Hamlet: Theme of Betrayal

Hamlet by the great William Shakespeare has a theme or betrayal through out the play. There has been frequent appearances of a translucent figure, witnessed by the guards who believe it is the recently deceased king of Denmark Hamlet. Prince Hamlet has recently returns from university to find his father dead and his mother remarried to King Hamlets brother, and all within 2 months.

Not only does Hamlet feel betrayed by his mother but also feels her hasty action betrays the memory of his father. As Hamlet discovers that his father was not only murdered but it was his own uncle that the new King that poisoned him. This recent revelation was from the figure sighted by the castle guards. The Ghost of the old Kings last request to his son was he to be avenged.
    “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life
      Now wears his crown.”
This metaphoric description links to the famous scene of Adam and Eves encounter with a serpent, where a slithering creature came between them parallels Claudius coming between King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. Hamlet is unsure to believe this new information but it is too huge to ignore. After calming his emotions Hamlet   a plan concocts to see if Claudius appears guilty.

Claudius finally consummates his role as king and addresses the Danish court with a well prepared speech. At first impressions Claudius appears to be a proficient and confident public speaker but with closer analysis there are a number of contradictory incidents.
“With mirth in funeral and with dirge in                     marriage”
This revelation can be interpreted as a secret confession from Claudius. The connotation of mirth shows that in the same sentence as funeral would me he is happy about the death as he get to become the new ruler. Dirge, meaning the complete opposite of mirth would suggest he doesn’t love Gertrude and she was only a piece in his puzzle to accomplish his goal.

The theme of betrayal becomes more defined as Hamlets friends,...