Act 3 Theme

For Act 3, I think the theme is Disillusionment/Betrayal because so many people are deceiving others, at their own will and because they were told to. Ophelia loves Hamlet but pretends not to for her father. Hamlets friends admit to being hired in order to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. The King and Queen are not voicing their concerns for Hamlet but going around him to try and fix what is making him mad. Every one close to Hamlet is lying and sneaking around him to try and discover what is truly the matter. No one has been frank with Hamlet to try and solve the problem, they think secrecy and multiple plans is the solution and easiest way for them to get to the bottom of things, but it is not. It is simply causing Hamlet to feel alone in the castle with no one to reach out to for help. This is why in his time of need he also sets up a plan, to trick the king into revealing that he has killed his brother. More scheming involves a way to kill the king for revenge and causes him to kill polonius out of rashness. Personal reaction: Honesty is not being used by anyone in the play and it is the cause of most of the confusion and drama. Without that tension of lies and schemes, there would be no driving force for the show. It is definitely living up to the theme of misunderstanding so far.