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Kayla Conaty
English IV AP
Mrs. Balden - 6
8 December 2016
Deception: A Fatal Flaw

Our generation is one living in a very conflicting time period; people are constantly contradicting their morals and

falling to the avails of lying. No matter how truthful a person may be, even a tragic hero has a fatal flaw. One of William

Shakespeares most convoluted and renowned characters, Prince Hamlet, is no exception to this. Although Hamlet possesses a

substantial amount of morality and hatred towards injustice, even he engages in wrongdoing, whether he believes it to be

immoral or not. Multitudes of different perspectives dictate the magnitude of the consequences of dishonesty, which, in effect,

creates many conflicts, both interpersonal and within oneself; William Shakespeares Hamlet reveals the negative effects of

deception through Hamlet, Prince of Denmarks detection of falsehood and intuitive conversation with his friends.

From the very beginning, Shakespeare wastes no time presenting the motif of deception. As anyone dealing with the

death of a loved one, Hamlet carries immense pain stemming from the loss of his father; it is clear he is seeking clarity. Because

of the confusion that comes with grief, the Ghost in the play presents an incredibly difficult dilemma. Claiming to be thy

fathers spirit(1.5.14), the former King Hamlet of Denmark, the phantom is a beacon of light toward Hamlet finding closure.

Certainly to gain trust through sympathy, the Ghost explains his dreadful days in purgatory: Doom'd for a certain term to walk

the night/And for the day confined to fast in fires/ Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature/Are burnt and purged

away(1.5.15-18). Hamlet is vulnerable and it is apparent that he wants to believe in the identity of this lingering soul; therefore,

this use of pathos definitely sparks perplexity. However, upon advisement with his close friend, Horatio, Hamlet considers the

possibility of ill intentions. Being a very thoughtful character, Hamlet questions whether the Ghost is a spirit of health or goblin

damned(1.4.44). This predicament over who the ghost really is presents the first mention of deceit, but is surely not the last. As

the specter of his father continues to explain his presence, he says something that provokes even further reason to believe his

intentions: The serpent that did sting thy fathers life/ Now wears his crown(1.5.46-47). This refers to the new King of

Denmark, Claudius, who happens to also be the brother of the late Hamlet. In wake of the former Kings death, Claudius is quick

to marry Gertrude, Hamlets newly widowed mother. The Prince sees this act as a tremendous betrayal and outright incestuous.

Appalled by his uncle-father and aunt-mother(2.2.399), Hamlet already carries suspicions about Claudiuss involvement in his

fathers death. When the Ghost accuses the King of regicide, Hamlet is more inclined to trust him and seek confirmation.

Enraged by the fraud surrounding him, Hamlet truly considers retribution when the spirit reveals his request: Revenge his foul

and most unnatural murder(1.5.31). All of this treachery is the basis for Shakespeares play as this symbol continues to appear

throughout the search for who is truthful, and who is dishonest.

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Despite Hamlets strong belief in the existence of the Ghost, it is entirely feasible that the visitor could be a figment of

his imagination; his anguish over his fathers death could very well be overtaking his sanity. In addition, he seems to be the only

one able to hear, see, or speak with the spirit. Because of this combination of events, the Prince appears to be of unsound mind.

Gertrude and Claudius recognize his madness and hire two of there sons closest friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy

and uncover the reason behind Hamlets unexpected complexion. Because the three friends grew up together, the Queen speaks

to her investigators with hope, saying, And sure I am two men there are not living/ To whom he more adheres.(2.2.20-21). This

plan, however auspicious it may seem, is flawed. The whole essence of it yet again reveals the motif of falsehood; instead of

approaching Hamlet with honesty and concern for his wellbeing, the rulers of Denmark encourage his oldest companions to

betray him. Unsurprisingly, considering his untrusting and intuitive nature, Denmarks royal son immediately questions the

presence of his friends, telling the two that there is a kind of confession in your looks(2.2.138). Fitting to the theme,

Rosencrantz replies with a transparent lie: To visit you, my lord; no other occasion(2.2.136). The fiction in their intentions is

especially effective as the double-cross from such dear friends is so surprising; it surrenders the idea that even those one may

regard with the utmost respect can turn out to be immoral. This explains why Hamlet remains so cynical about human beings, and

bothered by injustice. He is a fiercely deceptive man and his high regard of the truth allows him to tell when people are not

telling it; immediately recognizing Guildenstern and Rosencrantz as liars and expecting the worst in their humanity, shows not

only the depth of his intuition, but the skeptical outlook the Prince has toward life.

