Hamlet Disguise
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the protean characters mask their true identity with misrepresentations, appearing to be one person on the outside, but on the inside we see an entirely different person. It is as almost the characters walk around with masks on to hide who they really are. Claudius appears to be a somewhat kind and caring person who is well liked throughout the kingdom. The audience knows his true face of being a murderous brother, brought to the throne by lust and envy. Both women in the play, Ophelia and Gertrude, use masks to cover what is obvious to the audience: their pain and suffering. Finally, Hamlet hides in the sanctity of his madness, whether it be real or pretend, not showing anyone his indecisive and spiteful nature. Only the audience is able to see the real, true characters in the play because of their insecurities and frailties to each other. This theme of masking develops further throughout the play as the characters try to cover their secret intentions, desires, and fears with a portrayal of an entirely different person. Claudius is a well liked king, as a leader in the state of Denmark who portrays himself as a caring and friendly person. Claudius want
In his mad state, he hurts the people that care for him (Ophelia and Gertrude) with harsh verbal attacks, and he hurts his status and reputation throughout kingdom by killing Polonius, "How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead" (III. Throughout the play, we see that every character wears a mask, in some shape or form. The audience knows that Gertrude is mentally weak, so she represses her problems in her life to function and live a manageable life, without all the pain. After Ophelia denies Hamlet's visit, he proclaims to her face that he never loved her and she misunderstood his words and actions, even though she says that she is now ready to love him, "You should not have believed me, for virtue/ cannot so{inoculate} our old stock but we shall/ relish of it. Out of all the characters, Hamlet is the most diverse between his true self and his false identity. s Hamlet to stay in Denmark instead of departing for Wittenberg to further his education at the university. This is the Claudius that the audience sees through his dialogue: a loving, caring husband who appears to want to help his grieving nephew. The two women in the play, Ophelia and Gertrude, both mask the harsh cruelties in their lives. There is a very thin, and difficult to discern, line between his mask and madness. Forty thousand brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love/ Make up my sum" (V.
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