Khalid
“The theme of deception is key in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.”
To what extent do you agree with the statement? Support your answer with close reference to the text.
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” encompasses a complex concentration of elements that exhibit the theme of deception. Deception serves as a foundation to the play as we are made question the ways in which the characters deceive others and themselves. The many forms of and motives behind deception are clearly illustrated by various characters in the play, hence it is integral in our understanding of this particular text.
Deception is first introduced to us through Claudius, who deceived not only the other characters, but also the audience. Initially, we perceive him to be an ordinary yet selfless and brave politician; someone who not only cares deeply for the welfare of the Kingdom of Denmark, but also remains determined to look after and provide the needs of his new wife and stepson despite his brother’s unfortunate death. “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death, the memory be green, and that it us befitted, to bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom, to be contracted in one brow of woe.” However, we are quickly forced to reassess our opinion of him with the appearance of the Ghost, who quickly casts Claudius’ polished speech into doubt as it is unveiled that everyone being told that “a poisonous snake” bit King Hamlet when he was “sleeping in the orchard” was “a lie that’s fooled everyone in Denmark.” It is revealed that Claudius is actually a cold-blooded killer guilty of both fratricide and regicide. “You should know… The real snake that stung your father is now wearing his crown.” As a result, we come to discern that the way in which Claudius delivered his previously laudable speech was calculated to ensnare. This is evident in his series of paradoxes about “defeated joy”, “mirth in funeral”, “dirge in marriage” and “delight and dole”, where it is clear his speech was designed to deceive the wider court into believing he is the legitimate monarch. Due to the new lens that the Ghost provides us, it is clear that Claudius’ main purpose behind the speech was to hide the wickedness and sinister ability of his crime and give an impression of balance and good judgement. Despite the audience comprehending Claudius’ duplicity quite early on in the text, it is not until Laertes verbally exposes the truth that the other characters realise he is a fraud. “The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, unbated and envenomed. The foul practice hath turned itself on me… The king, the king’s to blame.” Throughout the play, Claudius is extremely convincing and skilled in outwitting and misguiding the other characters, which ultimately leads to the downfall of the royal family. He also enables an emotional response and rage within the audience as well as strengthens our capacity to feel the line between the “Hamlet” universe and real life as we spectate him tricking the other oblivious characters whilst unable to intervene. This is one of the major components of deception in the play and ultimately has a drastic impact on both the plot of the text and our experience as an audience.
Hamlet is yet another member of the royal family to embrace the concept of appearance versus reality. He employs “antic disposition” in order to deceive the Danish court and gain the time and freedom necessary to ascertain Claudius’ guilt. His “wild and whirling words” convince the other characters that he has descended into complete and utter madness in the aftermath of his father’s death and his mother’s “o’erhasty” marriage to his uncle. However, Hamlet is most astute during this time than ever before as he successfully yet steadily works towards getting the better of Claudius. His artificial persona of being unbalanced and unsound of mind working at its best is clearly seen in his staging of “The Mousetrap”, which already commences as an excellent metaphor for guile and deception. This “knavish piece of work” designed by Hamlet to “come near the circumstances of (his) father’s death” and “catch the conscience of the King” manages to unmask Claudius’ guilt yet preserve the impression that Hamlet is mad. “What frighted with false fire?” The way in which Hamlet treats Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is also an overt display of his ability to deceive and trick the other characters. The pair willing to elicit the truth from Hamlet and ultimately deceive him are given a taste of their own medicine as they walk into his trap and eventually, their own deaths. Once given the opportunity, Hamlet spontaneously forges a letter to the King of England instructing the immediate execution of his once childhood friends. “He should the bearers put to sudden death, not shriving-time allow’d.” Hamlet’s façade of having lost his mind also unintentionally causes the love of his life to feel a lack of conviction towards their connection. The act of him pushing Ophelia away in fear that she may be a pawn being used by Polonius and Claudius to reveal the true, objectionable nature of his actions savagely destroys her faith in their love and she feels betrayed, bitter and regrets losing her “honour” for the sake of their relationship. This is evident as the play progresses, wherein we see she has gone insane and sings “you promised me to wed, so would I ha’done, by yonder sun, an though adst not come to my bed.” The fact that Hamlet feels deceived by Ophelia ironically feeds her feelings of being a victim of deception due to him openly questioning her honesty and conflating the elements of dishonesty he sees in his own mother with Ophelia. “God has given you one face and you make yourselves another.” Hamlet’s contribution towards the theme of deception equally serves an extreme amount of significance as Claudius’ as we are made to see and accept two different types of deception and two very conflicting intentions. His contrivance directly and occasionally unintentionally influences the direction of the play and the feelings of others.
Gertrude deceiving herself seems to be one of the more interesting and unique forms of deception articulated in the text. She is originally dismissed as a frail woman, seemingly being one of the more uninformed, naive and lost characters in the play. However, Hamlet’s rage and obsession with his “seeming virtuous” mother having an affair behind his father’s back proves to us that even a character above suspicion such as Gertrude can be deceitful. “Have you eyes? Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed this batten on this moor?” But it is when she ignores her conscience and dupes herself throughout the play that we realise there are multiple dimensions when it comes to deception, and one can be a victim of his or her own acts of ignorance and duplicity, both physically and emotionally. We are given a sample of this when Gertrude is content to accept that Hamlet is mad due to his fixation on Ophelia, even though internally she doubts this and expresses that, to her, it appears to be more than “the main, his father’s death and (her) o’erhasty marriage.” She even mildly calls herself out on ignoring her gut feeling in order to live out the fantasy life with Claudius she finally got. “To my sick soul, as sin’s true nature is, each toy seems prologue to some great amiss.” Unfortunately, due to her ignorance and desire to rapidly move forward from her former husband’s death in order to live out her dream, she dies a “wretched queen”, a victim of her husband’s deception. “The drink! I’ve been poisoned.” Gertrude’s emotional dependence on Claudius and inability to put aside her wishes in order to preach her authentic views and feelings towards the events occurring around her for her son ultimately led to her downfall. She deceived herself whilst being deceived by both her son and her new husband, both for different reasons, and disregarded any doubts she had in the process. Shakespeare involves Gertrude in this manner to precisely showcase this concept of self-induced deception and self-deceit.
Rosencrantz and Guilderstern accurately encapsulate the theme of deception, even as minor characters. They “both obey” Claudius regarding extracting what is really in accordance with reality from Hamlet and pushing forward a deceptive outward appearance as Hamlet’s friends whilst spying on him. The pair appear to hold reward over loyalty, as they immediately decide to turn their backs on years of friendship in response to the royals offering them payment in return for their betrayal of Hamlet. “Your visitation shall receive such thanks, as fits a king’s remembrance.” Their scheme to fool Hamlet concludes unsuccessfully, as Hamlet outsmarts them and has the King of England lynch the two. Their misdeed demonstrates, like the many other characters in “Hamlet”, that it doesn’t end well for the ingenuine. Rosencrantz and Guilderstern not only clearly manifest elements of deception, they also distinctly display that there are repercussions for those who decide to mess with others’ perceptions of reality, and often those who decide to deceive are already being deceived.
The theme of deception is central “Hamlet”, as each character utilizes deception for self-preservation and to further themselves throughout the text. The play consists of a juxtaposition of various components that illustrate this theme, and portrays a fascinating sequence of ways in which the protagonist, Hamlet, and the antagonist, Claudius, engage in deception in order to achieve their conflicting goals. He simultaneously employs the likes of Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guilderstern to demonstrate the painful consequences of self-deception and being oblivious in such a duplicitous world.