Ophelia's Use Of Deception In Hamlet

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Hamlet, a play of deceit and treachery. It takes place in Denmark and is about a young man who has returned home from his studies when he hears of the death of his father, when he arrives he finds his mother married his uncle and a ghost lurks in the castle, seeking revenge. This is one more addition to Shakespeare's large library of bloody stories. Not only does this play have bloodshed but also many individuals who are overcome with madness, some of whom seem to go mad for no apparent reason. Shakespeare uses trickery and mock-impressions to throw his characters through a whirlwind of a tragedy. I believe that the point of Shakespeare's avid use of deception and false appearances, is to not only trick the characters, but the reader's itself.

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He is famous for his daring plots of revenge and subtle loving characters, that can relate to men and women through every time period. It is this relation that allows Shakespeare to fool the minds of his audience even as his play unfolds in an entirely different direction. In Act 3 Scene 1, Ophelia approaches Hamlet to try and grasp an understanding of his deranged state, and in this state Hamlet accuses Ophelia of being some part of the deceitful ploy that is in his mind. "God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another [...] and make your wantonness your ignorance." (3.1.146-149) This opens the subplot of Hamlet and Ophelia to more than a simple love story. Shakespeare uses this subtle imagery to place a seed of doubt in his audience opening their thoughts to the

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