The Consequences Of Being Deceitful In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

To be or not to be deceitful is a question that many often face. Works of literature commonly include characters who intentionally deceive others. These characters’ dishonesty often leads to distrust between them, testing each character’s morals. In his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare, incorporates characters with deceitful minds illustrate distrust between the Hamlet’s family and friends of the family. Throughout Hamlet a web of deceit develops because of the actions of Hamlet, Claudius, and Polonius, leading to detrimental outcomes for each character, ultimately proving that one person’s deception can act as a catalyst to influence others’ deceit. Hamlet takes the first steps in being deceitful in Hamlet, setting out for revenge on …show more content…
Hamlet begins with Claudius deceiving the entire town of King Hamlet’s death, making the murder a confidential secret and keeping the town under the assumption of King Hamlet’s death being caused by a snake bite to the ear. Claudius expresses his guilt over his deception by saying, “The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plastering art, / Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it / Than is my deed to my post painted word: / O heavy burthen” (3.1.50 - 53). Claudius admits that the murder is just as ugly, or wrong, as his lies that he speaks to hide the fact that he murdered King Hamlet. Claudius realizes that what he had done, his deed, is now in the past and he must figure out a way to hide his guilt for a prolonged amount of time. Claudius wishes that Hamlet would not inform people of the murder, so he sends him away to England. Claudius, setting out against Hamlet in an effort to save his own pride and dignity, accepts help from …show more content…
Claudius could be held responsible for causing all of the deceit found in the tragedy, as he murders King Hamlet. The murder was simply a sin, however that sin causes Hamlet to seek revenge upon Claudius, leading to deceitful actions. Without the play being written to express Hamlet’s feelings, a reader may not have known why Hamlet needed to seek revenge on Claudius. If Hamlet had not found out the truth about Claudius, Claudius would not have to be deceitful to Hamlet. Without being deceitful, the town would not have known that Claudius was truly not deserving of the position of being King. Once Hamlet becomes aware of what Claudius is deceiving him, Claudius gets Polonius to help bring down Hamlet. Polonius uses his own daughter to deceive Hamlet, because they are potentially falling in love. Polonius puts Hamlet’s sanity into question to his daughter, telling her that she will not want to be romantically involved with him. When Polonius was hiding behind curtains and eavesdropping on Hamlet and Gertrude’s conversations, a reader can realize that Hamlet’s thoughts may be