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Use of deception in hamlet
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William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Disillusionment. Depression. Despair. These are the burning emotions churning in young Hamlet's soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father's death and his mother's incestuous, illicit marriage. While Hamlet tries to pick up the pieces of his shattered idealism, he consciously embarks on a quest to seek the truth hidden in Elsinore; this, in stark contrast to Claudius' fervent attempts to obscure the truth of murder.
Deception versus truth; illusion versus reality. In the play, Prince Hamlet is constantly having to differentiate amongst them. However, there is always an exception to the rule, and in this case, the exception lies in Act 2, Scene 2, where an "honest" conversation (sans the gilded trappings of deceit) takes place between Hamlet and Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern. Via the use of prose and figurative language, Shakespeare utilizes the passage to illustrate Hamlet's view of the cosmos and mankind. Throughout the play, the themes of illusion and mendaciousness have been carefully developed. The entire royal Danish court is ensnared in a web of espionage, betrayal, and lies. Not a single man speaks his mind, nor addresses his purpose clearly. As Polonius puts it so perfectly: "And thus do we of wisdom and of reach^Å By indirections find directions out" Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 71-3 The many falsehoods and deceptions uttered in Hamlet are expressed through eloquent, formal, poetic language (iambic pentameter), tantamount to an art form.
If deceit is a painted, ornate subject then, its foil of truth is simple and unvarnished. Accordingly, when the pretenses of illusion are discarded in Act 2, Scene 2, the language is written in direct prose. Addressing Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet pleads with them to deliver up honest speech about the intent of their arrival: "[offer up] Anything but to th' purpose." Act 2, Scene 2, Line 300 In a gesture of extreme significance, in a quote complementary to Polonius' aforementioned one, Hamlet demands: "Be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no." Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 310-11 Being the bumbling fools they are, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern disclose their intentions and purposes to Hamlet, revealing the King and Queen's instructions. Thus does truth prevail in this passage. For this reason, the whole passage is devoid of the "artful" poetic devices that are used in the better portion of the play. The recurring motif of corruption also appears in the passage.
The significance of the players exceeds the sole purpose of entertainment, as each possesses the power to unveil the "occulted guilt" (3.2.75) and conscience of the King. Hamlet assumes the responsibility to advise these players with precise and adequate direction so that a "whirlwind of passion" (6) may not effectively separate Claudius from personally identifying with the play. Hamlet's enthusiastic approach toward direction may be so that he encourages the players to "suit the action to the word, the word to the/ action, with this special observance, that you o'erstep not/ the modesty of nature" (16-18). However, this exercise of caution may justify Hamlet's too often delayed attempt toward the action of avenging his father's murder. His direction confines him to the overflow of words as he experiences imprisonment within the truth of his own identity.
Al Capone once said about Alcatraz " Don't mistake my kindness for weakness, I am kind to everyone, but when someone is unkind to me, weak is not what you are going to remember me about." One of the most dreaded prisons in America was Alcatraz, it was built on an island in the San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz was made for the United States most dangerous and difficult people during its years of being operated. Even though Alcatraz was built as a top end prison it was possible to escape, however it seemed prisoners never made it off the island alive.
...h you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me.”(29-38) Hamlet is insulting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern by comparing the deceitfulness to an instrument and saying they aren’t equipped enough to trick him. Deception seems to be flowing in every direction when it comes to Claudius and multiple foil characters.
The Island of Alcatraz started construction in the 1850’s and in 1861 the first unlucky prisoners stepped onto the island. The island was now a fully functional high security prison. In 1868 the prison was designated for military convicts and soon the worst offenders were sentenced to life on the island. The island was surrounded by frigid waters and sharks in the bay helped prevent ideas of escape. Some escape plans were put into motion but none fully succeeded. Many convicts found that Alcatraz ended their career in crime, while some found that Alcatraz was the end of their lives. Although the prison was the most secure and safest place to keep these convicts, the prison was shut down in 1963, after over 100 years of service, due to high maintenance costs of bringing materials and sustaining human life on the island. Ever since the prison opened, unexplained occurrences have been reported and no explanation has ever been confirmed.
William Shakespeare was a Stratford Grammar School boy, who was a member of the Church of England, similar to just about everyone else in Stratford. However, due to some events that occurred in the Shakespeare family home, there is some evidence that could prove that the family may have had some Roman Catholic connections. When William Shakespeare was 10 years old, legal issues and debt took a toll on his family’s life. Shakespeare’s father’s stopped attending alderman meetings which resulted in the removal of his name to become an alderman, and he was also forced to sell his beautiful home. The cause of this crisis is unknown, however the records can be used to throw together the idea that there were peculiar religious events going on (Fox). Due to these mishaps, William Shakespeare’s religion is a bit of a mystery. The play, Hamlet, was written by William Shakespeare during the Elizabethan era, which happened to be a time when religious conflicts were a big deal (Alsaif). The protagonist in the story, Hamlet, is a character who seems to make his choices through his religious beliefs. Hamlet is a very indecisive person, but his thoughts on religion tend to persuade him. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the character of Hamlet to show the flaws in all religions. Hamlet does his best to follow the rules of Christianity, but he often questions the morality involved. Although Shakespeare belonged to the Church of England, he didn’t find any particular religion to be perfect.
