Theme Of Deception In Hamlet

Hamlet is the dramatic play of a son who tries to make the death of his father right. Death is something that can never be erased from memory, but it is common for people to take actions that will validate the death of their loved one. Whether it is putting blame on the person for doing this to you, or putting the blame on yourself, death causes uncontrollable emotions. In Hamlet’s case, he finds revenge through means of deception to be what helps him cope with the tragic death. However, the major question is: Is it possible for Hamlet to seem mad without being mad? It appears to be possible for Hamlet continuously hints throughout the play that his deception in appearance must be turned on for certain encounters. When talking to Horatio, Hamlet never breathes a word that is possessed by madness, but when speaking to Ophelia, Claudius, or Gertrude, he is always in character. Hamlet is a sane character that has a cunning wit to him, giving him the ability to control whom he deceives and whom he does not. Perhaps the most significant lines of play are “(As that perchance hereafter shall think meet,
When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” (II, II, 402-403) Hamlet states that he believes he has succeeded in fooling the King and Queen. By using the imagery of wind, birds, and cardinal directions, Hamlet shows that his actions are all premeditated. However, the speech Hamlet uses is quite puzzling to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, leading them to believe that Hamlet has lost his mind. Shakespeare methodically used metaphors that were far fetched, such as this, to make it out as though Hamlet’s brain was not thinking straight. By doing so Shakespeare himself tricked his audience. Once the complex text is broken down, there is no denying that Hamlet is a mastermind when it comes to conning those less profound than him, getting them to do what he