The Wrath of Deceit in Hamlet
There are many instances in life, where individuals are encouraged to deceive or be dishonest with each other. In a competitive world, people may turn to dishonest means to be successful, especially when the stakes are high. In the world of the Danish court, Hamlet is often a victim of deceit and dishonesty. In turn, this dishonest lifestyle leads Hamlet directly to his ultimate demise. At the beginning of the play, the first act of deception is Old Hamlet's description of his brother's treachery. Secondly, Claudius the master of deception seduces Gertrude; by becoming her husband, he cleverly becomes king. Lastly, it is proven that Hamlet himself is not dishonest or deceitful. Claudius admits this to Laertes as they prepare for the sword fight scheme. Hamlet only uses deceit when he is playing the game. The outcome of the play proves that being deceitful and dishonest with people can have tragic results.
The first act of deceitfulness in the game, is the discovery of Claudius' brutal murder of his brother, Old Hamlet. We see this, when Old Hamlet's ghost comes back from the afterlife. Hamlet has a suspicious feeling about the ghost's visitation, "My father's spirit in arms? All is not well. I doubt some foul play, foul deeds will rise." (I, ii, 255-259). We later find out, the spirit of Hamlet’s father has come back to explain the circumstances surrounding his tragic death, " 'tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, a serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark is by a forged process of my death rankly abused." (1, v, 35-38). Old Hamlet reveals to Hamlet the truth that resulted in his death, "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown." (1, v, 3...
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...word fight. Hamlet only uses deceit against Claudius to expose him instead of hurting him. In a sense, Claudius’ use of deceit and treachery for his own gain ruined him in the end. Instead of Claudius having a great time as king, he ended up driving Hamlet to kill him. In addition, this proves that the deceitful behavior and lifestyle at court drives Hamlet directly to his ultimate demise.
The outcome of the play proves that a dishonest lifestyle can be detrimental. In the real world, people who are dishonest may excel at first but this behavior will eventually harm them in the end. People should try to have more sincere relationships with each other in order to remain successful, and not use negative means to achieve their goals. This is because deceit distorts your perceptions and it may lead you to loosing what you truly value in your life!
[4, 1, 40] These idiosyncrasies are observed in the play when Claudius becomes concerned he will lose power as King and the likelihood Hamlet will murder him to avenge his father’s death. This is apparent when Gertrude informs Claudius that Hamlet is, “Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend which is mightier”. [4,1,6] With these thoughts daunting Claudius, he approaches Laertes in a Machiavellian manner to convince him to murder Hamlet, for he knows Laertes is angry, deranged and “Vows to the blackest devil” [4,5,131] after the death of his father. In doing so, Claudius has the intent to use Machiavellian powers over Laertes who is currently mentally unstable, with the objective being that Laertes will murder Hamlet to avenge his own father’s (Polonius) death. Claudius is able to successfully persuade Laertes in a manipulative speech, especially with his snide comment, “Not that I think you did not love your father, but that I know love is begun by time, and that I see a passage of proof.” [4,7,96] Claudius’ malicious comment indicates he is using his power over Laertes, so that the burden and repercussions do not rest on him, so that he may retain his authority as King. By utilizing his power over Laertes, Claudius is successful, as Hamlet is slain, however, as reflected in Claudius’
Karen applied a more reality based approach while engaging Mike in conversation of what his believes were and then providing a reality definition of his believes. James engagement style was based more on Anthony’s strengths and what Anthony enjoys. It appeared that Anthony was able to trust James allowing him to be honest and open about his likes, dislikes, behaviors, and issues.
Deceit is a major cause of the downfall of Hamlet. This is demonstrated in three instances in the play. First, Polonius spies on Hamlet while he is talking privately with his mother Gertrude. Second, Claudius sends Hamlet away to England. Finally, Laertes and Claudius scheme to kill Hamlet.
King Hamlet's "foul and most unnatural murder" (Shakespeare I.v.31) tops Claudius' list of egregious sins. Using his mastery of manipulation, Claudius, the “incestuous” and “adulterate beast” managed to win the honorable queen Gertrude by using the “shameful lust [of her] will” (I.v.49…52-53). Claudius had to use verbal trickery to influence Gertrude into switching husbands that quickly after her husband’s death, which shows his true skill: lying convincingly. Claudius manages to validate his ascent to the throne by diverting attention away from him and to the attack by the young Fortinbras of Norway (I.ii.1-38). The most horrible of Claudius’ crimes is his lack of emotion over his traitorous fratricide. Claudius does not even give his late brother a word of respect; instead the focus is upon the future of Denmark. Claudius goes so far as to chastise Hamlet for his “unmanly grief” (I.ii.98), emphasizing that for the benefit of Denmark; all those affected by the death of King Hamlet should keep a strong façade. Later in Hamlet, Claudius begins to openly express his remorse and recognizes the immorality of his actions when he says himself: “O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven;/ It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, / A brother’s murder. Pray cannot I” (III.iii.40-42). He expresses his grief and sin in private but keeps a façade in front of the rest of the kingdom. Claudius is
Destruction of a family member may be gruesome. Although betraying a family member is deceitful. When there is false affection towards others, the truth will become noticed. To many, family is a top priority, to keep safe and loved by others, with no secrets among none. This may be possible for some, but in the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, this is not so. One thing that is more common in the entire play is betrayal from different family members, especially the Uncle. But, in a way that Hamlet discovered the truth was unorthodox. With Hamlet, the King of Denmark, finding out who killed his father was like being stabbed in the back because it felt unreal to know that your own blood can kill a loved one, just to be crowned king. The process of Hamlet killing his Uncle was
Illegal immigration was an issue in the past and is a pressing problem in the present. The U.S. Government has been trying to find a resolution to this issue for years. The United States approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986, which allowed the American Government to punish American companies that consciously employed illegal immigrants (Nadadur 1037-1052). The United States’ Government Immigration Reform and Control Act has been unsuccessful in controlling illegal immigration. It is estimated that illegal immigration into the U.S. has a yearly interval of three hundred fifty thousand people (Rousmaniere 24-25). It is apparent that the 1986 act was not able to keep a handle on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration continues due to the fact that immigrants only take the jobs available to them, which in turn helps support the United States’ economy, so measures should not be taken to halt immigration.
