William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, centers on a young Danish prince, Hamlet, and his quest to avenge his father’s murder. The tragedy begins when an apparition of his father, King Hamlet, appears to Hamlet and tells him the details of his death. The ghost tells Hamlet that his brother, Claudius, secretly poisons him while he was sleeping. After his death, Claudius assumes the position as King and also marries King Hamlet’s widow, Gertrude. Hamlet, throughout the rest of the tragedy, contemplates exactly how he should kill Claudius. At the climatic end of the tragedy, Hamlet finally kills his nemesis; however, his actions lead to his death and the death of practically every other major character in the process. The theme of deception plays a major role throughout Hamlet. Every character seems to have a plan to trick or deceive their counterparts. In fact, deception can be linked to the downfall of every major character in the play, specifically the demises of Polonius, Hamlet, and Claudius.
Deception is the driving force behind Polonius’s character in the play. In the beginning of Act II, Shakespeare highlights the essential aspect of Polonius’ character when Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes, his son, in Paris. Polonius instructs Reynaldo to deceive and fool Laertes with letters and money. Ultimately, all Polonius wants is a report on Laertes’s behavior; he demands Reynaldo, “Observe his inclination in yourself” (77). He demonstrates this tendency of spying on others continually throughout the tragedy, regardless of the person’s relationship to him. This essential aspect of Polonius’s character directly leads to his death. In Act III, Polonius secretly plans to observe a meeting between Hamlet and Gertrude; he proclaims, “Behind the arras I’ll convey myself to hear the process” (165). Polonius did convey himself behind the arras for the meeting; however, he also dies behind the arras. Hamlet hears Polonius react to the heated conversation with Gertrude and stabs through the curtain, thinking it was Claudius. The death of Polonius serves as foreshadowing to the many other deaths caused and aided by deception at the end of the tragedy.
Hamlet is both a contributor and a victim to the main theme of deception. Hamlet continually displays his calculating intentions to deceive Claudius, rather than aggressively pursue his quest for revenge. The Murder of Gonzago, or the “play within the play”, is the ultimate example of Hamlet’s intentions to trick and deceive. Hamlet organizes a play which parallels the death of King Hamlet; he does this only to see Claudius’s reaction to the events on stage and to prove his guilt. At the end of Act II, Hamlet famously declares, “The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (119). Hamlet continues his intentions to deceive by displaying his “antic disposition”. He pretends to be mad in an attempt to save his image after he kills Claudius; believing in forgiveness, the order to kill Claudius causes Hamlet much agony. He is in complete control of his “madness”; even Polonius, whom Hamlet regards as a blabbering fool, realizes his intentions. Polonius proclaims, “Though this be madness, yet there is a method in’t” (95). However, deception directly causes Hamlet’s death; Laertes kills Hamlet with a lethally poisoned rapier. Members of the Danish court continually spy on Hamlet and his interactions with others, which only increases Hamlet’s distrust of everyone around him. In fact, his two former friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, try to send Hamlet to his death. Hamlet realizes the deceitful actions around him; in fact, the failed attempts of deception seem to only encourage the initially hesitant Hamlet to act upon the orders of his father’s apparition.
Claudius is a deceitful and dishonest character throughout the play; his self-destructing tricks lead to his own death and the demise of the Danish throne. Claudius gains all his power by murdering his own brother secretly. Although Claudius shows some remorse for the murder, he continually uses deception as a tool to get what he wants. He spies on Hamlet numerous occasions and plots his death several times as well. Claudius, with the help of Laertes, plans the tragic ending of the play, stating, “I’ll have prepared for him a chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, if he by chance escape your venomed stuck, our purpose may hold there” (233). This plan not only kills Hamlet, but also causes the deaths of Laertes, Gertrude, and himself. Claudius, portrayed as the power-hungry villain the entire play, justly dies by his own deceitful ways.
Fortinbras proves that Hamlet’s calculating, patient approach to revenge is not effective. Revealed to be in a similar position as Hamlet, Fortinbras replaces Hamlet’s deception with an aggressive military approach. The Danish throne fears Fortinbras and acknowledges him as a successful general of Norway. Fortinbras, named heir to the Danish throne, appears to be what Hamlet could have been and should have been had he handled his quest for revenge appropriately. Fortinbras, a parallel to Hamlet in many ways, proves to the audience the inherent fallacies of the protagonist.
