Betrayal In Hamlet Essay

It is said that To be betrayed by ones own kin is unforgivable and one must get revenge. Betrayal plays a key role in the Shakespeare's Hamlet. Throughout the play, Hamlet is betrayed by his own mother, Gertrude. She betrays her son and her late-husband, the king by immediately entering into a marriage with Claudius, the king's own brother. Claudius, we later find, murdered his own brother to acquire the crown. The object of Hamlet's affections, the lady Ophelia, even breaks the heart of the prince and deludes him. Even Hamlet betrays several people: he misleads Marcellus and Horatio, his friends. He betrays Ophelia by convincing her that he does not love her. Finally, Hamlet goes against his father's avenging wish by delaying the attempted murder of Claudius.

Hamlets mother Gertrude betrays her first husband, the first king of Denmark. This betrayal comes in the form of a hasty marriage to the kings brother Claudius, who we find out later murdered his brother in an attempt to acquire the crown. This is an act of betrayal on Gertrudes part, because she should be in mourning of the her first husbands death, but she immediately enters another marriage, with none other than the late kings brother. This is a betrayal to Hamlet because his father was killed, and his mother soon there after marries the man who we find out is responsible for it. We find out that Claudius killed his brother and Hamlets father with poison, we find this out when Hamlet is visited by an apparition in which Marcus and Horatio cannot identify but shows itself to Hamlet as his father, it is at this time that the apparition tells Hamlet of how he really died and who was responsible . When Hamlet learns of this news, he is enraged with the news and he begins looking to get revenge on the murderer Claudius. Hamlet throughout the play begins to doubt his sanity and if he should kill his uncle Claudius or himself To be or not to be. (Hamlet), this is an act of betrayal on Hamlets part, because he doubted his fathers apparition, and he saw it as a sign of insanity, so he delayed the vengeance until he felt it was time, when he told his father it would be hasty so he betrayed his fathers ghost.

Hamlet also betrays Ophelia in the play. After the play within the play, Hamlet goes to confront his mother about Claudiuss reaction to the poisoning, when he confronts her she denies it and he looks at the curtains and he sees a pair of feet underneath the curtains, he assumes that this is Claudius and he goes to murder him, but after he has stabbed the body, it falls to reveal that it was not Claudius that Hamlet stabbed, but Polonius Ophelias father, Hamlet has just killed the love of his lifes father and he neglects to tell her. Again later in the play she tells him of her feelings, and he rejects her and tells her to Get thee to a nunnery. this is an act of disloyalty because he actually does love Ophelia but is so enraged with females in general he convinces her that he doesnt love her, and claims that instead of her having a child with the possibility of it being a girl, that she should become a nun and live a sinless life. This falseness is not enough for Ophelia over the edge and this is what causes her to lose her mind.

Hamlet has two good friends throughout the play, Marcellus and Horatio. These two help him throughout the play, but in the end they die by his hand. Hamlet begins to lose his sanity and he begins to question everyone and everything. This leads to the deaths of Marcellus and Horatio. After the play within the play where Hamlet tries to get a reaction out of Claudius and Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, Claudius arranges for Marcus and Horatio to take Hamlet to England and to have him executed. Hamlet is suspicious of their reasoning. So while on the boat, Marcellus and Horatio fall asleep, and while they are asleep and find the letter from Claudius to the king of England, issuing Hamlets execution, upset but not shocked to find this letter as, and he has already prepared letters informing the king of England about the executions of Horatio and Marcellus. This shows that as the play progresses Hamlet begins to cut all ties of friendship in order to stay alive. Hamlet begins only to care of himself and it doesnt matter to him about who he hurts.

Betrayal in Hamlet is a very common theme; it influences every major event in the play. it is what Begins to make Hamlet crazy because his father appeared as an apparition to tell his son of his brothers betrayal, Hamlet kills Horatio and Marcellus because they were planning to betray him so he beat them to it. Ophelia goes insane because Hamlet betrayed her trust and murdered her father. As you can see betrayal runs deep in the veins of the play Hamlet just as the fear of betrayal runs through Hamlets mind throughout the play