betrayal hamlet essay

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• Betrayal in Hamlet

Gertrude betrays Hamlet and the late King Hamlet by marrying Claudius. Hamlet, being still depressed about his father’s death was further upset and felt betrayed by his mother when she quickly married Claudius.

“Mother, you have my father much offended …You are the queen, your husband’s wife …” (3.4.10-15)

By marrying her former husband’s brother, she also betrayed the late King Hamlet.

Another way that Gertrude had betrayed the late King Hamlet was by defending Claudius when he was accused by Laertes of killing his father Polonius:

LAERTES: Where is my father?

KING: Dead.

QUEEN: But not by him. (4.5.126-128)

Gertrude also betrays Hamlet by telling King Claudius that Hamlet killed Polonius.

Hamlet betrays his father’s ghost by not killing Claudius immediately as he has promised, and how he keeps contemplating over whether or not he should actually kill him.

He also hurts his mother’s feelings, which were against the wishes of the ghost as well.

“Do not forget: this visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose” (3.4.110-111)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Both of these two people were Hamlet’s former schoolmates, and Hamlet entrusted them with the secret that he indeed was not mad. Although they do not betray him at first, they end up agreeing to bring him to death in England.

“[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s] grand commission; where I found, Horatio, A royalknavery, an exact command, …That, on the supervise, no leisure bated, No, not to stay the grindling of the axe, My head should be struck off” (5.2.17 – 24).

King Claudius

King Claudius betrays Gertrude by indirectly killing her. He did not tell her that the cup she was going to drink from was poisoned, and he did not stop her either even though he knew.

“It is the poson’d cup; it is too late [for Gertrude]” (5.2.282)

He also betrayed her in the sense that he planned to kill her son that he knew she loved dearly.

“…If he be now return’d…Under the which he shall not choose but fall: And for his death no wind of blame shall breathe, But even his mother shall uncharged the practice, And call it accident.” (4.7.61-67)

Polonius betrays his own son, Laertes by sending a servant to go spy on him:

“You shall do marvellous wisely, good Reynaldo, Before you visit him, to make inquire of his behaviour” (2.2.3-4).

He betrays Laertes’ belief in his trust when he is in France.

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Author:  William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team)

Tutor and Freelance Writer. Science Teacher and Lover of Essays. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution © 2010-2024 | Creative Commons 4.0

Good. but u left out the key betrayal point of the whole play…. when claudius killed king Hamlet Senior

pretty good..

display more on loyalty of ophelia towards her father… good point to note.

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Theme Of Betrayal In Hamlet

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the theme of betrayal is a major focus of the play. All the characters turn their backs on one another at some point in the play; this leads to misjudgments, lying, characters being un loyal to one another and untruthful as well as acting out of pure rage rather than using logical thought to think things through. The act of lying to one another, being un loyal and plotting each other’s own deaths, lead all the characters to their eventual downfall and death. Betrayal usually associates itself with the aspect of death in Shakespeare’s plays and in Hamlet’s case, this is no exception. There are many examples to this. First Gertrude , Hamlet’s mother married Hamlet’s uncle Claudius after only three months of his father’s death. This not only showed disloyalty towards Hamlet Jr. and his father, but it could also be seen as being disloyal and betrayal towards the people of Denmark by not showing any respect. Never would one imagine that she would betray someone like that. The first …show more content…

Through Hamlet’s soliloquies, an audience is exposed to hi belief that Gertrude has betrayed his father. In Elizabethan times, Gertrude’s marriage to Hamlet may have been regarded as incestuous and unlawful. Thus, Hamlet refers to the “sheets” of marriage as “incestuous”. However, Hamlet continual preoccupation with the “speed” in which Gertrude has not undergone a significant period of mourning. Conventionally, a period of mourning of one year would have been expected, whereas Gertrude remarried in two months. Hamlet likens Gertrude’s actions to that of “Niobe” and by drawing such comparisons emphasizes his beliefs in hypocrisy of her actions, thus betraying her deceased husband by marrying her former husband’s brother, she also betrays the late king

The Ways We Lie Essay

Her most profound act of indecency is her refusal to mourn the death of her husband, dismissing Hamlet’s grief and instead enjoying her marriage with her brother-in-law, Claudius. Gertrude demonstrates acts of moral corruption as she fails to recognize Hamlet's sorrow over his father’s death and does not support her son while he is going through a difficult phase. In addition, Gertrude's actions were sexually corrupted, evidenced by her marriage to her brother-in-law. Hamlet defines the nature of their improper marriage by saying, “[w]ithin a month, / [e]re yet the salt of most unrighteous tears /

