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Deceiving Illusions In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

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In the play Hamlet, deceiving illusions are often used to protect the truth from being a destructive force in the character’s lives. Many characters within the first two acts hide behind masks of corruption. In the first two acts, most of the characters make themselves seem good and honest, making it a difficult task for Hamlet to discover all the lies and people that have hidden objectives within them. Polonius, Claudius, and Hamlet all appear to be sincere and trustworthy but the reality is they all have other intentions and plans. Because they give off the impression that they are trustworthy and sincere, it is difficult for those around them to know what truly is going on. Polonius has a particular obsession with appearance. He wants everyone to think he is a caring and doting father who has love for everyone. In the play, Polonius appears to be an honorable man with incredible love and adoration for his son, Laertes. Polonius gives his son advice, which appears to be heartfelt at first, but in reality it was a …show more content…

He betrays his people with lies about what happened to Hamlet’s father. Claudius is not the heroic brother of the deceased king who took over the throne to save the people. He speaks to the people and convinces them not to be afraid that their King has died. While pretending to grieve, he encourages the people to forget about King Hamlet and get on with their lives. Claudius says: "Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother 's death. The memory be green, and that it us befitted. To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom.” (1.2. 1-7). The people of the kingdom believed that King Hamlet died of natural causes and had no idea that Claudius murdered him. He asks Hamlet to stay at the kingdom so he can make sure he’s okay, but he really only wants to ensure he doesn’t find out the truth about his father. He does not care for Hamlet or the people, he only wants to ensure his plan stays

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