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Hamlet Deception Research Paper

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Deception is an essential element of Shakespearean plays. Deception often can become the very foundation of a play, as in the case of Hamlet. It is used as a tool by most of the characters to manipulate the truth and to keep it from being known to others. Deception can be utilized in two ways. Deception with noble intent is the concept of deceiving for the betterment of other people. On the contrary, deception with malicious intent are the acts for one’s own satisfaction and well-being. Shakespeare portrays this theme by using lead characters such as Hamlet, King Claudius and Polonius who demonstrate malicious deception. Furthermore deception is portrayed in three major forms: the fear of being deceived, the act of deceiving others, and the result of being deceived.
Deception is one of the key factors of the deaths of many characters in Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, Claudius is introduced on stage with his conflicting feelings of grief and joy. He successfully misleads members of the court so he can avoid any skepticism that may occur from his sudden …show more content…

Hamlet does this for a special purpose as mentioned by D.J. Snider. This special purpose is to deceive everyone in the court to discover the secrets of the new King, Claudius. This purpose of feigning madness in order to discover the court was also fueled by Polonius. He was very sharp scented and an astute man. However previously, Hamlet was known to be a man who did not tolerate deception and deceit. Therefore for Hamlet to deceive Polonius, he had to reverse his own reputation and nature. If Hamlet had not feigned his own madness, King Claudius would surely have noticed that he had some knowledge of his murder. Hamlet used madness as a mask to protect him from Claudius’ fury, despite knowing the real cause of his father’s

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Hamlet's Insanity Throughout the play, Hamlet’s madness changes from being an illusion and forms into a harsh reality. Even though he claims the reason behind him acting deranged is to disconcert King Claudius, his behaviour and actions towards other characters in the play really emphasize his insanity. As the play progresses, everyone becomes aware of his mentally ill state, including King Claudius, who sends him to England to have him killed. This way Hamlet won’t be able to reveal his corrupt ways. Hamlet's behavior begins to change drastically as the play advances.

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In great literature there are often characters who are deceitful to others to carry out a greater purpose. By doing so the character often compromises relationships with friends and family but it can also compromise the safety of the character and others around them. In the play Hamlet Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s character to elaborate on this situation, Claudius is deceiving his family and friends for a greater purpose which at times seems to do more bad than good. Claudius deceives many people in the tragedy Hamlet.

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In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the theme of deception is practiced throughout the play. Characters surrounding Hamlet use deception as a tool to achieve their goal, Claudius and Polonius’s use of deception has a great impact on Hamlet’s actions in the play. Claudius is the epitome of deception, it is through his deceit that leads to the events that occur. The betrayal of murdering his brother King Hamlet is seen as the beginning of the end. “It hath the primal eledest curse upon’t.

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Many works of art, especially literature, has a large focus on deception and how deception pushes a plot and story along the line to completion. This had been used in the long history of literature an uncountable amount of times by a lot of different authors, but one of the most popular works which has a heavy focus of deception and the consequences thereof is the drama, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare. This drama, often just called Hamlet features incredibly heavy themes of deception as almost every character is being deceitful in someway, which all has varying effects on the advancement of the main story and plot. Arguably the most deceitful character in the entire drama is the namesake Hamlet. Hamlet has

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