How Does Hamlet Use The Power Of Deception

Truth is a highly sought after resource that can be twisted and changed for the purposes of people. Deception is a way to manipulate circumstances by lying and hiding the truth. In Hamlet, deception is a popular theme among the characters. Shakespeare did this to show how persuasive and manipulative one can be if they use the power of deception. There were three proficient users of deception in Hamlet: Claudius, Hamlet, and Laertes. King Claudius used the power of deception many times throughout the book. It all started with him killing his brother to obtain the throne and concealing the truth. He did this to gain power in Denmark and manipulate those around him. His next example of deceiving is when he sent Hamlet to England with everyone believing that it was to be schooled there, however, it was to get Hamlet beheaded by the King of England with letter. He wanted to get rid of Hamlet in a discrete way by getting him out of the country. The final example of deception was right before the end of his life. He helped Laertes trick Hamlet to a fencing match that was meant to kill him. Claudius fooled Hamlet into a trap for his death …show more content…
The first thing he did to trick people was acting mad. He could be not taken as a serious threat for when he tried to kill the king if he was too ridiculous to hurt anyone. Manipulating people’s minds was his goal; to make everyone think something other than what was actually happening. Once on their way to England, Hamlet found out about Claudius’s plan to kill him and rewrote the letter behead Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He deceived those two and practically betrayed old friends for justice. The one goal of Hamlet is to find justice wherever he can, even through manipulation. While Claudius was out, Hamlet told Gertrude not to let anyone know he was not actually mad. Hamlet was helping others be deceiving to help with his manipulative plans to usurp the