Teaching Deception and Selfishness in HamletThe tragedy of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, illustrates the disintegration not only of a family but of a Company. In a play full of greed, manipulation and dishonesty, the end result is the disappearance of all the main characters. “It is clear that the theme of revenge is only a vehicle used by Shakespeare to articulate... themes central to humanity: the relationships between father and son, mother and son, and Hamlet and his friends. .. youth and age? (Introduction to Hamlet). Aren't children responsible for their parents? errors. Since young people often learn by observing the adults around them, today's society is hyper-aware of the "example" it sets for the future generation; In Denmark during Hamlet's time, little attention was paid to the moral structure of the country's future leaders. Does the vanity of Hamlet's adults have moral repercussions on themselves and on the youth of Elsinore, unable to bear the burden of adults? errors. The adults in the foreground of the play are Claudius, Hamlet's uncle/father-in-law; Gertrude, her mother and Claudius? new wife; and Polonius, advisor to the king and father of Ophelia and Laertes. Claudius is smug at the beginning of the play as he appears to have succeeded in killing King Hamlet, Gertrude's late husband and Hamlet's father, in order to verify the kingship and woo Gertrude. He committed selfish and murderous acts that, according to the belief of the time, would condemn his soul. In fact, in a soliloquy in Act III, Scene III, he admits that he feels no remorse for what he has done, saying, "But, oh, what form of prayer can serve my turn." .. I'm still possessed. of these effects for which I killed my crown, my own ambition and my queen? (lines 54-58). The deception committed by Claudius places the responsibility of avenging his father's death on young Hamlet, something he proves incapable of accomplishing until the very end of the play, despite several attempts to summon his courage. Claudius also turns Hamlet's friends against him by attempting to use Guildenstern and Rosencrantz as spies. Polonius, the king's advisor, is a manipulative figure determined to gain the king's approval. His solutions to the problems surrounding the royal family involve espionage and lying as means to an end. This is evident in Act III, Scene I, lines 49-51, when Polonius instructs Ophelia on how to behave while he and the king spy on Hamlet..