first introduced through a conversation Hamlet had with his late father’s ghost who tells him straightforward the cause of his death. Hamlet, enraged, vows to take revenge of his father’s killer, but first seeks to test the ghost’s testament by putting on a play for his uncle which simulates the ghost’s story. After witnessing the play, King Claudius becomes unwell and starting on page 84 of 3.3, we as the audience finally get to hear Claudius's take on the murder of the late king of Denmark. In this paper, I will analyze this monologue by King Claudius to understand his thoughts and perspective.

Claudius manipulates his speech through the use of flattery, condescension and empathy in order to persuade Hamlet to take his side and exploit him for his own purposes. Claudius first creates a false sense of compassion and unity with Hamlet, declaring that “Our whole kingdom [is] contracted in one brow of woe” (1.2.3 - 4), thus claiming to mourn the king’s death as deeply as Hamlet and uniting the two in a common passion. He further creates an illusion of equality by consistently using the “royal we” throughout his monologue, in particular when discussing marrying Gertrude: “Our sometimes sister, now our queen...have we...taken to wife” (1.2.8 - 14). Through this use of “we”, he implicates everyone in this kingdom as a part of this action and deflects potential criticism, as Hamlet and other people view this action as inappropriate and dishonorable. Because he wishes to further draw attention away from the king’s death, he encourages Hamlet to resolve his mourning period. He first patronizes Hamlet through the use of repetition so as to reinforce his new authority as king. Claudius reminds him, “You must know your father lost a father, that father lost, lost his” (1.2.93 - 94). He later scolds Hamlet’s extended mourning as “unmanly grief” (1.2.98) so as to emasculate and shame Hamlet’s actions. He then changes subject by urging Hamlet to

Shakespeare’s depiction of the relationship between Hamlet and Claudius aids him in implying that his statement refers to Claudius’ impact on Denmark, rather than a more literal account of a garden. The first instance the two share a scene, it is clear that Hamlet does not appreciate what Claudius undoubtedly believes to be words of wisdom. Hamlet’s father died less than two months prior to the beginning of the story, yet Claudius insists, “But to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven…” (Shakespeare 1.2.92-95). Here, Claudius displays a lack of sympathy for Hamlet’s grief, which both fuels Hamlet’s dislike of him and initiates his lack of trust, for Hamlet undeniably views Claudius’ absence of grief as an alarming oddity. Hamlet later laments about how quickly his uncle wed his mother: “Within a month, ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes, she married” (Shakespeare 1.2.153-156). This untimely union again highlights Claudius’ lack of sorrow, for less than a month after his brother’s death, he chose to marry Gertrude. Hamlet’s anger is a result of his mother’s ill-timed remarriage, but it is a product of Claudius’ insensitive involvement in it as well. Furthermore, although Hamlet does not directly come to this conclusion,

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most popular dramas in world literature, as it examines the passionate, but toxic ambitions of King Claudius. He murders his own brother, King Hamlet, to overtake the throne, power, and wife. As a result of King Claudius’ fratricide, he inherits the “primal eldest curse” of Cain and Abel, and the dispersion of his venom ends the lives of several major characters. Including, of course, Prince Hamlet, who gets drawn into a deep depression over his father’s death, who later visits him as an apparition. This essay will analyze Shakespeare’s symbolic use of poison, embodied by King Claudius and the unintended consequences of his wicked acts.