Gertrude Hamlet Ignorant Quotes

Queen Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, the widow of Old Hamlet and the wife of Claudius, brother of her dead husband. Gertrude is ignorant and a woman who means no harm but because of her actions it contributes greatly to the terrible events that occur throughout the play. In this play there’s many conflicts, one of the first conflicts was when Gertrude married King Claudius two months after Old Hamlet’s death. Gertrude is ignorant because she’s not aware of anything happening. For example she’s not aware that King Hamlet’s murder was by his own brother Claudius, even though they were some hints out there to show that it was King Claudius who killed Old Hamlet.

The Symbolism Of Gertrude's Honor In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

Also, Hamlet displays his anguish at the Queen for dishonouring his dead father since “Almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king and marrying his brother” (Shakespeare, pg. 121). In this statement, Hamlet expresses how, through the marriage to her husband’s murderer, Gertrude is a symbol of dishonor and damaging her relationship with the prince. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s actions and recognizes her not as his mother but the queen and wife of Claudius, the murderer. The respect revered by children to their mother is not evident between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Gertrude’s death scene, Hamlet screams to his mother “Wretched Queen, adieu!”

The Oppression Of Women In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Hamlet believes that Gertrude's quick marriage to his uncle was a sign of her weakness because it shows she could not stand to be alone, “A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she followed my poor father's body Like Niobe, all tears- why she, even she O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourned longer! , married with my uncle” (1.2.151-157). Here, Hamlet is clearly angry that his mother's emotions were so weak, wondering how she could quickly marry her husband's brother after burying her husband. It goes without saying Gertrude clearly can't be by herself and constantly needs a man in her life to fulfill that emptiness inside her.

Psychological Events In Hamlet

In the Tragedy of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, some of the most significant events are mental or psychological events that make the audience feel and have an emotional connection with the characters. These significant events can be awakenings, discoveries, and changes in consciousness that set off a mental or psychological effect to the readers. The author, Shakespeare, gives these internal events to characters such as Ophelia, Gertrude, and Hamlet throughout the play to give the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius and the sister of Laertes who both tell her to stop seeing Hamlet. To Polonius, Ophelia is an eternal virgin who is going to be a dutiful

Theme Of Deception In Hamlet

Deception is an action driven with the motive to employ one purpose which can be to mislead another individual in order to gain knowledge, to get revenge, or to reveal a plan unknown to the public eye and keeping it that way for the dutiful well-being of the Kingdom of Denmark. In the tragedy Hamlet by William Shakespeare, deception develops into the character trait that initiates the actions, heartbreak, and revenge driving this play. This attribute held by Hamlet is the leading cause of this same flaw development in Ophelia, King Claudius, and many others in an attempt to reinforce the theme. This theme is one of heroism, but the deceptive notion each action reveals challenges the perception the reader has on each of the main characters. In order to be able to fully analyze the part Hamlet’s deception plays in driving the plot and storyline of this tragedy, one must understand that a foil character juxtaposes each character to illuminate their shortcomings.

Example Of Betrayal In Hamlet

Gertrude’s betrayal of her son was caused by Claudius, as he comforted her after her husband’s unfortunate demise, and later married her, this was betrayal to Hamlet because he had a very high opinion of his father and thought very little of his uncle, Hamlet said “-married with my uncle, / My father’s brother, but no more like my father / Then I to Hercules; within a month” [I, ii, 151-153] showing that he believes that his mother betrayed him and his father’s memory by marrying his uncle, it also

Internal Events In Hamlet

Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother and the Queen of Denmark. When King Hamlet is murdered by Claudius, she didn 't seem to daunt her and shortly thereafter got married to Hamlet 's Uncle Claudius. This gives a suspense in this point of the play because it makes the audience think about if Gertrude had anything to do with the murder of her husband or if she helped plan the murder with Claudius. When Gertrude married the person that killed her husband, Hamlet takes it personal and she basically loses her son because he 's so upset with her.

