Deception in Hamlet :: essays research papers

Deception is a recurring theme in Hamlet. In a tale of murder, love, and politics, deception could have no more fitting place. The lies and pretensions interweave each other, and there is no character left out of this web. All the rally characters have their secrets to hide and mis uprightnesss to spread, and this is central to the plot and its progression. King Claudius deceives all those around him with his mourning and celebrating demeanor, and his unlike celebration and waking. He seems to grieve for the brother that he slew, and deeds to console all others that may or may not grieve for his brothers death, such as his nephew and step-son Hamlet. His pretense is great, and forces Hamlet to investigate the truth of the ghosts tale, unraveling the mystery of his fathers death and others involvement.Prince Hamlet has perhaps the most devious series of deceptions in the tragedy. He feints madness, in lay out to soften up the minds of those he seeks to learn information from, by putting them off their guard. Hamlet also sets in motion a plan to abide by his uncles guilt in the murder of his father through a play within a play within a play, aptly named The Mousetrap. His smart pretension also leads Polonius astray in his presumption as to the cause of Hamlets supposed strange manner and Ophelia to believe that his love for her has at rest(p) with his sanity. Ophelia is also key in the theme of deception in the play. However, she is more so privy to the intentions of others to deceive than to her own. Her lies are merely a sense of self-preservation in a world dominated by men. She deceives Hamlet on her feelings for him at the behest of her father, Polonius, in his scheme to determine the true cause of Hamlets strange behavior. Ophelia in turn is actually herself deceived by Hamlets scheme to feint madness. Essentially she is the channeling of Polonius plot of political investigation, and as used as she may be by all sides, she is not seriously affected by it towards the end of Act III, other than through the death of her oppressive father.