Hamlet: A Devil In Disguise

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A Devil in Disguise
“We know what we are, but not what we may be,” a quote by Shakespeare. In the Shakespearean play The Tragedy of Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet finds himself in the presence of what appears to be his father’s ghost. Is this ghost the devil in disguise trying to make Hamlet do his bidding, or did newly appointed king Claudius actually do devil 's work by killing Hamlet 's father? The word devil illuminates the true meaning of the play, which is men may believe they know who one is, however the devil can change who they will become. Such as Hamlet who set out to avenge his father’s murder became a murderer himself.
The word ‘devil’ comes from the Greek word ‘diabolos’ which is the spirit or power of evil. The devil is found …show more content…

Laertes tells Hamlet “the devil take thy soul”( Shakespeare 5.1.42). When the word is said in this context it shows how the devil, instead of being inside a person who does his work, was thought to take lives and send people to hell. This aspect of the word shows how much hatred Laertes harbors for Hamlet. When a character in Hamlet uses the word in vain, such as Laertes, it also supports the meaning of the play, which is the devil can change men. Telling Hamlet the devil should take his soul goes against the Catholic religion, which in turns shows how Laertes is corrupt and sinful, and it is he who has been tainted by the …show more content…

For example, Hamlet says the word devil in acts two and three, while Laertes says it in acts four and five. The last person to say the word devil is Polonius in act two. In all these cases these men are describing the devil as someone evil or bad. A reason for Shakespeare only having the male characters say this vulgar word is, it was unbecoming for women to say such foul language. Even when describing how Hamlet’s mother Gertrude is blinded by the devil in the third act, Gertrude does not say the word devil in their conversation, only Hamlet speaks of it. How this relates to the meaning of the play is that only men could potentially be influenced by the devil, or be the devil themselves. Though Gertrude was thought to be blinded by the devil, she is never thought to be one herself or to have done the devil’s

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