ipl-logo

Betrayal And Loyalty In Shakespeare's Hamlet

141 Words1 Page

Hamlet is probably one of the most recognizable literary work, not only in the Western world, but in the entire world as well. Incidents where loyalty was expected, betrayal reigned as was the case with Claudius killing his brother for the throne; Gertrude marrying Claudius after the murder of her husband the king; loyal subjects seeking the death of the prince. Hamlet’s quest to make things right and re-establish the moral and practical balance that has been knocked out of working condition concerning the court and, by extension, the nation, puts him in an awkward position. For the Renaissance that Hamlet lives in is not as structurally sound and fluent as the Middle Ages his predecessor courtly forefathers knew. Through treachery and betrayal,

Show More
Related

  • Betrayal In Hamlet And The Lion King

    65 Words  | 1 Pages

    The theme of betrayal is commonly explored throughout the stories of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' and Disney's 'the Lion King'. Both texts express that betrayal should be avenged, just like how Simba and Hamlet both avenged their father’s deaths. However, Disney's remake of 'Hamlet' shows viewers that betrayal doesn't have to result to killing and murder, but about the feeling of vengeance and knowing where you belong.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Loyalty In Hamlet

    83 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the play, Hamlet demonstrates a great amount of loyalty towards his father who had passed away all he wanted to do was bring peace to him in his afterlife. Hamlet was devastated when he had first found out that his father died all his emotion went towards his father. When he first finds out that the mother is re marrying again he felt that his mother was not being loyal to him whatsoever. One of Hamlets act of loyalty was his

    Read More

  • Character Deception In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1940 Words  | 8 Pages

    Hamlet Character deception is a common characteristic that has and will be a reflecting characteristic in literature for centuries. In many of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, deception, whether positive or negative, is being used to mislead, to protect characters, or to hide a crime or future crime. Analyzing why the characters are using deception against each other is very important to the reader’s understanding of the work as a whole. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, He uses Hamlet’s deception of character and also the character’s use of deception towards Hamlet to carry out the overall theme of the tragedy. The theme that is represented, is that in able to get malicious revenge, you must be able to act as if you are someone different than your true self while in turn, being able to deal with others deceiving you.

    Read More

  • Juxtaposition In Hamlet

    1010 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while guarding the castle, waiting in anticipation of the ghost’s appearance, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus hear trumpets flourish from within, proclaiming the King’s late night partying (1.4). Horatio asks about the nature of the commotion, however, Hamlet remains nonplussed, crestfallen by the evening’s affairs. In his lengthy, 26-line response to Horatio’s simple question, “Is it a custom,” Hamlet experiences an internal struggle between fated traditions and logic, elaborates upon the country’s damaged reputation, the immediate yield of the King’s drinking, and argues that even the most picayune evils can eradicate a man’s fame (14). Hamlet, despite his devotion to kin and country, through sardonic diction, repetition,

    Read More

  • Values And Beliefs In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1262 Words  | 6 Pages

    The reader comes to develop new insights into the world around us, portraying a theme “ that things are not always as they seem.” The reader realises that beliefs and values may change when we are exposed to insightful and challenging material, both in life and in reading Hamlet. The deterioration in Hamlet's character and good spirit shows us that while acts such as revenge may entail negativity and danger, there may be benefits to individual people that we do not see. The importance of trust in the phenomenon of love is made clear to the reader, and we realise that trust is required in any sort of stable relationship. The reader is also informed about loyalty and we realise that loyalty can be a bad thing if shown in an excessive or inappropriate way.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Deception In Hamlet

    1854 Words  | 8 Pages

    Deception is an action driven with the motive to employ one purpose which can be to mislead another individual in order to gain knowledge, to get revenge, or to reveal a plan unknown to the public eye and keeping it that way for the dutiful well-being of the Kingdom of Denmark. In the tragedy Hamlet by William Shakespeare, deception develops into the character trait that initiates the actions, heartbreak, and revenge driving this play. This attribute held by Hamlet is the leading cause of this same flaw development in Ophelia, King Claudius, and many others in an attempt to reinforce the theme. This theme is one of heroism, but the deceptive notion each action reveals challenges the perception the reader has on each of the main characters. In order to be able to fully analyze the part Hamlet’s deception plays in driving the plot and storyline of this tragedy, one must understand that a foil character juxtaposes each character to illuminate their shortcomings.