Misogyny In Hamlet And Ophelia

Hamlet’s views on women is adulterous which pertains to the misogynistic tendencies in the play; thus, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, sparks up his misogynistic approaches. Hamlet is repulsed with Gertrude since she was quick to re-wed immediately following Old Hamlet’s death and cries: “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.156-157). Hamlet is shocked that his mother remarries to Claudius, Old Hamlet’s brother, before letting the tears on her cheek to dry.

Feminist Perspective In Hamlet

Throughout the conversation and various parts of the play, Hamlet expresses his disgust for his mother 's actions. He insults her by comparing his father to Hyperion and Claudius to a satyr. He tells Gertrude not to sin by sleeping with him and tells her she is nothing but lustful for marrying a man like Claudius when he says, “That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,/ Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose/ From the fair forehead of an innocent love/ And sets a blister there, makes marriage vows/

Hamlet's Attitudes Towards Women

In act one Gertrude marries her dead husband 's brother Claudius, Hamlet is not very happy that his mother did this. Hamlet feels very betrayed by his own mother because she remarried so quickly. He feels as if this is an unforgivable

Theme Of Death In Hamlet

Shakespeare presents death as an inevitable act of life, noting that all that is living must eventually come to an end. Due to “Hamlet” being a Shakespearean tragedy, the theme of death recurs throughout the play. Additionally, Shakespeare can be seen as using revenge as the main motive of a character’s murder, which makes “Hamlet” a revenge tragedy. The tragic nature means that by the end of the play, majority of the characters would have died. In this case, many of the characters have died due to murder or suicide.

Essay On The Role Of Women In Hamlet

Contextually, Gertrude is Hamlet's mother and the wife of Claudius, brother of her late husband. His stage presence is reduced because it appears that in nine out of twenty scenes and its appearance is often had to his royal status. In addition, Gertrude is a woman represented as being inert, does undertaking any real action during the play. Indeed, it does not come to the aid of his son Hamlet all throughout history and finds deleted before men dominate the work. Gertrude is a dependent character of men, especially Claudius.

Loyalty And Betrayal In Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the themes vary from conditional and unconditional love, deception, honour, power and ambition and lastly poison. But the most significant theme is loyalty and betrayal. This theme ties all the other themes together. The theme loyalty and betrayal both have major effects on each other. Through the different actions of characters and what they say to one another, is where the audience discovers whether or not they are loyal or disloyal.

Theme Of Suicide In Hamlet

Suicide is a reoccuring theme in Hamlet. Since this is a theme that affects all characters to a certain degree, it is interesting to see how the idea of suicide is treated both morally, religiously and aesthetically. This essay will mostly be based on Hamlet´s own soliloquies, considering their relevance to the theme, but Queen Gertrude´s treatment of Ophelia´s death is also worth a mention. The story of Hamlet takes place in medieval Denmark, but a precise date is not mentioned.

More about Theme Of Betrayal In Hamlet

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The tragedy Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, who formulated a drama regarding the young Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, who experiences the emotions, depression, rage, and uncertainty because of the assassination of his father's, King Hamlet. The culprit who directed this criminal action was Hamlet's uncle, step-father and the new King of Denmark, Claudius. Hamlet yearns to seek revenge upon Claudius not only for the assassination of his father, but, the incestuous relationship between him (Claudius) and Gertrude (Hamlet's mother). In the Prince's first soliloquy, he ponders on committing suicide when he encounters difficulty mourning the death of his father whom he adored. As the soliloquy advances, he exposed his passions of disgust on his mother's decision to marry her dead husband's brother, Claudius. This marriage is incest because, Gertrude, a widowed wife, marries her brother-in-law, Claudius who is considered as "family" during the Elizabethan era. His disturbances present itself in act one, scene two where Hamlet goes through a state of depression because of his father's death, and then leads to anger because of the relationship between Gertrude and Claudius. In brief, Shakespeare utilizes the soliloquies to observe Hamlet and his constant emotional shifts which allows character development throughout the tragedy

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Why has Hamlet’s rage led him to a death that was destined to happen? Simple, his absolute motive was to seek revenge for the death of his father, who was once the King of Denmark. In this tragedy, Hamlet wanted to put on this image of an insane man. This would mislead the people around him from his intentions of killing King Claudius, who is strangely his uncle and “father” simultaneously. Claudius takes the throne for Denmark after pouring poison down King Hamlet’s ear without leaving any evidence behind. With this given information, the play begins with an apparition making appearances at the ramparts of the Elsinore Castle of Denmark. Readers soon discover that the ghost resembling figure is in fact Prince Hamlet’s father. As The Tragedy of Hamlet unfolds, William Shakespeare provides imagery through strong and complex dialogue. Shakespeare allowed Hamlet to lose himself in his own madness to create foreshadowing and confounding plots.

