ipl-logo

Theme Of Knock Knock In Hamlet

536 Words3 Pages

“Knock Knock.”“Who’s there?” “Not who think it is.” From the very onset of Shakespeare’s Hamlet there is an obvious sense of disparity between the appearance of things and their true nature. This theme is engrained in the play by the fact that many of the main characters conceal their true intentions as they question the motives of other individuals.What deceiving does, as Shakespeare explicitly portrays, is that it creates an atmosphere of mistrust, guilt, and corruption.
Of all the main characters in the play, Claudius is the master of hiding treachery in his words and actions. In his speech to the court in Act I Scene II, Claudius uses words to express the grief he feels for his brother’s death; he acts as though he really cares for his brother, but later on Claudius is demasked for the murderer that he is. Additionally, Claudius pretends to care about Hamlet’s well-being, when in fact he is just looking out for himself. Claudius tells Hamlet to stay in Denmark, not out of love, but out of his desire to keep a close on eye on Hamlet and secure his own power. He uses poison literally and figuratively to kill as well as manipulate people into submission, as he has done with Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Laertes. As one can easily tell, the play is filled with lies …show more content…

In the earlier stages of the play, Hamlet decides to put on a mask of “antic disposition” to hide his true intentions of killing Claudius. He acts with calculated hatred toward Ophelia to convince everyone that his madness is due to Ophelia’s rejection of him. In addition, the play that Hamlet planned parallels this idea. Claudius believes he is going to see a play that Hamlet would like him to see. However, Claudius is oblivious to the fact that Hamlet is using the the play to accuse him of murdering elder Hamlet. All in all, Hamlet truly showcases Shakespeare’s idea of disconnect between our actions and

Show More
Related

  • Motif Of Deception In Hamlet

    434 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Hamlet, the characters consistently deceive each other to disguise their true intentions and actions. The first line of the play reads “Who’s there?” (Shakespeare, 7); these words foreshadow the multi-faceted aspects of the actors throughout the development of Shakespeare’s work. The characters deceive one another in order to achieve a specific longing for themselves. The motif of deception can be found throughout the play in the actions of Hamlet, Guildenstern, and Claudius.

    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

  • Figurative Language In Hamlet's Soliloquy

    741 Words  | 3 Pages

    Claudius is then compared to the internal organs of slaves and a man without morals, remorse or kindness (Ham.2.2.607-608). The powerful metaphors and adjectives used to describe Claudius not only express Hamlet’s intense contempt and disdain towards him, but also serve to convince Hamlet to commit murder. However, Hamlet depicts himself as a whore, a prostitute, and a swearing kitchen maid (Ham.2.2.614-616), reiterating the notion that he is worthless, as well as weak for expressing his emotions through words rather than actions. The shift from metaphors to similes indicate Hamlet’s failure to move past his cowardice and proceed with an act of revenge that would inflict

    Read More

  • Claudius Deceiving Character Analysis

    1517 Words  | 7 Pages

    In great literature there are often characters who are deceitful to others to carry out a greater purpose. By doing so the character often compromises relationships with friends and family but it can also compromise the safety of the character and others around them. In the play Hamlet Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s character to elaborate on this situation, Claudius is deceiving his family and friends for a greater purpose which at times seems to do more bad than good. Claudius deceives many people in the tragedy Hamlet.

    Read More

  • Essay On Corruption In Hamlet 'And 1984'

    1250 Words  | 5 Pages

    After learning this, Hamlet’s sole motivation is to avenge his father’s death by revealing Claudius’ deception. Hamlet’s initial plan to expose Claudius is to have performers put on a play imitating the events of his father’s death. Hamlet says, I’ll have these players play something like the murder to my father before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks; I’ll tent him to the quick. If ‘a do blench, I know my course…The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King (Shakespeare

    Read More

  • Was Hamlet Truly Insane?

    1457 Words  | 6 Pages

    Contrasting his attitudes with the moments that the king walks in, his behavior towards Polonius while the play is preparing, and his actions to Ophelia during the play, Hamlet is sporadic, when alone with Horatio, he is calm and collected, then again the sudden resumption to his “antic disposition” when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. There is a long break in which we don’t sense any insanity from Hamlet, this is due to the fact that he has no need to assume his disguise. When we find Hamlet with the players, he is giving them directions for the play. With the players, Hamlet acts normal and of sound mind because the players are not likely to betray him, they don’t have the opportunity or the wish to do so.

    Read More

  • Abuse Of Power In Elizabethan Era

    1534 Words  | 7 Pages

    Firstly, Hamlet is a play of a man by the name of Hamlet, whose father was murdered by Claudius, his uncle. Claudius murdered the king by pouring poison in his ear to claim the throne for himself. Hamlet is then told by a ghost to murder Claudius for revenge, and he struggles within himself for the length of play whether to do it or not. When Hamlet begins to hesitate it does more damage than good and causes a chain reaction of tragic events, and makes the readers question whether Hamlet is truly sane or not. Claudius’s corruptness begins to show when he uses his authority to order those around him to rid of Hamlet.

    Read More

  • Use Of Deception In Hamlet

    842 Words  | 4 Pages

    Claudius had arranged an execution for Hamlet, to get rid of him permanently. Behind these acts of deception, we can see Claudius had wanted power, and would do anything to achieve it. This makes

    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

  • What Is Claudius Evil

    254 Words  | 2 Pages

    Claudius, as seen in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is both intelligent and clever, two traits that, put together, complement his manipulative and dangerous nature. Due to his cunning nature he portrays the role of a very complex villain. The death of King Hamlet by Claudius results in Prince Hamlet to act out of character, which thus resulted in the tragic death of Polonius and Ophelia. While Hamlet and Gertrude were having conversation, Polonius was hiding behind the huge carpet that was hanging on the wall. Unknowingly, Hamlet stabs Polonius.

    Read More

  • How Is Hamlet Intelligent

    575 Words  | 3 Pages

    When he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his

    Read More

  • Hamlet Role Play Analysis

    1313 Words  | 6 Pages

    However, Hamlet soon discovers that Claudius has been lying to him, and Claudius’ real motive is to kill Hamlet in order to exterminate all possible threats to his reign. Claudius’ role play affects the entire country of Denmark, and he convinces the people that he is the rightful king, when he is not, and has murdered his brother for the throne. Gertrude, too, takes on a role; throughout the play, she seems oblivious to her wrongdoings. She claims that she loves Claudius, and did not just marry him for political reasons.

    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

  • Shakespeare Use Of Revenge In Hamlet Research Paper

    1305 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, revenge plays a major role in how the characters act. They base their actions off of getting revenge. Hamlet, Laertes, and Young Fortinbras all are trying to get revenge for their fathers. All three of the characters use different methods for getting revenge and they all get different results. Shakespeare uses these three characters to show that revenge can consume you and that is all that you want and he shows how harmful it can be.

    Read More

  • Essay On Language In Hamlet

    1115 Words  | 5 Pages

    Finally, this provokes Hamlet enough to kill him with his own drink before he dies off. His deception has failed in these events because of his need to create tricks as a cover-up. To think if he had simply stuck to just the poisoned weapon he could have succeeded. Ultimately, the use of Claudius is to reveal how language can be used to manipulate and deceive others to not knowing the truth. He shows us that situations can be perceived another way based on the use of

    Read More

More about Theme Of Knock Knock In Hamlet

Open Document