Lying is something that we have all done, at one point or another in our life. Whether small or big, we have all lied either to protect ourselves, to spare someone else’s feelings, or to conceal an even greater act of deception. Some may even say that ling is an essential part to maintaining peaceful relationships. Though this, to a certain extent, may be true, it is also important to recognize the tragic consequences that lying can have. A lie, whether intentional or not, can become the source of someone else’s deception and hurt. Shakespeare, in his, “Hamlet,” explores this motif. In this play, Shakespeare uses acts of deception, notably those of Hamlet, to convey the tragic consequences of lies. The deaths of the royal family, in the play’s
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Polonius, her father, also reacts similarly. “The assumption that both Laertes and Polonius make is that Ophelia is a virgin, that she is theirs to sell to a husband for the bride wealth she can garner,” (Hamlet: Ophelia’s Dilemma). Oppressed at home, Ophelia truly believed that Hamlet loved her. He was her love. So, when Hamlet denies ever loving her, it was a serious blow to the heart – and head, eventually. When she had approached Hamlet, to return his belongings, the plan was for him to refuse them back; Because he was to love her, that’s what was assumed, (3.1) Instead, Hamlet does the opposite and lies about not ever loving her. He even going on to make fun of her. He tells her, for example, to go, “get thee to a nunnery,” (3.2.121). When Hamlet says these words, I believe, that he was making a comedic example out of his mother, who had betrayed his father, but not knowing this, Ophelia takes it as an insult and as a symbol of Hamlet’s distaste for her. She was certainly deceived by this revelation. The murder of Polonius, her father, by Hamlet was definitely her ultimate push towards insanity and suicide. The man whom she loved further deceived her by murdering her father. Without Hamlet’s love, her brother, and now her father dead, Ophelia, alone, went mad, contributing to her pathos-inducing suicide. She was a victim of Hamlet’s
Polonius, her father, also reacts similarly. “The assumption that both Laertes and Polonius make is that Ophelia is a virgin, that she is theirs to sell to a husband for the bride wealth she can garner,” (Hamlet: Ophelia’s Dilemma). Oppressed at home, Ophelia truly believed that Hamlet loved her. He was her love. So, when Hamlet denies ever loving her, it was a serious blow to the heart – and head, eventually. When she had approached Hamlet, to return his belongings, the plan was for him to refuse them back; Because he was to love her, that’s what was assumed, (3.1) Instead, Hamlet does the opposite and lies about not ever loving her. He even going on to make fun of her. He tells her, for example, to go, “get thee to a nunnery,” (3.2.121). When Hamlet says these words, I believe, that he was making a comedic example out of his mother, who had betrayed his father, but not knowing this, Ophelia takes it as an insult and as a symbol of Hamlet’s distaste for her. She was certainly deceived by this revelation. The murder of Polonius, her father, by Hamlet was definitely her ultimate push towards insanity and suicide. The man whom she loved further deceived her by murdering her father. Without Hamlet’s love, her brother, and now her father dead, Ophelia, alone, went mad, contributing to her pathos-inducing suicide. She was a victim of Hamlet’s