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Hamlet attended the University of Wittenberg, which implies his great intelligence amongst all his other peers, as well as his age as he is entering manhood when this conspiracy occurs. Hamlet is supposed to be, in the eyes of the country of Denmark, becoming a man and learning about the responsibilities and tasks in which need to be performed in order to take care of and rule of not only the state but also the people. However, instead of doing so, Hamlet becomes engaged in his fathers murder, in which turns his attention to seeking revenge on his uncle, the man who committed the crime. One with such high education and connections well throughout the state would assume to have thought of a greater plan of revenge rather than death. As with power also comes strength, Hamlet did not have to go to such lengths of madness, and isolation in order to achieve such end of means.

Hamlet Character Analysis Essay

The tragedy, “Hamlet” written by William Shakespeare, who formulated a play about the young Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, who faces the emotions, depression, anger, and uncertainty due to the murder of his father, King Hamlet. The man who conducted this unlawful action was Hamlet's uncle, step-father and the new King of Denmark, Claudius. Hamlet desires to seek revenge upon Claudius for his father's murder and the incestuous relationship between him (Claudius) and Gertrude (Hamlet's mother). In prince's first soliloquy, he contemplates on committing suicide because he faces difficulty in mourning of the death of his father whom he greatly adored. Moments later, he expressed his emotions on his mother's decision to marry her dead husband's brother, Claudius. This marriage is incest because, Gertrude, a widowed wife, marries her brother-in-law, Claudius whom is considered as "family" during the Elizabethan era. His emotions present itself in act one scene two where Hamlet goes through a state of depression because of his father's death, and then leads to anger because of the relationship between Gertrude and Claudius. Later on in the play, Hamlet reaches a point of anger that drives him towards the idea of seeking revenge. In brief, Shakespeare applies Hamlet's soliloquies to track his character development throughout the tragedy by utilizing various literary devices.

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Betrayal in Hamlet and the Lion King: a Comparative Analysis

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Comparing Power and Betrayal in Hamlet and The Lion King

Hamlet vs. The Lion King Hamlet is a world-renowned piece of literature written by the great William Shakespeare. It reveals the struggles of a family that is corrupt and overrun by power so bad that it kills. The play Hamlet proves that power is the root of all evil, especially when it goes to the extent of killing your own blood. The Lion King is very similar to Hamlet in numerous ways.

Simba, the son of Mufasa, is heir to Pride Rock and the Kingdom when Mufasa is murdered by Simba’s uncle Scar. Scar takes over as leader of Pride Rock and the Kingdom after murdering Mufasa, leaving Simba on the back burner just as Claudius did to Hamlet. It would be obnoxious to disagree that Hamlet and The Lion King are not alike.

Shared Motifs and Themes: Greed, Revenge, and Family Dispute

Both Hamlet and The Lion King display the same motifs, such as greed, betrayal, power, Revenge, and family dispute, while the two works are also different in some ways.The characters in both Hamlet and The Lion King have some of the same characteristics and lifestyles. Hamlet and Simba are both heirs to a royal spot when their Father passes away. The fathers of both Hamlet and Simba are murdered by their uncle while their uncle takes over as the king. King Hamlet and King Simba were very close to their sons and asked to avenge their deaths as ghosts. Both Hamlet and The Lion King have a set of lovebirds. Hamlet had his lovebird Ophelia, and Simba had his crush Nala, who would never admit they liked each other, even though everyone knew they did. Both Hamlet and Simba had their good friends after the death of their fathers. Hamlet had Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to go to for help when needed. Both of them helped watch out for Claudius upon Hamlet’s request.

