Duplicity In Hamlet

One of Shakespeare's main qualities is his aptitude in creating dainty beings and transforming them into a complex, enigmatic characters whether for good or for worse. Often portrayed in his tragic themed plays is human flaw, which is usually depicted in the main character. In the play, Hamlet, this is clearly displayed by our despondent character, Hamlet. The play is essentially about Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, seeking revenge against his Uncle for murdering his Father. With the rapid marriage of his Mother and Uncle, the sighting of his deceased Father’s ghost, and the news of his father’s murder, we are left with such a confused and deranged character. Without the knowledge of him prior to his father’s death we are unknown to whom Hamlet
As events and his madness unravels we slowly learn that the element of duplicity is the key that brings out most of Hamlet’s character. For example, when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to mislead him in favor for Claudius, Hamlet rages about their betrayal towards him. While that occurs, we are able to see a glimpse of what’s truly flowing in Hamlet’s mind. Hamlet says to them, “the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory...why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors”,which in other words means that he only sees the negativity and malice in the world. Not only is he ravenous for revenge, but he’s exceedingly depressed and incredibly
Polonius, in favor of the king, decides to use his daughter to discover the root of Hamlet’s madness which, in the end, doesn’t move them any closer, but it moves the reader closer to Hamlet’s true self. During this scene, Hamlet ridicules Ophelia and absolutely demolishes her. Hamlet tells Ophelia that, “Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go...I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God has given you one face and you make yourselves another.” Hamlet’s view on women is thoroughly revealed in this scene and it’s not pleasing whatsoever. It’s clear that he feels, not only Ophelia, but all women are fabricated whores. What can be taken from his actions is that Hamlet feels highly betrayed by his mother and because of this he holds it against all women. A characteristic quite obvious to us in this is his incapability to forgive and forget, no matter how many times his father’s ghost tells him, he can never get over his Mother marrying his Uncle. But what’s incredibly confusing is that after Ophelia’s death he confesses his love for her. Did Hamlet really love her? Is he just saying that to calm Laertes down? Was he just confused and stressed when he told her that? Shakespeare doesn’t answer this directly, but clues from other scenes can give a subtle hint. This can be answered when Hamlet himself