Hamlet spying and deception

Who’s there?” (1,I,1), is the opening line of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, a question asked by a soldier on guard duty. A sentinel starting his midnight shift normally expects to relieve his fellow sentry as usual; yet he still wonders and challenges the identity of his fellow sentry, because he wonders if it may be someone spying. The question displays that there is a need to assure that one is not being deceived. …

…promise he made to his father. In Hamlet, the theme appearance versus reality, lingers throughout the play, through deception or spying. Each character in the play is a victim or a victimizer and suffers the consequences, realizing that once deception is started it is never really stopped. The deception comes to an end as does the play, after eight unnecessary deaths, which could have been avoided if it were not for deception and then spying.