Countless people regard William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet as his most outstanding work. Several of Shakespeare’s most complicated characters wear many veils of deception and falsehoods. For example, Polonius, the chief counselor, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, friends of Hamlet, and King Claudius all seem genuine and reliable, but in reality, they hide their evil natures. As a result, these antagonists deceive the protagonist through the illusion of goodwill.
Polonius, the King’s counselor, is one of the deceiving characters. Polonius strives to show that he is a man who loves and cares deeply for his son Laertes (Shakespeare, 1992). Polonius offers his son pieces of wisdom that appear heartfelt but are manipulative and deceitful. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are other examples of characters of deceiving characters. The men fool Hamlet by using their relationship as a cover for watching the protagonist. The men try to convince Hamlet that they are their friends after King Claudius and his wife, Queen Gertrude, beg them to uncover what might be causing Hamlet’s madness (Shakespeare, 1992). The last and the greatest deceiving character is Claudius, who is far from being the brave brother of the monarch who ascended to the throne in order to protect the kingdom. For example, Claudius, who appears to be in mourning, advises the people to ignore King Hamlet and adapt to these changes after the monarch’s death (Shakespeare, 1992). While Claudius made significant efforts to conceal the lie, Hamlet found the truth.
Thus, the antagonists in the tragedy play a vital role in contrasting the main character and his close circle of people. It is evident that several characters in the work of Shakespeare try to deceive and connive to gain various benefits. Although characters such as Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Claudius make endeavors to seem benevolent, they are evil on the inside and are ready to betray the protagonist or others.
Reference
Shakespeare, W. (1992). Hamlet. Dover Publications.