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Matt D'Ambrosio
Miss Stephano
English 10 CP
29 May 2009
Subterfuge in 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 and
gain revenge on his father’s death. Different forms of subterfuge are used by many of the
different characters throughout the play to help them gain revenge. Through the actions
of King Hamlet, young Hamlet, and Ophelia, Shakespeare reveals how subterfuge can
For example, King Claudius uses subterfuge to help him gain information on
Hamlet’s behavior. Claudius paid Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to help him find the
cause of Hamlets madness. Because they were being paid, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
happily 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. King
Claudius asked Ophelia to talk to Hamlet and try to see why he is mad. Ophelia agreed to
the 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 Hamlets
unoriginal presence. Claudius pleaded Gertrude to try and talk to young Hamlet and see
what was bothering him. Gertrude was more than happy to do this for him, as she was
curious as well. Information is obtained by the king with the help of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern’s spying.
2 D'Ambrosio
Hamlet used subterfuge to help prove Claudius’s guilt. For instance, Hamlet asked
Horatio to watch Claudius’s reaction to the play. Since Horatio was such a good friend to
Hamlet, he agrees to help him. Horatio sat in the audience during the play to watch
Claudius’s reaction. Next, Hamlet used subterfuge to help him realize his friends. Hamlet
spied on the King talking with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet hoped to see if
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were talking about other people. In addition, Hamlet used
subterfuge to see if Claudius was sorry for his actions. Hamlet spied on Claudius when he
was alone to see if he repented for his actions. Hamlet found Claudius praying and
thought that Claudius had some repentance for killing his brother.
Queen Gertrude used subterfuge to help look out for Hamlet’s well being. For
example, Gertrude asked Claudius to spy on Hamlet. Gertrude wanted to help Hamlet in
his time of need. Gertrude revealed that Claudius spy on him and Ophelia through the
double sided mirror. Also, Gertrude kept an eye on Hamlet and his interactions with
others. While Hamlet was talking with others, she watched to see what he said. Because
Gertrude was concerned for Hamlets well being. She gathered information of his
interactions and doings. Additionally, Gertrude requested that Polonius tell her what he
has seen Hamlet doing. Gertrude wanted to help Hamlet recover so she asked Polonius to
tell her what he has seen. Hamlet almost walks in on Gertrude and Polonius and Polonius
ended up dead.
Characters throughout the play had their relationships and friendships ruined
because of trust. The characters in Hamlet used subterfuge for their own good. The
characters had hoped to help themselves by spying on other people. Subterfuge was used