Later, a ghost claiming to be the spirit of King Hamlet, informs Hamlet that his father’s death may not …show more content…
The “painted word” means Claudius’ lies and deceptions. Claudius is clearly being hypocritical, as he is trying to legitimize his rule by seeming honest, when he is really not. Polonius, one of Claudius’ trusted advisers, is working with Claudius to catch Hamlet, as they believe Hamlet has gone mad and is not suitable for Denmark or Ophelia. Polonius feeds information about Hamlet to the king. When Polonius is eavesdropping on Gertrude and Hamlet’s conversation, he is accidentally killed by Hamlet, who mistook him for Claudius. Claudius also recruits Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s childhood friends, to spy on Hamlet, and “to gather / So much as from occasion you may glean” (33). Hamlet does not reveal any information to them, forcing Claudius to take extreme measures with Hamlet. By deceiving Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and sending Hamlet to England, Claudius ensures their deaths. In Denmark, Hamlet is more popular than Claudius, and sending him to England to be killed forces the people of Denmark choose a new possible leader. Claudius uses this to his advantage and recruits Laertes, whom the people of Denmark adore, to join him and get revenge on Hamlet for killing Polonius. Laertes, fueled by his rage, agrees. Claudius once again is only using Laertes for his own personal gain, to eliminate Hamlet and cover up his murder. Claudius plots with Laertes to kill Hamlet using a poisoned sword and a drink. Claudius once again is being hypocritical. He wishes to kill Hamlet, but instead their plan only succeeds in getting Gertrude and themselves killed. This exemplifies how deception destroys