Hamlet

The tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a play of deceit and revenge. “The Murder of Gonzago,” which is a play-within-the-play, is a tool used by the character of Hamlet to reveal the deceit of his uncle Claudius and seek out revenge. During the play-within-the-play, through his words and actions, Hamlet opposes his philosophical views, goal of revenge and today’s moral standards. The practicality of the scene and justification of Hamlet’s actions are questionable.
Throughout much of the play, different characters spy on Hamlet. He is aware of most of these times and seems to be morally opposed to it. However, by using the play to get his uncle to confess, he is, in a sense, spying on him. Hamlet tells his friend Horatio to watch Claudius’s actions during the play. He says to him, “Observe my uncle.”(I.ii.85). Hamlet is telling Horatio to spy on Claudius although he was angry when Claudius and others spied on him.
Hamlet seems to have a respect for wo...