    Read More

  • Betrayal Of Friendship In Hamlet

    1932 Words  | 8 Pages

    Friendship is based on mutual respect and trust. When a friendship is betrayed it is one of the worst feelings that people can experience. Friendships that last from childhood through old age are some of the best in the world. Friendships that come about in times of adversity can be even more important as the people suffering the adversity have no one else who understands their situation as well and that creates an incredibly strong bond. When people, who have experienced these types of friendships, are betrayed after having been so close for so long or in extreme circumstances, the betrayal seems all the more horrible.

    Read More

  • Example Of Betrayal In Hamlet

    1327 Words  | 6 Pages

    When betrayed, one usually has negative emotions towards the people who have betrayed them. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare this idea is well illustrated, it is shown that betrayal affects the actions of Hamlet towards his friends and family, which indicates that the pursuit of vengeance often can cause one to forget the value of life. The betrayals that Hamlet suffered at the hands of his close friends and family, revealed important parts of Hamlet’s character, such as his intelligence, he is a very meticulous thinker that looks at situations from all angles, he is cunning, he has the ability to manipulate everyone into believing that he is insane, and he is skeptical, he does not believe any information until he finds it out for

    Read More

  • Moral Ambiguity In Hamlet

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    In this paper, the audience will understand how Hamlet’s moral ambiguity is significant to Shakespeare’s play as a whole. In the beginning of the

    Read More

  • Why Does Hamlet Conform To The Rules Of A Tragedy

    782 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jan-Erik Aavik IB English HL B. Raid 04.11.2016 Written Task 2 Outline: Part of the course to which the task refers: Part 3 Literature - text and context Title of the text for analysis: Hamlet, William Shakespeare 1599

    Read More

  • Desire For Revenge In Hamlet

    749 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of a young man by the name of Hamlet has been told since it was first written in the early 1600s. The timeless classic tells the tale of Prince Hamlet, who discovers that his mother had wed his uncle, two months prior to his father’s passing. He visits the throne in Denmark because he is disgusted at the act of incest, where the ghost of his deceased father confronts him, insisting that he was murdered by Claudius, the new king. Hamlet is enraged, and he becomes obsessed with the idea of proving the crime so that he can obtain revenge against Claudius (Crowther). Despite the myriad of themes that circulate throughout the Shakespearean play, many do not realize one hidden yet extensive theme: actions and their consequences.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hamlet And Claudius

    1170 Words  | 5 Pages

    Though Hamlet may earn love from the people of Denmark, Claudius earns respect. Some may argue it is better to be loved than feared as a leader, but Claudius’ resilience in his quest to murder Hamlet proves

    Read More

  • King Claudius's Ambition Essay

    679 Words  | 3 Pages

    First of all, King Claudius’s ambition to become the next King of Denmark causes him to lose his conscience. As King Hamlet’s ghost reveals the truth of his death, he anguishes, “Thus was I [King Hamlet], sleeping, by a brother’s hand, Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched” (1.5.81-82). The throne of Denmark motivates King Claudius to slay his own biological brother to succeed King Hamlet’s “crown”. His desire to gain power has overwhelming covered up his moral values.

    Read More

  • Loyalty And Betrayal In Hamlet

    586 Words  | 3 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the themes vary from conditional and unconditional love, deception, honour, power and ambition and lastly poison. But the most significant theme is loyalty and betrayal. This theme ties all the other themes together. The theme loyalty and betrayal both have major effects on each other. Through the different actions of characters and what they say to one another, is where the audience discovers whether or not they are loyal or disloyal.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Arnold Kettle's From Hamlet To Lear

    2475 Words  | 10 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes the audience on a journey of a prince who is caught between two spheres of a society in which he attempts to discard the expected norms of a prince to converge to his new ideas on the type of man he wants to live as. The Renaissance was a period in the 16th century that challenged ideals that were limited and outdated. Hamlet is a humanist figure who lives according to the humanist ideals and this leads him to questioning the society and his role as a prince in the 16th century. During the play we see how Hamlet is in constant conflict with the morality of exacting revenge and his new learning and education. It is against this backdrop that I will discuss the argument of Arnold Kettle’s “From Hamlet to Lear” in relation the extracts I have analysed.

    Read More

More about Betrayal And Loyalty In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Open Document