Can anyone be trusted?
Tricia Tumibay
ENG 4U1
Carlo Santin
The most difficult element to gain in a relationship is trust. Without it, a relationship
becomes dysfunctional. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, trust becomes a major issue amongst
the characters and their relationships begin to deteriorate. During several scenes of the play,
Hamlet lies to Ophelia, not realizing how this may affect his relationship with her, and vice
versa. Hamlet’s school mates decide to betray Hamlet by working for his power-obsessed uncle,
Claudius, who in fact is another character that cannot be trusted. The relationships between
Hamlet and each of his family members and friends were destroyed due to the lies, betrayal and
obsession with power. Although trust is believed to be an essential part of any relationship,
Shakespeare’s play proved that it does not matter whether it is your family or friends, people
cannot be trusted. Through further examination of the lies, betrayal and obsession with power in
the play, it will become evident that trust is a lie, and you must trust no one.
In the play, both Hamlet and his father are betrayed by those who are close to them. The
theme of betrayal takes root before Shakespeare’s tragedy even begins, when Hamlet’s uncle
murders his father and marries his mother. During Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet is informed by the
ghost of his father, about how he truly died and who had deceived him, ’Tis given out that,
sleeping in my orchard,/ A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark/ Is by forged process
of my death/ Rankly abused; but know thou noble youth, / The serpent that did sting thy fathers
life/ Now wears his crown” (Act I, Scene iv; Lines 35-39) The ghost is explaining to Young
Hamlet what exactly happened to him and explained it in detail. According to the ghost, while
King Hamlet was sleeping in the orchard; someone killed him by pouring poison in his ear. He
later reveals that it was in fact his own brother, Claudius, who had performed this act of betrayal
by killing him, taking his crown, and marrying his wife; Gertrude. It’s hard to imagine how one
can trust one another in Hamlet’s surroundings when even family members deceive one another.
With Hamlet acting mad and suspicious, Claudius is worried about what Hamlet might do, and
what Hamlet knows. He decides to send for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and
though Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were merely following orders, they too have betrayed
Hamlet. During Act III, Scene III, Claudius orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to help get rid
of Hamlet. “I like him not, nor stands it safe with us/ To let his madness range. Therefore
prepare you: / I your commission will forthwith dispatch, / And he to England shall along with
you. / The terms of our estate may not endure / Hazard so near us as doth hourly grow/ Out of
his brows.”(Act III, Scene iii; Lines 1-7). Claudius is convinced that Hamlet is not only a hazard
to the people of Denmark, but also his position as king. Claudius convinces Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern that Hamlet’s madness was a danger to the people of Denmark, and that he needed
to be sent away, “We will ourselves provide. / Most holy and religious fear it is/ To keep those
many many bodies safe/ That live and feed upon your majesty” (Act III, Scene iii; Lines 8-11)
By this point in the play, Hamlet had made many strange comments, and has done countless
bizarre actions that convinced people he was insane. Claudius knew that Hamlet was aware of
what exactly happened to the King, and he was afraid that it would affect his status as the new
king. He orders Hamlets school mates to take Hamlet to England, and keep him away from
Denmark. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern agree to follow Claudius’ orders, and although they
may have just been obeying the orders of Claudius, they have still deceived Hamlet. Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Hamlet’s good friends from school, but their loyalty towards Claudius, has
just destroyed that friendship. With the betrayal of Claudius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
towards Hamlet and his father, it is proven that even people dearest to your heart, whether it be
family members or friends, can betray you.
Due to the complete uncertainty of truthfulness and honesty, it becomes difficult to trust
someone, even if it is someone you love. During Act III, Scene I, Hamlet lies to Ophelia about
the way he truly feels about her, not thinking about how this may affect their relationship, “…but
now the time gives it / proof. I did love you once”. (Act III, Scene i; Line 114) Hamlet says that
there is proof now, that he did truly love her once, “You should not have believed me, for virtue
cannot so/ inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not” (Act III, Scene i;
Lines 116-117). Throughout this scene, Hamlet misleads Ophelia to believe that he does not
love her, when in reality he does. Hamlet plays with the mind of Ophelia, saying “I did love you
once”, and then contradicts himself saying “I loved you not.” Although Hamlet may have just
been trying to protect Ophelia, he still lied, which resulted in the loss of Ophelia`s trust.
Throughout Act III, Scene I, although Hamlet lied to Ophelia about his love for her, she too had
lied before him, “...We are arrant knaves, / believe none of us; go thy ways to a nunnery. Where
is your father?” (Act III, Scene i; Lines126). Hamlet tells Ophelia that she should not believe
men, and that she should go to a nunnery to avoid them. He is also trying to get her to confess
that she is dishonest in helping to trick him, “At home my lord”(Act III, Scene i; Lines 127).
Ophelia, oblivious of Hamlet’s trap, lies to him about the whereabouts of her father, “Let the
doors be shut upon him that he may play the fool/ nowhere but in’s own house. Farewell”(Act
III, Scene i; Lines 128-129). Hamlet is ordering Ophelia to go to a nunnery, and she should not
trust men. He questions Ophelia, asking her where her father is, little does she know that he was
in fact testing her to see how loyal she truly is. He figures out that Ophelia was actually helping
Polonius and Claudius, and he knew that they were eavesdropping on their conversation.
Though Hamlet and Ophelia truly love each other, they lie, and it becomes apparent that nobody,
even your loved ones, can be trusted.
Obsession with power can completely possess the mind of an individual, and their actions
become unethical. Throughout the play, Claudius obsesses over gaining power, and attempts to
gain this power by any means necessary. A person obsessed with power cares more about, being
of higher status and rank, rather than the people around them and would do anything to obtain
that higher position. Claudius is constantly looking to further increase his power, no matter who
he has to hurt in the process. During Act III, Scene iii, Claudius’ falls to his knees and begins to
pray, “…’Forgive me my foul murder’?/ That cannot be, since I am still possessed/ Of those
effects for which I did the murder, ? My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.” (Act III,
Scene iii; Lines 52-55). Claudius longs to ask for forgiveness, but says that he is unprepared to
give up that which he gained by committing the murder, namely, the crown and the queen.
Although Claudius’ love for Gertrude may seem sincere, he only married her as a strategic move,
to help him win the throne after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius’s
escalating fear of Hamlet’s insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude
tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have
been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. This
verifies that people who are preoccupied with power, will do anything to increase their power, no
matter who they hurt in the process.
Through analyzing Shakespeare’s play, the characters prove that the most difficult
element to gain in a relationship is trust. The character, Hamlet, lies to Ophelia not realizing how
this would affect his relationship with her, and vice versa. Hamlet’s school mates decide to
betray Hamlet, by working for his power-obsessed uncle; Claudius, who is another character that
has been proven to be untrustworthy. Although trust is believed to be an essential part of any
relationship, Shakespeare’s play clearly demonstrates that it does not matter whether it is your
family or piers. People cannot be trusted. After further examining the lies, betrayal and obsession
with power in Shakespeare’s play, it is now evident that trust is a lie, and absolutely no one can
be trusted.