Although his close friends turned on him and took Polonius’s side later on. Simba ends up being close friends with Pumbaa and Timon, and they share humor, just as Hamlet does in the play. Both Hamlet and The Lion King display some of the same themes, although some are different. In Hamlet, the motif of death is quite obvious. Hamlet becomes consumed with the thought of death. First, he considers ending his life due to the grief after his Father’s death. Then, he believes that if he carries through with his plans, he will go to hell. This leads to his famous “to be or not to be” speech. Hamlet is constantly thinking about ways to kill his uncle. He then takes a journey to meet his goal, which is to avenge the death of his Father and his uncle. However, this leads to the death of himself later on. In The Lion King, Simba thinks about avenging his Father’s death, at which he succeeds, but never thinks about killing himself, although he wishes he were dead at times. At the beginning of the movie, the camera looks up towards Simba. The importance of Simba’s birth is immense, although Simba may be oblivious to the fact at the time. Another thing that they take after each other is both Simba and Hamlet wish to be dead at one point. When Timon and Pumbaa find Simba, they believe Simba is dead, but he is not, although he wishes to be. The same could be said about Hamlet when he questions his life: “To be, or not to be.”

Tragic Heroes: Hamlet and Simba

Like Hamlet, Simba reflects on himself when he is alone. Hamlet and Simba are perfect examples of tragic heroes. Both are tested to the extent of their inner strength and faith in the pride of good. Betrayal is a huge motif displayed in both Hamlet and The Lion King. Claudius is a snake due to the fact that he has betrayed his nephew, Hamlet, by not only killing his Father but marrying his mother. Just as Simba was betrayed by his uncle Scar for killing his Father and taking Simba’s spot as the alpha lion. Polonius betrayed Laertes by sending people to spy on him. He told Laertes, “This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man” (Shakespeare 1.3.84-86). But Polonius himself spies on Laertes, going back on his own words. While Claudius poisons the drink that Hamlet is supposed to drink, he fails to let Gertrude know. When she picked the glass up to have a drink, he just stared and was at a loss for words as she drank to her death. Claudius even betrayed his own wife and basically murdered her just as he murdered his Brother. Furthermore, Betrayal is something that heals over time. In the case of both Hamlet and The Lion King, it seems to never heal as tensions rise between both nephew and uncle as time goes on.

But who can blame Hamlet and Simba as they have had their Father murdered by a close family member? Some say money is the root of all evil. One could argue that betrayal is the root of all evil because “Betrayal is evil when done upon a fellow blood member.” (Kramer). It is sickening to even think about an uncle killing your Father just so he can be king, just as Claudius did. Maybe it is possible to argue power is the root of all evil since that’s why Claudius killed King Hamlet. Hamlet and The Lion King accurately show us the ultimate betrayal that can be done to someone. Next, Revenge plays a huge role in both Hamlet and The Lion King. After Hamlet’s Father is murdered by Claudius, his Father appears as a ghost and asks him to get Revenge on Claudius. “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. – Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.” (Shakespeare 1.5.31-34). Hamlet is not the only person seeking Revenge. Young Fortinbras wants Revenge on Denmark and the land that was taken from his Father after he lost the battle. In The Lion King, Mufasa appears as a ghost to Simba, just as King Hamlet did to Hamlet to encourage him that he can defeat Scar and have the Kingdom that he just does not know what he is capable of doing.

“Look inside yourself; you are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of life……..You are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are.” (Minkoff, The Lion King). Both King Hamlet and Mufasa want their sons to get what they deserve and to take over and kill their uncles. Moreover, Revenge seems to keep you on your toes during both Hamlet and The Lion King, as one can tell by the background presented in both works. Humans, when they feel betrayed or hurt, jump to conclusions and want to seek revenge ‘But the desire to seek revenge is as natural to human beings as grief, happiness, and fear” (Thornton). Just as Hamlet jumped to the conclusion that his uncle Claudius had killed his Father with no proof at the time. Although It is a natural instinct during grief to do as he did. Hamlet eventually hosts a play that proves his Father was murdered by his uncle Claudius due to his emotions and actions during the play. Hamlet then had the desire to seek Revenge on Claudius, wanting him dead before he confessed his sins. Next, the theme of good vs. evil is depicted.

The Evolution of Good vs. Evil: Comparing Endings

Both works have a hero who plans to defeat their uncle. In the play, the battle of good vs. evil is far worse than in the movie The Lion King. It has a gruesome ending, with nothing but blood and tears left as people stand and watch their royal family lie dead on the floor. Hamlet not only kills his uncle but also kills himself while other people die as well near them. Fortunately, in The Lion King, the hero, Simba, defeats Scar, who is the villain, without being killed himself. The only death was Scar. In The Lion King, Simba successfully kills Scar without any other family member dying, unlike its comparative play, Hamlet, who lost his whole family in basically one bout with Laertes. Family disputes are not uncommon. Think about being young and arguing over something so simple. Usually, it would be where everyone wanted to eat. It just so happens that the family disputes in Hamlet and The Lion King all tie back to one major thing called Betrayal. Usually, families today fuss and makeup, but feelings are still sore. “Disputes between family members often tear them apart” (Lynch.) The dispute between Hamlet’s family was appalling and took out his whole family. All the while, Simba’s family stayed intact, and eventually, Simba got what he was destined to get.He gained his royal spot as the leader.

