Hamlet Final Draft - Grade: A PDF

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The Mask of Mendacity Can an artful path of dishonesty give one the throne of peace? In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, many characters possess deception. Among them is Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and king of Denmark. His deception is rooted in his actions when he gains the throne of Denmark, marries Gertrude immediately after Hamlet Sr.’s death, spies on Hamlet, and makes a cunning plan to kill him. Claudius’ first deception is notable when he kills his brother to gain the throne of Denmark and marries his sister-in-law as soon as he becomes the king. His greed for power and control over Denmark causes him to make the impulsive decision to marry late Hamlet Sr.’s wife, Gertrude. As he gives his first speech after getting the throne, he announces to the people of Denmark, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death the memory be green and that it is us befitted to bear our hearts in grief...Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen...Have we, as ‘twere with a defeated joy” (Shakespeare 1.2.1-10). Claudius is deceptive as he pretends to be in the grief of his brother’s death while he enjoys his newly gained power and his hasty marriage with his brother’s wife. His claim to have “defeated joy” is false because he would not marry his sister-in-law immediately after Hamlet Sr. died since he is supposed to be mourning for the loss if he is not deceptive. The article “Claudius’ ‘Imperfect’ Action and Hamlet’s ‘Imperfect’ Theatre” states that “In his formal act of self-representation before the court, he rhetorically passes from an expression of grief for the death of his brother to the opportunity of his hasty marriage with Gertrude” ("Hamlet” 158). This quote enforces that Claudius is deceitful in his actions as he transitions from the mournful emotion of Hamlet Sr.’s death to the eager happiness of marrying Gertrude. His primary goal was to hide his murderous deed and lie to everyone in

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his kingdom including Hamlet about Hamlet Sr.’s mysterious death which is not accurate. Claudius hires Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on him and discover the reason behind his madness. After Hamlet preserves his “antic disposition” (Shakespeare 1.5.173), his act of madness strained Claudius to order his best friends to investigate Hamlet. He ordered, “Friends both, go join you with some further aid. Hamlet in madness hath Polonius slain…” (Shakespeare 4.1.31-35). Claudius is deceiving Hamlet as he is suspicious of his madness and attempts to detect the cause of his move to killing Polonius. He sends them to bring information from Hamlet. In David Sundstrand’s article "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” he claims, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern discover that they were unsuccessful as spies, they determine that Polonius is to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia” (Sundstrand 1-3). Since Hamlet’s friends were unable to find the reason for his madness, Claudius permits Polonius’ plan to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia where they hold Ophelia as the bait with the hope to prove Hamlet’s disposition due to Ophelia. Claudius’ support of Polonius’ cunning plan to lure Hamlet was deception in itself as he spies his new son on the mere suspicion that he is losing his mind. His final and most deceptive deed were to revoke Laertes on a murderous revenge plan to avenge his father’s death. When Laertes returned in anger upon the news of his father’s death, Claudius devoured the opportunity to turn him against Hamlet. He plans to “set a double tarnish on the fame the Frenchman gave [Laertes]… [Hamlet], being remiss...will not peruse the foils… [Laertes] may choose a sword unbated and…requite [Hamlet] for [Laertes’] father” (Shakespeare 4.6.143-151). Claudius makes the plan to kill Hamlet by setting a duel between Hamlet and Laertes and cheat by giving Laertes the sharp sword. Predictably, Laertes agrees with him since he is eager to avenge his father’s death. Claudius lies to Hamlet because he does not want to

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claim Hamlet’s murder similar to his cowardliness not to claim his brother's death. The article “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” proves of “[Claudius’] treachery” (Foster 1-4) as he hides the truth of poisoned cup to Gertrude, Hamlet, and everyone present in the palace excluding Laertes. As Claudius was active on his plan of Hamlet’s death, he made a backup plan to poison Hamlet’s drinking cup in case their duel plan fails. He betrays Hamlet as he keeps him in the dark about the exchange of sword and lies to him into drinking the poison. He does so because he wanted to be convincing of his actions towards Hamlet and that he does not refuse to the duel fight with Laertes. In conclusion, a play of artful lies does not give you a reconciliation. Claudius’ nature of untruthfulness and deceptiveness drew him to his end as Hamlet stabbed him and forced the venom in his mouth to revenge. His plan to fuse venom in Hamlet’s drink backfired because of his beloved wife, Gertrude, consumed it and died. He lies since the beginning to camouflage his real face of evil when he killed his brother without mercy. He has been dishonest ever since to hide one truth. However, his deception to other characters such as Hamlet led to his death. Often, we build a mountain of lies to cover one lie and cease to bring danger upon ourselves. Hamlet clearly portrays this fact as its theme of deception is befitted in the evil character of Claudius.

Works Cited Foster, Edward E. "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." Masterplots, Fourth Edition, November 2010, pp. 1-4. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-soco.galileo.usg.edu/login? url=http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331MP418359560000307&site=lrc-live. "Hamlet: Claudius' ‘Imperfect’ Action and Hamlet's ‘Imperfect’ Theatre." Shakespeare &

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This 'Imperfect' World: Dramatic Form & the Nature of Knowing, Apr. 1997, pp. 153180. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-soco.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=lfh&AN=25003285&site=lrc-live. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classics Series. Clayton, DE: Prestwick House, 2005. Print. Sundstrand, David. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”. Masterplots, Fourth Edition, November 2010, pp.1-3. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-soco.galileo.usg.edu/login?url= http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331MP427229820000226&site=lrc-live.

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