The Influence of Deceit on the Characters of Shakespeare's Hamlet
             Deceit plays a pivotal role in Shakespeare's Hamlet, causing a change in the relationships between characters and a difference in their attitudes, whereas feelings of trust and confidence turn to deception and disloyalty. Fortinbras states in Act V, scene ii, his notification of the changes caused by this trait.
             "And let me speak to the yet unknowing world
             How these things came about
             Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,
             Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters,
             Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause,
             And, in this upshot, purposes mistook
             Fallen on th'inventors' heads." (Hamlet V,ii).
             Claudius is the main character who is very deceitful, who turns his back on Hamlet and influences the surrounding characters to do so as well. "Claudius is the master of deception, not only in concealing himself, but also in seeking out the nature of others" ("Cat and Mouse" 1). Trust was broken, and in effect, Hamlet was left in despair. Although each character had their own intentions, whether they were to hurt him or not, Hamlet ended up as their prey in the end.
             Claudius begins as a character that has committed unacceptable acts, but he did not start out with intentions of hurting or betraying the young Hamlet. Although he murdered his own brother, King Hamlet, and married his sister-in-law, Gertrude, who is also Hamlet's mother, he was not doing it to harm Hamlet. "When the play begins, the critic asserts, there is no indication that Claudius is a villain, rather, he appears to be the consummate monarch, who effectively transacts private and public business" (Joseph 138). Claudius commits certain actions that allow the reader or viewer to realize he is a sinister character, willing to do anything to reach his desti...