Lastly, there are a few differences to be found between Hamlet and The Lion King, but they tend to be meaningless. There is no absolute representation of the relationship between Simba and his mother, Sarabi; there are no sexual altercations in the movie as there are in Hamlet. Simba is crowned king, and the Pridelands return to their original greatness as before when Mufasa was king. Disney was able to retain all the conflict and emotion that Hamlet felt and create a storyline and characters that are alike that would appeal to children so that they can understand in a better way because Shakespeare himself is hard to understand. This includes the large audience that Shakespeare appeals to. There is even an allusion made by Timon that points to Shakespeare. ‘What’s in a name?’ Both Hamlet and Simba find themselves and do great things for their countries because of that. In conclusion, Hamlet and The Lion King are both very similar acts of work. They both display greed, betrayal, Revenge, and what happens when power takes control over a family. Both the play and the movie help us understand how power can ruin a family and how Revenge can wipe out a whole castle. They both adequately develop a storyline that motifs can be found in today’s times. Hamlet and The Lion King teach us a lesson on how it is important to put family first and to love unconditionally because the consequences are much more substantial than the actions.

References:

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Act 3, Scene 1, Line 57.

Minkoff, Roger (Director). The Lion King. Walt Disney Pictures, 1994.

Kramer, T. “Betrayal and Evil.” Journal of Ethics and Moral Philosophy, vol. 3, no. 2, 2021, pp. 145-160.

Thornton, A. “The Nature of Revenge: Psychological and Ethical Considerations.” Journal of Psychological Studies, vol. 25, no. 1, 2019, pp. 78-92.

Lynch, J. “Family Disputes and their Impact on Relationships.” Journal of Family Dynamics, vol. 42, no. 3, 2018, pp. 215-230.

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Betrayal in Hamlet and The Lion King: A Comparative Analysis. (2023, Aug 29). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/betrayal-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king-a-comparative-analysis/

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PapersOwl.com. (2023). Betrayal in Hamlet and The Lion King: A Comparative Analysis . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/betrayal-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king-a-comparative-analysis/ [Accessed: 21 Apr. 2024]

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PapersOwl.com. (2023). Betrayal in Hamlet and The Lion King: A Comparative Analysis . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/betrayal-in-hamlet-and-the-lion-king-a-comparative-analysis/ [Accessed: 21-Apr-2024]

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Hamlet loyalty & betrayal

Hamlet is loyal to his dead daddy’s memory

But must also be loyal to his moral core

Gertrude is loyal to her hot new husband

But in doing so betrays the one that went before

Ophelia is loyal to her daddy Polonius

But in doing so betrays her true love & her heart

Claudius is loyal to his own selfish interests

And hides pangs of guilt cause he’s really quite smart

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are loyal to the Crown

But betray their old schoolfriend by spying on him

Leartes is loyal to his daddy’s memory

But in dealing with Claudius is really quite dim

Horatio is loyal to his buddy/boss Hamlet

And never betrays him unlike all the others

Hamlet can’t handle the pain of betrayal

His girlfriend, his mammy and his daddy’s own brother!

He goes slightly mental and loses perspective

Thinks everyone is evil and just wants to die

Meanwhile his mammy and girlfriend Ophelia

Are so worried about him they agree to spy

How else will they ever discover the reason

He’s acting so strange & erratic and odd?

But he sees what they’re doing and feels so betrayed

As they trample all over his loyalty roughshod

All of this treason, deception & falseness

Makes Hamlet behave quite unlike his true self(s)

He wants Claudius to burn an eternity in hell

Kills Polonius, attacks Laertes, sends R&G to their deaths

That’s all I’ve got for you on loyalty & betrayal

My rhymes are getting ropey so I’d better stop

Just remember to write in a more formal style

And add plenty of quotes so your answer’s not a flop!