Clearly, Hamlet feels the effects of lying exceptionally heavier than those he regards to have lower morals. The literary

criticism Hamlet, by William Hazlitt, well analyzes the Princes misanthropic character. He describes him as a great

moraliser through his reflections on human life(Hazlitt 10), supporting the statement that he is intuitive and extremely

principled compared to most individuals. However, the Prince of Denmark would not be a tragic hero if he did not possess flaws.

His unrealistic ideals about life are held so high that even he fails to meet his extreme expectations. One of Shakespeares most

interesting quotations shows some hypocrisy in Hamlets strong detestment toward deception: To put an antic disposition on/

That you, at such times seeing me, never shall(1.5.172-173). This discloses reasoning for his recent insane tendencies but

although Hamlets statement warns his closest confidants of his untrue actions, he is blatantly admitting to his own form of lying.

Throughout the entire play, people notice the change in his personality. Polonius, close friend to the royal family, remarks, "your

noble son is mad: / Mad call I it; for, to define true madness, / What is't but to be nothing else but mad? (2.2.92-94). This reveals

Hamlets success in deception but does not explain why he engages in the one thing he despises the most. Clarity is found when it

comes to revenge as Hamlet reflects upon the enormity of the crime and refines his schemes of vengeance(Hazlitt 12).

Killing Claudius is too extreme an act to commit without complete confirmation of his guilt, and to discover the truth Hamlet
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must act uncharacteristically. The prince says, Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" (2.2.205-206), proving once

again his thoughtful morality. Even though he contradicts his ideals, he does it with calculated pure intentions to ultimately

uncover the truth and avenge his loving father.

While the conflicts of whether Hamlet can trust the people around him have been interpersonal, with his concerns being

very vocalized, it is an internal fight that reveals the complexity of this tragic hero. In Hamlets third soliloquy, he says, To be

or not to be--(3.1.64). Perhaps his most famous quotation, the line is essentially asking, to live or not to live? It embodies

Hamlet as a character as it shows the intensity of his affliction; he is so disgusted by the world that he considers death as an

option, and looks down upon those who fear it. Once again, this incorporates the motif of dishonesty. He describes the fear of the

unknown as cowardly and believes that people are untrue when they choose to endure life. Of course, this conclusion is not

universally accepted, but does substantiate Hamlet as a rare and truly virtuous man; the embodiment of a tragic hero. Hamlets

discussion of death transitions directly into the theme of Act 4 and 5 as the effects of lying are played out and prove to be fatal.

After killing Polonius, Hamlet is sent to England; in route, he is captured by pirates but is released and returns home to face a

series of undeniably negative consequences. Laertes, the son of Polonius, is consumed with anger and devises a plan with

Claudius to murder Hamlet with a poisoned sword: Ill touch my point/ With this contagion, that if I gall him slightly/ It may be

death(4.7.143-145). Hamlets enemy's deceive him once again and the results backfire as it ends with both the death of Hamlet

and Laertes. Every character in Shakespeares tragedy proves that nothing good can come from dishonesty; the end leaves few

survivors.

In some of his final words, the Prince of Denmark leaves behind a sense of acceptance. He says, The/ readiness is all.

Since no man of aught he leaves/ knows, what is 't to leave betimes? Let be(5.2.236-238). Basically, he means that fate is

inevitable; let whatever happens, happen because there is nothing anyone can do to escape death. Morbid as it may sound, it

actually ties the entire play together. Essentially, by accepting fate it is implied that one should live their best life, devoid of

dishonesty with oneself and with the people in ones life. The Prince has an excess of intellectual refinement(Hazlitt 12) that

makes him a tragic hero. Hamlets views on life are extremely rare and therefore his perspective of how a lie should be punished

often differs from others and is the source of animosity; through the Princes initial questioning of the Ghosts intentions and

identity, his reactions to the never ending stream of deception from his loved ones, and his inner moral conflicts over human flaw

and fear of death, there is no doubt that deceit can be ones downfall. William Shakespeares Hamlet is a lesson that will forever

be relevant. Honesty is the basis for human ideals; whether in a court of law, or in small argument with ones family, the truth

will never serve unwarranted consequences. Fate may not always be favorable, but what is a life worth living if one does not stay

true to oneself?
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Works Cited
"Hamlet Open Source Shakespeare. George Mason University, 2003-2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Hazlitt, William. "Hamlet." BLOOM'S Major Literary Characters: Hamlet (1992): 9-14. Print.
"Lie." Collins. Chicago Manuel Style, Jan. 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Lie Merriam-Webster. Merriam Webster, Inc., 2012. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
"Lie." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford, 2016. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
"Lie." Rogets Thesaurus. Dictionary.com, LLC, 2016, Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square, 2002. Print.