To Lie or Not to Lie: The Dichotomy between Truth and Lies in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
From the beginning of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark hates the deception and mendacity of the Royal Court, and specifically those characters who lie or who he thinks are lying. Unfortunately for him, he is surrounded by people, family and friends, who deceive others in order to gain or maintain status and power for themselves. There is something, however, that Hamlet dislikes even more than those who lie to each other. He, as Shakespeare often emphasizes in his plays, dislikes those who lie to themselves in order to justify their own actions. This strikes a chord with many people because most of us have done this at some point in our lives. Essentially, Hamlet cannot stand the mendacity of the situation he finds himself in. His uncle has killed his father and has married his mother. Hamlet has lost his kingdom and family. He feels lost and distraught, as if his life has no purpose. It’s more than just that “the memory be green” of his father’s death as Claudius claims in Act I. It’s as if a curtain has been pulled back and he sees the lies and real lust for power that everyone around him has. It is marching him toward a family tragedy and the collapse of his father’s kingdom. In Hamlet, the dichotomy between truth and lies that runs throughout the play involves family, politics and the monarchy. Most of the characters in Hamlet are motivated by one or the other or both and the split has the effect of defining the characters' interactions with each other and with themselves. This dichotomy, and the tension within it, inevitably leads to death, destruction, and tragedy.
No one could read this play without picking up on the lies, mendacity, and the many ways in which the characters try to deceive one another and themselves. Some of the most important and revealing moments of the entire play, however, are when the characters are honest. Hamlet shows us early on in the play that he has a deep hatred for liars and those who try to deceive people. He is especially upset over how people are acting over the death of his father. When Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, asks him why he seems so depressed and upset with the world, he responds harshly to her. His response illustrates his anger with those who would pretend to mourn his fathers death just to gain status and power. He states:
Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, nor customary suits of solemn black, nor windy suspiration of forced breath, no nor the fruitful river in the eye, nor the dejected ‘havior of the visage, together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, that can denote me truly. These indeed seem, for they are actions that a man might play. But I have with that within which passeth shows, these but the trappings and the suits of woe (I.i 1-100).
Hamlet is trying to tell his mother that the grief he shows on the outside is nothing compared to how terrible he feels on the inside. He makes a reference to dark clothing and says that even though people were dressed in black to mourn the King, nobody really did. In other words, no one was being truthful about their sadness over the death of the king. The dark clothing of a funeral is how Hamlet feels on the inside. This is an example of Hamlet being completely honest in the midst of his mother and uncle’s deceitfulness, mendacity, and lust.
Though it is hard to pinpoint who is being completely honest and who is lying throughout the play, no one can argue that the Ghost of King Hamlet tells the truth even though one might raise the question as to whether the Ghost is helpful or harmful to Hamlet and his Kingdom. However, help or harm does not always mean that someone is lying. Even though what he says does not help the situation, he does not lie. Even Hamlet, in Act I Scene V, describes the ghost as honest. The Ghost reveals to Hamlet the truth that his uncle Claudius poisoned his father in order to become the King of Denmark. From this point on Hamlet knows that he’s been lied to and becomes angry at the world and society, especially the monarchy and his family. The ghost's statements, though truthful, push the characters closer to the tragedy that is inevitable. In this situation Shakespeare raises a question closely related to the play’s dichotomy between honesty and deception. Should people tell the truth even if they know the truth will make the situation worse? These are the questions the Ghost and many of the characters should be asking themselves. Instead they are all so filled with lust, power, and revenge that they cannot see the consequences right in front of them.