2 responses to “ Hamlet loyalty & betrayal ”

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NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism

David Folkenflik

NPR suspended senior editor Uri Berliner for five days without pay after he wrote an essay accusing the network of losing the public's trust and appeared on a podcast to explain his argument. Uri Berliner hide caption

NPR suspended senior editor Uri Berliner for five days without pay after he wrote an essay accusing the network of losing the public's trust and appeared on a podcast to explain his argument.

NPR has formally punished Uri Berliner, the senior editor who publicly argued a week ago that the network had "lost America's trust" by approaching news stories with a rigidly progressive mindset.

Berliner's five-day suspension without pay, which began last Friday, has not been previously reported.

Yet the public radio network is grappling in other ways with the fallout from Berliner's essay for the online news site The Free Press . It angered many of his colleagues, led NPR leaders to announce monthly internal reviews of the network's coverage, and gave fresh ammunition to conservative and partisan Republican critics of NPR, including former President Donald Trump.

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo is among those now targeting NPR's new chief executive, Katherine Maher, for messages she posted to social media years before joining the network. Among others, those posts include a 2020 tweet that called Trump racist and another that appeared to minimize rioting during social justice protests that year. Maher took the job at NPR last month — her first at a news organization .

In a statement Monday about the messages she had posted, Maher praised the integrity of NPR's journalists and underscored the independence of their reporting.

"In America everyone is entitled to free speech as a private citizen," she said. "What matters is NPR's work and my commitment as its CEO: public service, editorial independence, and the mission to serve all of the American public. NPR is independent, beholden to no party, and without commercial interests."

The network noted that "the CEO is not involved in editorial decisions."

In an interview with me later on Monday, Berliner said the social media posts demonstrated Maher was all but incapable of being the person best poised to direct the organization.

"We're looking for a leader right now who's going to be unifying and bring more people into the tent and have a broader perspective on, sort of, what America is all about," Berliner said. "And this seems to be the opposite of that."

Conservative critics of NPR are now targeting its new chief executive, Katherine Maher, for messages she posted to social media years before joining the public radio network last month. Stephen Voss/Stephen Voss hide caption

Conservative critics of NPR are now targeting its new chief executive, Katherine Maher, for messages she posted to social media years before joining the public radio network last month.

He said that he tried repeatedly to make his concerns over NPR's coverage known to news leaders and to Maher's predecessor as chief executive before publishing his essay.

Berliner has singled out coverage of several issues dominating the 2020s for criticism, including trans rights, the Israel-Hamas war and COVID. Berliner says he sees the same problems at other news organizations, but argues NPR, as a mission-driven institution, has a greater obligation to fairness.

"I love NPR and feel it's a national trust," Berliner says. "We have great journalists here. If they shed their opinions and did the great journalism they're capable of, this would be a much more interesting and fulfilling organization for our listeners."

A "final warning"

The circumstances surrounding the interview were singular.

Berliner provided me with a copy of the formal rebuke to review. NPR did not confirm or comment upon his suspension for this article.

In presenting Berliner's suspension Thursday afternoon, the organization told the editor he had failed to secure its approval for outside work for other news outlets, as is required of NPR journalists. It called the letter a "final warning," saying Berliner would be fired if he violated NPR's policy again. Berliner is a dues-paying member of NPR's newsroom union but says he is not appealing the punishment.

The Free Press is a site that has become a haven for journalists who believe that mainstream media outlets have become too liberal. In addition to his essay, Berliner appeared in an episode of its podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss.

A few hours after the essay appeared online, NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi reminded Berliner of the requirement that he secure approval before appearing in outside press, according to a copy of the note provided by Berliner.

In its formal rebuke, NPR did not cite Berliner's appearance on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation program last Tuesday night, for which NPR gave him the green light. (NPR's chief communications officer told Berliner to focus on his own experience and not share proprietary information.) The NPR letter also did not cite his remarks to The New York Times , which ran its article mid-afternoon Thursday, shortly before the reprimand was sent. Berliner says he did not seek approval before talking with the Times .

NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust

Berliner says he did not get permission from NPR to speak with me for this story but that he was not worried about the consequences: "Talking to an NPR journalist and being fired for that would be extraordinary, I think."

Berliner is a member of NPR's business desk, as am I, and he has helped to edit many of my stories. He had no involvement in the preparation of this article and did not see it before it was posted publicly.

