Deception in Hamlet

Shakespeare's Hamlet is a complex play full of dishonesty and deception. In general, one must always be wary of the truth because quite often it is manipulated to serve the needs of any person who requires the truth to be on their side. The only way to discern the truth from the fabrication is by way of a deceptive act, because when an act of deception is committed, it exposes both itself and the truth to be two very different things.
Dishonesty is the key factor surrounding the deaths of many of the characters in Hamlet, the prime act of deception being that between Claudius and his nephew and also stepson Hamlet. Claudius murders his own brother; Hamlet’s father Old King Hamlet, by drizzling poison into his ear. The King’s death is announced to have been by snakebite, and Claudius then marries Queen Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother), and subsequently becomes the new King of Denmark. Claudius is deceiving Hamlet into believing that the King was killed by snakebite, and he is deceiving Hamlet into believing that he only wants what is best for Denmark. At the same time, Claudius is deceiving his own brother by murdering him, and he is also deceiving Gertrude by making her believe that he loves her and is not just marrying her

Deceit plays a major role in Hamlet, causing the deaths of many of the characters in the play. Everyone who dies is either lied to by those who want them dead, or betrayed by those dearest to them. In particular situations, the ones who create the deception are the ones who fall victim to their own treacherous plan. In other cases, it is the innocence of a person that leads to their fatality. One thing is clear however; Hamlet lived in a world of lies, betrayal, and murder, while all he searches for is retribution. Although he does find it in the end, it comes with a costly price: his own life, and he discovers the harsh truth that ‘one may smile, and smile, and be a villain’. After all, Hamlet himself best describes the amount of honesty in the world by saying, ‘Ay, sir. To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man / picked out of ten thousand.’

Polonius deceives Hamlet by spying on him while he talks to his mother Gertrude, saying to her, ‘I’ll silence me even here. / Pray you be round with him.’ However, Hamlet mistakes him for Claudius and stabs him through the arras he is hiding behind. Polonius’ deceit is therefore responsible for his own demise, as well as Ophelia’s who is mentally tipped off the edge by the death of her father, and subsequently commits suicide.