The Role of Deception in HamletIn the play Hamlet, deception is a major factor in causing the death of everyone who dies in the play, including Hamlet himself -even. The following paragraphs describe the deception involved in the deaths of various characters, including: Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Old Hamlet; as well as the downfall of the antagonist and protagonist: Claudius and Hamlet themselves. Dishonesty is a major factor in the deaths of many characters. "I will be silenced even here. Please be with him." (III, iv, 4-5), this is what Polonius says before hiding behind the arras in Gertrude's room and listening to Hamlet's conversation with his mother. To Polonius' misfortune, he is stabbed by Hamlet, who actually intended to kill Claudius, mistaking him for Polonius behind the tapestry. Also, before Gertrude dies, Claudius says: “This is the poisoned cup; it's too late. » (V, II, 270). He refers to the poisoned wine he prepared for Hamlet, but Gertrude drank it instead and died. Additionally, "The treacherous instrument is in your hand, / Unconquered and venomous. The foul practice / Has turned against me. Behold, I lie here, / Never to rise again." (V, ii, 294-297), this is what Laertes says to Hamlet before dying. Laertes tells Hamlet how his own plan to kill Hamlet backfired, how he was blinded by rage because of his father's death, and how it was Claudius who pushed him to do it. Other cases in which deception is the cause of death include the death of Ophelia, given the impression that she is no longer loved, by Hamlet, who is just pretending to be crazy and really has feelings for her. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were killed because of their...... middle of paper...... Burnett, Mark Thornton. "'For these are actions a man might play': Hamlet as Trickster". Smith, Peter J. and Nigel Woods, eds. Hamlet. Buckingham: Open UP, 1996. (24-54). Leverenz, David. “The Hamlet Within: An Interpersonal View.” Schwartz, Murray M. and Coppelia Kahn, eds. Representing Shakespeare: New Psychoanalytic Essays. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 1980. Rosenberg, Marvin. "Deception in Hamlet". Thompson, Marvin and Ruth Thompson, eds. Shakespeare and the sense of identity. Newark: University of Delaware P, 1989. Shakespeare, William. The new Cambridge Shakespeare: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1985. Thatcher, David. Begging to differ: Modes of divergence in Shakespeare. New York: Peter Lang, 1999. Vickers, Brian. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven: Yale UP, 1993