Throughout the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet learns the truth of his father’s recent death. He learns that his fathers death was no accident, and that his uncle, his fathers brother, is his father murder. As the play goes on Hamlet promises to avenge his father’s murderer, his uncle and newly crowned king, Claudius. Covered by this veil the characters give the appearance of being honest and sincere but on the other side of the veil they are polluted with dishonesty and tricky.
We all know that prisoners lived on Alcatraz Island, but where did the guards and their families live? Since Alcatraz is not very big, guard families lived in building number sixty-four. There were three apartment buildings, one large duplex, and four wooden houses for senior officers. The Warden lived in a large home adjacent to the cell houses. He used inmates that had been reported to have good behavior to clean and cook for him. The Captain and the Associate Warden lived in the one duplex. A...
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.
Each person goes through life questioning the whys and what ifs, but seldom do people act on those revengeful feelings unless they reach a point of action. Hamlet reaches such a point in life where wordplay no longer suffices, and he must act not out of necessity but out of filial duty and honor. In this soliloquy, Hamlet sheds his attachment for words and begins to act on his deeply held feelings of revenge/
Everyone has lied at one point or another in their life. Whether it is a small white lie about an outfit’s mishaps or something that ruined a relationship, lying or hiding the truth is a universal theme that everyone could relate to. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses the theme of deception to develop characters and cause their ultimate downfall in the play. Deception is not only woven in the plot but also portrays through the characters’ action and personality, such as Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet.
In addition, a well-equipped medical facility was now available onsite, thus eliminating the need to transfer sick, yet dangerous, inmates off the island for care in hospitals on the main land. Life on Alcatraz, popularly named as “The Rock”, was not easy for the inmates. During the early years on Alcatraz, incarceration meant hard labor on the grounds of the island. However, by the mid 20’s, rumors began to circulate about the country of unspeakable conditions the inmates had to endure on the island. Outcry from the public persisted, forcing the military to make a decision. Faced with the expense of operating the island an...
The loss of a parent can have a traumatic effect on one. It can lead he or she to a place of sadness, darkness and depression. In Shakespeare's revenge tragedy "Hamlet", the passing of the King stirs up the same emotions in the prince Hamlet. Although, it would be the starting point of his journey filled with deceptions, murders and conspiracy. After a visit from his dead father as a ghost, and the revelation of his uncle's betrayal, Hamlet embarks on a path to avenge the death of his father (Shakespeare). In the midst of all the lies and deceptions, before his ultimate downfall Hamlet achieves his goal of avenging the death of his father by killing Claudius, while liberating Denmark from a deceitful ruler; his uncle Claudius.
Alcatraz. The most high tech security prison in the United States. Placed in the waters of the San Francisco bay on Alcatraz Island. “The Rock” held the world's most terrifying criminals. Murderers, thieves, and prisoners too uncontrollable for any other federal prison, were sent away to Alcatraz to suffer so much, that their main goal was to keep from going absolutely insane. There were many failed escape attempts, and each time they either drowned in the freezing waters or were caught and punished. Frank Morris, Allen West, and the Anglin Brothers created an intense strategy to escape from Alcatraz and get their taste of freedom. These prisoners succeeded in following their strategy and survived their escape.
The play, Hamlet is , in the best words, a web of lies. The story takes place in Denmark, sometime around the year 1600. With the King of Denmark recently dead, and his brother now the new king, there seems to be a bit of foul play going on. The great failure of these characters is that they refuse to confront the truth, either with others or themselves. In fact, nearly of these conflicts are met with lies. Though some of these lies do start with good intentions. The question they beg is, do these good intentions justify the act of lying? If so, where is it line drawn on a well-intended lie or a poor-intended lie? Hamlet proves the idea that not all lies are created equal. There are well-meaning lies, purely evil lies, and some genuinely justified
Hamlet is at the centre of the play and, as a reactive rather than active character, is betrayed by almost every character he has a relationship with. This climate of deception within his family imbues within Hamlet an obsession with truth and a search for a meaning to life below the secrecy, seen in the ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy. “…whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles…”. The rush of battle imagery used by Hamlet appears conflicting. This communicates Hamlet’s chaotic state of mind as he attempts to wrestle with the complex issues of the meaning of life and his