Deception is major driving force behind the plot of the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Although the play sparks from Claudius’ lie about King Hamlet’s murder, throughout the play, he continues uses deception to develop the characters as well as create drama in the play. Shakespeare uses the theme of deception to also portray the consequences of deceits, as seen through the death of Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet. Granted that Hamlet was able to find out the truth about his father’s death through his own lies, he eventually die due to the web of the deceit weaved by others.
Claudius is responsible for the death of King Hamlet, regardless of this, he wants to portray himself as someone that is worthy of running the nation of Denmark. Claudius connects to the people of Denmark by demonstrating that they are all participating in the grieving of King Hamlet, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief” (I.ii.1-3). King Hamlet’s death is very recent, but Claudius places himself as someone that is part of the kingdom that will be mourning the death of King Hamlet. This is demonstrated through irony since instead of mourning he is actually enjoying what King Hamlet has left behind; the nation of Denmark and his wife, Gertrude. Through this, Claudius also demonstrates that he wants others to believe that he has not done anything wrong. In order to convey the image of being healthy, Claudius and his court drink merrily within the castle; making the excesses that the court enjoys apparent. Hamlet is not fond of the drinking but then comes to the conclusion that “His virtues else, be they as pure as grace, As infinite as man may undergo, Shall in the general censure take corruption” (I.iv.33-35). Hamlet then foreshadows his own destiny. No matter how good a person may be, that person can become corrupt due to something that has ...
Hamlet is a play by William Shakespeare about a prince named Hamlet who was spoken to by the ghost of his dead father telling Hamlet to kill his uncle Claudius (the new king) because Claudius killed him. The story revolves around Hamlet's dillema of how to kill his uncle while being deceptive enough so that no one finds out about the ghost. This essay will prove how deception is often used in Hamlet for many reasons. Claudius uses deception to protect himself from being prosecuted for his crime of killing the King. No one knows what the deal is with Gertrude because she deceives everybody by keeping to herself all the time keeping everyone from knowing anything. By using quotes from the book I will prove how these two (Claudius and Gertrude) and among a few others , use deception for different reasons and in different ways. A lot of the times it is to protect someone, or themselvs because they believe that the truth will hurt more than their lies.
At first, Hamlet sees the circumstance as a perfect opportunity for revenge against Claudius. Hamlet knows that Claudius truly committed murder after seeing his reaction to the play ...
Through the use of setting, characterization and theme Faulkner was able to create quite a mysterious and memorable story. "A Rose for Emily" is more than just a story though; her death represents the passing of a more genteel way of life. That is much more saddening than the unforgettable scene of Homer's decaying body. The loss of respect and politeness is has a much greater impact on society than a construction worker who by trade is always trying to change things. Generation after generation Miss Emily happily escaped modernism by locking herself in her house the past.
“A serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wear his crown.” There is given evidence throughout the entirety of the play that King Claudius is a murderer. Because of Claudius’s crafty skills of language, he uses words as his choice of weapon. After we learn of the Late King Hamlet’s death, King Claudius deceives the court into believing that the Late King Hamlet died in his sleep. When in truth, King Claudius has murdered the late King Hamlet. Another person of the court that dies due to King Claudius deception, is the widow of the Late King Hamlet and the new wife to King Claudius, Gertrude. King Claudius is able to lure Gertrude into believing his intentions are good until she dies from drinking poison out of a cup that was intended for Hamlet- her son. Yet the most evident form of treachery comes from King Claudius, so formally plotting against Hamlet – his nephew – until his death. All in all, King Claudius is a bad person
Once Hamlet learned or even suspected that Claudius murdered his father, he should have prepared for anything. Instead, Hamlet enters a deep personal reflection on morals and what is right and wrong. This gives an opening for Claudius, who says”And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe/ but even his mother shall cunchange the practice/ and call it an accident”. Despite the rather clear evidence Hamlet has gathered of Claudius’ corruption, Hamlet’s lack of action and emotional breakdown opens himself up to easy manipulation. As his madness becomes apparent to all those around him, he allows himself to be sent to England despite the obvious that Claudius is plotting something. He should have known that his enemy knows the truth and fortunately, barely escapes death. As time passes, it’s clear that Hamlet is losing all sense of caution in rationality when he decides to have a fencing match with the man who already tried to kill him. All of the actions taken by both Claudius and Laertes clearly show there intent to kill, but Hamlet becomes obnoxiously trusting. Although being trusting of others isn’t a bad quality, it is definitely not something you want to take up with your enemies. Hamlet’s overall lack of motivation to defend himself becomes too apparent, he had many opportunities to win this war of deception, but caused his own
With the popularity of the Internet, sales for CDs, DVDs, Movies, and many other products have increased. Along with the increase of sales has brought forth an ever increasing problem of illegal media being downloaded. Programs such as Bittorent, Kazaa, and other direct-connect networking programs have allowed the transferring of such illegal media. Downloading song files from the Internet over a free peer to peer network is the moral equivalent of shoplifting music CDs from the local mall.
5. One long-term effect is the possibility of lung cancer, and many experts say that marijuana use leads to use of other more potent and dangerous drugs.