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Hamlet: Shmoop Literature Guide
Shmoop Literature guide to Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Smart, fun-to-read,...
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Matt D'AmbrosioMiss StephanoEnglish 10 CP29 May 2009Subterfuge in HamletHamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare, is set in Denmark. King Hamlet,young Hamlet’s father, was murdered by his brother. King Hamlet tells about the murder to his son in a ghostly form and Hamlet spends most of his time and efforts to try andgain revenge on his father’s death. Different forms of subterfuge are used by many of thedifferent characters throughout the play to help them gain revenge. Through the actionsof King Hamlet, young Hamlet, and Ophelia, Shakespeare reveals how subterfuge candestroy trust, as well as relationships.For example, King Claudius uses subterfuge to help him gain information onHamlet’s behavior. Claudius paid Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to help him find thecause of Hamlets madness. Because they were being paid, Rosencrantz and Guildensternhappily reported back to King Hamlet with the information that they have gathered. Also,King Claudius used Ophelia to attempt to retrieve information on Hamlets behavior. KingClaudius asked Ophelia to talk to Hamlet and try to see why he is mad. Ophelia agreed tothe plan about his strange behavior and went to tell the king what she has gathered.Lastly, King Claudius used his wife, Gertrude, to try and gather information of Hamletsunoriginal presence. Claudius pleaded Gertrude to try and talk to young Hamlet and seewhat was bothering him. Gertrude was more than happy to do this for him, as she wascurious as well. Information is obtained by the king with the help of Rosencrantz andGuildenstern’s spying.1D'Ambrosio
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| Upload Date: | 06/02/2009 |
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