Counter Deception In Hamlet

Register to read the introduction… The Shakespearean literature reference, Shakespeare A to Z, explains how deception can be fatal and put a plan to a standstill. The book says, “The king tells Hamlet that he is being sent to England immediately for his own safety. The king’s entourage escorts Hamlet to the boat, leaving the king to muse on his plot: he is sending letters to the English that threaten war unless they kill Hamlet immediately” (Boyce 235). Hamlet does not know of the kings true intentions to kill him. If this plan would have succeeded, Hamlet would be dead, and the revenge he wanted would never be complete. Literary Contexts in Plays: William Shakespeare's “Hamlet” shows another example of how one can use deception to potentially bring a plan to its end. The literary reference says, “Claudius suggests that Laertes challenge the Prince to a fencing match in which he could kill him with a sharpened and poisoned sword. As a backup solution, Claudius will also poison the Prince's drink” (Vernay). Hamlet thought that the fencing match was truly a friendly game of skill, but Laertes, just before dying, revealed that the actual purpose of the match was to kill him before he carries out his plan to kill the king. If Laertes had not told Hamlet of this at the last minute, Hamlet would have died without getting the revenge he so longed …show more content…
When using deception, one should remember that although it can bring a plan to its success, it can also stop a plan dead in its tracks; not to mention deceive the deceiver. While deception can be of great use, it might not always be the best choice of tactic to use when developing a master plan for revenge. Sometimes it might just be better to make the plan more straightforward; however in the case of Hamlet, deception was a vital part of Hamlet’s plan for revenge and Claudius’ plan to stop Hamlet’s plan.

Works Cited

Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More. New York: Dell Publishing, 1990. Print.
Friedman, Alan Warren. “Hamlet The Unready.” Modern Language Quarterly 37.1 (1976): 15. Humanities International Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
Javed, Tabassum. “Perfect Idealism In Shakespeare’s Prince Hamlet.” Dialogue (Pakistan) 8.3 (2013): 327-333. Humanities International Complete. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
“Madness.” Columbia Dictionary Of Quotations From Shakespeare (1998): 213-214. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1992. Print.
Vernay, Jean-François. “Literary Contexts In Plays: William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Literary Contexts In Plays: William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ (2007): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 8 Feb.