In rebuking Berliner, NPR said he had also publicly released proprietary information about audience demographics, which it considers confidential. He said those figures "were essentially marketing material. If they had been really good, they probably would have distributed them and sent them out to the world."

Feelings of anger and betrayal inside the newsroom

His essay and subsequent public remarks stirred deep anger and dismay within NPR. Colleagues contend Berliner cherry-picked examples to fit his arguments and challenge the accuracy of his accounts. They also note he did not seek comment from the journalists involved in the work he cited.

Morning Edition host Michel Martin told me some colleagues at the network share Berliner's concerns that coverage is frequently presented through an ideological or idealistic prism that can alienate listeners.

"The way to address that is through training and mentorship," says Martin, herself a veteran of nearly two decades at the network who has also reported for The Wall Street Journal and ABC News. "It's not by blowing the place up, by trashing your colleagues, in full view of people who don't really care about it anyway."

Several NPR journalists told me they are no longer willing to work with Berliner as they no longer have confidence that he will keep private their internal musings about stories as they work through coverage.

"Newsrooms run on trust," NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben tweeted last week, without mentioning Berliner by name. "If you violate everyone's trust by going to another outlet and sh--ing on your colleagues (while doing a bad job journalistically, for that matter), I don't know how you do your job now."

Berliner rejected that critique, saying nothing in his essay or subsequent remarks betrayed private observations or arguments about coverage.

Other newsrooms are also grappling with questions over news judgment and confidentiality. On Monday, New York Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn announced to his staff that the newspaper's inquiry into who leaked internal dissent over a planned episode of its podcast The Daily to another news outlet proved inconclusive. The episode was to focus on a December report on the use of sexual assault as part of the Hamas attack on Israel in October. Audio staffers aired doubts over how well the reporting stood up to scrutiny.

"We work together with trust and collegiality everyday on everything we produce, and I have every expectation that this incident will prove to be a singular exception to an important rule," Kahn wrote to Times staffers.

At NPR, some of Berliner's colleagues have weighed in online against his claim that the network has focused on diversifying its workforce without a concomitant commitment to diversity of viewpoint. Recently retired Chief Executive John Lansing has referred to this pursuit of diversity within NPR's workforce as its " North Star ," a moral imperative and chief business strategy.

In his essay, Berliner tagged the strategy as a failure, citing the drop in NPR's broadcast audiences and its struggle to attract more Black and Latino listeners in particular.

"During most of my tenure here, an open-minded, curious culture prevailed. We were nerdy, but not knee-jerk, activist, or scolding," Berliner writes. "In recent years, however, that has changed."

Berliner writes, "For NPR, which purports to consider all things, it's devastating both for its journalism and its business model."

NPR investigative reporter Chiara Eisner wrote in a comment for this story: "Minorities do not all think the same and do not report the same. Good reporters and editors should know that by now. It's embarrassing to me as a reporter at NPR that a senior editor here missed that point in 2024."

Some colleagues drafted a letter to Maher and NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, seeking greater clarity on NPR's standards for its coverage and the behavior of its journalists — clearly pointed at Berliner.

A plan for "healthy discussion"

On Friday, CEO Maher stood up for the network's mission and the journalism, taking issue with Berliner's critique, though never mentioning him by name. Among her chief issues, she said Berliner's essay offered "a criticism of our people on the basis of who we are."

Berliner took great exception to that, saying she had denigrated him. He said that he supported diversifying NPR's workforce to look more like the U.S. population at large. She did not address that in a subsequent private exchange he shared with me for this story. (An NPR spokesperson declined further comment.)

Late Monday afternoon, Chapin announced to the newsroom that Executive Editor Eva Rodriguez would lead monthly meetings to review coverage.

"Among the questions we'll ask of ourselves each month: Did we capture the diversity of this country — racial, ethnic, religious, economic, political geographic, etc — in all of its complexity and in a way that helped listeners and readers recognize themselves and their communities?" Chapin wrote in the memo. "Did we offer coverage that helped them understand — even if just a bit better — those neighbors with whom they share little in common?"

Berliner said he welcomed the announcement but would withhold judgment until those meetings played out.

In a text for this story, Chapin said such sessions had been discussed since Lansing unified the news and programming divisions under her acting leadership last year.

"Now seemed [the] time to deliver if we were going to do it," Chapin said. "Healthy discussion is something we need more of."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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