How far would you go to protect your own self-interests and wants? Would you go as far as murder? Maybe betraying those that are closest to you? In Shakespeare’s tragic play, the theme of betrayals is significantly essential to unfolding the plot. As the characters in the play constantly deceive each other and conspire secret plans against each other, Shakespeare is able to portray to the audience how their selfish desires lead to betrayal of those closest to them, which comes with an array of devastating consequences. Through the events of nefarious actions and deaths in Hamlet, Shakespeare argues how greedy human nature can lead to the tragedy of betrayals. To begin, in Act 1 of Hamlet, the audience is introduced to a ghost that reveals that …show more content…
Here the Ghost of King Hamlet speaks about his own death to his son, Hamlet, and provides the reader with details of how his brother, Claudius, poisoned him. Through this interaction, a betrayal between two blood brothers is seen. Claudius poisoned King Hamlet for the honor of becoming the new king, which displays the true characteristic of greed in Claudius. Furthermore, Hamlet learns that it was specifically Claudius who murdered King Hamlet, during his interaction with the ghost. In two short lines, the Ghost proclaims to Hamlet, “Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand / Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched” (I.V.74-75). The Ghost of King Hamlet confirms to young Hamlet that it was by King Hamlet’s brother’s hand that his life, wife, and crown were stolen. This portrays the greedy nature of Claudius even more through his immoral plan and action to betray one of the people closest to him. As Hamlet progresses, Hamlet directly speaks to his mother about her betrayal of King