Betrayal In Hamlet Essay

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Hamlet demonstrates the betrayal between family, friends, and lovers. The wants desired in the tragic story become more a tamable then the necessities. Those who say keep friends close but enemies closer should watch out for family members.
In Hamlet power becomes more important than family, which causes betrayal between two brothers. Claudius storms up this clever idea to gain the power he desperately carves, so he decides to poison his own brother. “Ghost: I find thee apt; and duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear: ’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 abus’d: but know, thou noble youth, the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.” (DiYanni, 1565) King Hamlet ruled Denmark before getting poisoned in the ear by his brother Claudius, now Claudius wears his dead brother’s crown. Everyone gave respect to King Hamlet and Claudius envied all the attention his brother acquired. Claudius betrays King Hamlet by murdering him because he wanted to gain the power the king held in his hands and all the attention he engraved his heart to have. After his brother’s death he betrays King Hamlet yet again by marring his wife and that looks suspicious because Claudius and Queen Gertrude might have had a fling before King Hamlet’s death and that could be another reason Claudius murder his own brother. Claudius certainly does not believe in brotherly love since he betrays King Hamlet to get want he thinks he needs.
Another act of betrayal between family members occurs toward the end of the catastrophic story Hamlet. Claudius conjures...

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... cannot make up his mind if he loved her or never loved her, “Hamlet: I did love you once. Ophelia: Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. Hamlet: You should not have believ'd me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I lov'd you not. Ophelia: I was the more deceiv'd.” Even though Hamlet cannot make up his mind about Ophelia he betrays her by tagging her long with the he plays with girls by showing affection for her and telling her all this sweet things. Hamlet’s gets Ophelia caught up in her emotions but then tell her that of course he lied and she should have caught on to what he was doing to her. One moment he confesses he did love her then completely changes his mind to not loving her at all and obviously lied straight to Ophelia’s face. Ophelia truly believed he loved her but she discovered the lies buried beneath his story.

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