Fatima Oliva

Mrs. Belinda Jackley

AP English Literature and Composition

April 11, 2019

Deception in Hamlet

Deception is often used for personal safety, to spare someone’s life, or to carry out a crime. However,

deception can often lead to a person’s downfall and loss of their self-character. In Hamlet by William

Shakespeare, Hamlet deceives his family and friends in order to carry out his vengeance against his uncle, King

Claudius, who murdered his father Old Hamlet. Hamlet’s deceiving nature would eventually lead him to

insanity and to his downfall.

In Hamlet by Shakespeare, Hamlet is faced with the death of his father, his mother marrying his uncle,

and losing the throne to his uncle. He later learns from the Ghost, meant to be the spirit of his father, that he had

been murdered by King Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet promises to himself to avenge his father and in order

to give himself time to prove that his uncle was responsible for his father’s murder he begins to feign insanity.

One of the first instances that Hamlet demonstrates some degree of insanity is when he begins to use Ophelia as

a way to confuse his family about the source of his madness. He was initially lovers with Ophelia but after his

father’s death he used her to confuse his family about what really had been bothering him. His family was

unsure if he was bothered by the marriage of his mother, Gertrude, and Claudius or the death of his father. Since

he was showing mixed emotions towards Ophelia since he first wrote her many letters expressing his desire to

meet with her, he then broke into her home when he was unable to see her, and when Ophelia confronted him

about it he criticized her for being submissive and naïve for believing that he ever loved her. This would make

Polonius, Ophelia’s father, believe that maybe the source of his madness is Ophelia’s rejection. Polonius

confronted Claudius about his suspicions that the source of Hamlet’s insanity is Ophelia’s rejection which leads

them to spy on Hamlet. Hamlet can distract Polonius and Claudius in trying to figure out the source of his
madness so that he can dedicate himself to avenging his father. In order to find out if the information that the

Ghost has given him is true, he plans to show King Claudius a play called the Murder of Gonzago that has a

plot like that of King Hamlet’s murder since he was poisoned. Hamlet does this in order to find out King

Claudius’ true conscience and if he really did murder Old Hamlet. King Claudius reacts negatively to the play

which to Hamlet proved that he was responsible for the death of Old Hamlet. Hamlet also never reveals why he

believes that Claudius murdered Old Hamlet except to his friend Horatio. He never reveals to his mother that he

saw the Ghost when they were in his mother’s bedroom after the play. Hamlet still had some degree of sanity in

him that knew that if he revealed he was seeing ghosts they would send him away for going insane and he

would not be able to carry out his vengeance against his uncle. It was also the last part of his father that he had

left so he probably wanted to keep it as close to him as possible. The secrets that Hamlet kept to himself would

eventually lead him to carry out his vengeance against his uncle, even though it cost him his life.

Hamlet’s mistreatment of Ophelia, the play that he presented to Claudius, and the secret he kept about

seeing the Ghost aided him in carrying out his vengeance against Claudius but would also cost him his life

because of its immoral nature. Mistreating Ophelia would contribute to her insanity which is unleashed when

her father dies. It allowed him to distract his uncle and Polonius, but it came at the cost of harming somebody

he loved. The Murder of Gonzago and Claudius’ reaction to it gave Hamlet reassurance that what the Ghost said

was true and that he really did need to seek vengeance against his uncle. Hamlet wasn’t accustomed at making

decisions without justification and his rational nature was demonstrated in this moment but as the play carries

itself out, the audience sees that diminish since insanity is what he needed in order to carry out his vengeance

without any fear. Never revealing that he saw the Ghost would also maintain the public’s sentiment towards him

and make it harder for Claudius to get rid of him. However, Shakespeare demonstrates his disapproval of

Hamlet’s actions by having him die at the end of the play. Hamlet has just cause to seek out vengeance against

his uncle but the way that he sought it slowly made him both a hero and a villain because of the people he

harmed along the way.

Deception in Hamlet was used to carry out a crime that seems to have a just cause. However, in

Hamlet’s case, deception lead to his downfall and loss of his self-character. Hamlet deceives his family and
friends in order to carry out his vengeance against his uncle, King Claudius, who murdered his father but slowly

he also became a villain and lost sight of himself.