What makes Hamlet such a fascinating play is how Shakespeare sheds such a bright light on all the characters. By the end of the play Shakespeare reveals who they are--good and bad--and there is nowhere for them to hide. Even Ophelia who is not really deceitful but her lack of self-knowledge makes her a pawn in other’s lies. Even her death is not shown but happens off stage. There is an important dichotomy, however, between honesty and deception that is vital to the characters and the play. It feels as though everyone is lying to everyone else. This begins with Claudius. Claudius killed Hamlet's father, the King, in order to take his place on the throne. This is a central lie throughout the play and ignites a string of lies that follow to the final tragedy. It also creates much distrust between the characters, angers Hamlet deeply, and sheds a light on the inefficiency and disorder of the monarchy of Denmark that is hinted at by Fontinbras at the beginning of the play.
It is not as though Hamlet is the only victim in this play. In fact, he lies a number of times and reveals that he is consumed by anger, depression, and hatred. As Hamlet lies about his madness he shows that the dichotomy between honesty and deception can be very blurred. Hamlet pretends to be mad in order to extract revenge for his father. He tells Horatio his deceitful plan. Hamlet is angered by the mendacity of others. He is upset with his family who lies to get what they want; however, he is a hypocrite because he intends to lie to get revenge. Nothing good comes from Hamlet's plan for revenge because when seeking revenge you always dig two graves and Hamlet learns this at the end of the play.
Political lies create tension as a central part of the play. In fact, the entire play is kickstarted by a political treason within the monarchy. Shakespeare seems to be making broader implications about monarchy and families as a whole. The play shows that feuds within a family are a central part of all peoples lives. Everyone has experienced internal conflicts with family members. Now, imagine your family was in charge of an entire kingdom. The family conflict in Hamlet caused the instability and the downfall of an entire kingdom. This creates a central dichotomy between the lies and truths in the roles of families, monarchies, and politics.
As the play leads to its tragic ending, there are omens and hints of the consequences of lies on the horizon. Shakespeare is making the point that some stories can only end tragically. Life, in essence, is one large tragedy and Hamlet learns this as the play progresses. The dichotomy between honesty and deception of families and politics are like two armies fighting over a kingdom. When both are so corrupt they will inevitably destroy themselves. Hamlet begins to realize that the lies the characters tell one another and themselves are so extreme that there is no way reconciliation can happen. The fist omen of the play is the appearance of the Ghost. The Ghost plants the seed of lies which leads to Hamlet’s need for revenge and from that point on there is no way of preventing the tragedy that is to come.
Hamlet as a character when viewed through the lens of a play about the dichotomies between truth and lies reveals many important lessons for living an honest life. There are many dichotomies shown by the actions of characters and how they are presented throughout the play. Honesty and deception are two of the most important reasons for problems in family and politics. As the play unfolds and Hamlet begins to understand the mendacity of his family and how that plays a role in broader implications of the monarchy, he realizes that mostly everyone is lying for their own gain. We hear from him in his many soliloquies how much this angers him. Hamlet is disheartened by the cruelty of the world and feels as though it has no meaning. The lust for power that his uncle has upsets him the most. Even knowing the truth does not set him free. Instead, it feeds his depression and his desire for revenge.
Shakespeare shows us that throughout most of the play it is as though the characters are dangling on the edge of a cliff, about to fall off. By the end of the play they all fall off and it ends in an unavoidable tragedy. Can we really blame the characters of this play for lying? Self- preservation is such a natural human instinct and the only way for the characters to keep their positions is by lying and being deceitful. Honesty and deception are two crucial factors that play a large role with the characters' interactions as well as the role between family and the monarchy. Shakespeare seems to be especially writing Hamlet so that ordinary people can relate to the characters and the play. He shows us that the dichotomy between truth and lies and the characters' interactions with one another, including Hamlet, inevitably lead to tragedy, death, and the destruction of an entire kingdom. Hamlet’s tragedy begins from the first unanswered question of the play, “Who’s there?” It’s as if this part of human nature, the lies, must always run its course to tragedy. When Fortenbras takes the victory but with sorrow as he looks at the bodies of a family like they are on a battlefield, it is as baffling to us as it is to him. The only answer is in the divorce between truth and lies. Even Shakespeare’s complex characters in Hamlet could not survive in that tension.