The act of betraying family and friends is one of the cruelest acts any human can commit. Making a purposeful effort to harm and turn against those closest to you goes against all social and religious constructs. However, people still do it, knowing that betrayal inflicts only pain and suffering for both the betrayed and the betrayer. In Hamlet familial betrayal is what sets off the whole play-The murder of a king by his own brother. Familial betrayal is the most sinister because it comes from those that they trust the most and should be most unexpected because of the bonds of family.
The theme of betrayal is commonly explored throughout the stories of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and Disney's 'the Lion King'. Both texts express that betrayal should be avenged, just like how Simba and Hamlet both avenged their father’s deaths. However, Disney's remake of 'Hamlet' shows viewers that betrayal doesn't have to result to killing and murder, but about the feeling of vengeance and knowing where you belong.
The story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself.
Written as an exploration of revenge, madness, and betrayal, Shakespeare’s Hamlet documents a young man’s internal turmoil after the murder of his father, the king, by his devious uncle Claudius. Hamlet is frequently the victim of betrayal by his close acquaintances and family members, which leads him into a dreadful solitude. In Act III Scene I of the play, the multiple betrayals of Hamlet culminate as Claudius both plots to spy on Hamlet and turn his lover Ophelia against him. Hamlet delivers his famous “To be or not to be …” soliloquy in which he proposes the idea of suicide but determines that people are much too cowardly to act on it because of their uncertainty regarding the afterlife. In order to convey the various layers of Hamlet’s
When betrayed, one usually has negative emotions towards the people who have betrayed them. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare this idea is well illustrated, it is shown that betrayal affects the actions of Hamlet towards his friends and family, which indicates that the pursuit of vengeance often can cause one to forget the value of life. The betrayals that Hamlet suffered at the hands of his close friends and family, revealed important parts of Hamlet’s character, such as his intelligence, he is a very meticulous thinker that looks at situations from all angles, he is cunning, he has the ability to manipulate everyone into believing that he is insane, and he is skeptical, he does not believe any information until he finds it out for
Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare is a deep dark revenge tragedy of love and family betrayal. The revenge that Hamlet wants for the death of his father at his uncle’s hand consumes him so much that he loses his mind and causes everyone including the innocent to die. Hamlet is angry over the betrayal he feels when in discovers his uncle Claudius, who is now king killed his father. His mother marrying his uncle who, he now sees as a whore and Ophelia his true love repels his love.
The character of Hamlet is expressed as a protagonist. His irritated attitude towards Claudius in scene 2 of act 1 leaves the audience with a clear first impression of his nature. He is deceitful of the king, his uncle Claudius who is now the ruler of Denmark after his brothers “death”, and disgusted of his mother marrying his uncle. Hamlet is an example of someone who has compromised his happiness, in order to avenge his father’s murder.
As if what Hamlet was living was not extreme enough, the ghost of his father begins to appear to demand revenge for his death. Hamlet found out through his father’s goth that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle. It is very difficult to imagen the level of pain, anger, and desire of revenge after losing both parents under so bizarre circumstances. The evil actions of the uncle to take control of the throne, I have no doubt,
In the play Hamlet, we find that Hamlet meets with his father’s ghost, and about his father murder by the hands of blood related brother, Hamlet takes a decision, to revenge and restore the glory back
Hamlet was a tale about the Prince of Denmark, who is seeking revenge on his uncle Claudius, who had killed Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, and married his deceased brother’s widow. Being the longest story Shakespeare ever wrote, Hamlet is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature with a story capable of “seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others”. Although many people thought that it was dedicated to his son Hamnet that had died, but according to Shakespeare himself. He was already working on the story before his son had passed away, so it was confirmed that he did not dedicate the story to his son. Rather it was just a story he was writing and was hoping to turn into a play when he had finally finished his work on
When Hamlet meets with the ghost King Hamlet in the opening scene, he realizes that his father is murdered by Claudius. From Act I scene 5, the ghost King Hamlet is asking Hamlet to seek for revenge, “So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear” (1.5.12). By knowing this, Hamlet starts the revenge for his father and sets the tone of the entire play where death, revenge, murder, and suicide become the symbols of the whole play, and leads to the deaths of almost all the characters, including Claudius, Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, Queen Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet himself. Also, because of his father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage with Claudius, Hamlet has the idea of committing suicide. From Act I scene 2, "O, that this too sullied flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself to dew" (1.2.133-134).
Revenge is its own character. It provokes an individual to make irrational decisions with the support of betrayal. As one is focused on taking revenge, betrayal often goes unnoticed. By a simple act of revenge, Hamlet is led to betray his own feelings, trust and his close friends. When taking revenge, the state of thoughts and emotions are restricted due to judgment.
Firstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet.
Friendship is based on mutual respect and trust. When a friendship is betrayed it is one of the worst feelings that people can experience. Friendships that last from childhood through old age are some of the best in the world. Friendships that come about in times of adversity can be even more important as the people suffering the adversity have no one else who understands their situation as well and that creates an incredibly strong bond. When people, who have experienced these types of friendships, are betrayed after having been so close for so long or in extreme circumstances, the betrayal seems all the more horrible.
By the end of the play, Shakespeare shows how all of the characters attempt to get their revenge and how revenge does not always work out for the best. Hamlet is the main character of the play and it seems as if everything he does is based off his wanting to revenge Claudius for killing
