In “Hamlet”, William Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, hides a great internal conflict throughout the play. As a result, Hamlet contradicts himself many times throughout the play, causing the unnecessary deaths of many others. In addition to trying to be true to himself, Hamlet is an expert at playing roles and making people believe him falsely. The roles he plays are ones where he feigns madness to achieve his goals. While for a second Hamlet pretends to be under a strange spell of madness, a few seconds later he may become perfectly calm. He struggles with the question of avenging his father's death. He vows to kill Claudio but then backs out several times. Hamlet's actions throughout the play support this deceptive nature. His dual personality is the foundation of his madness. There are many examples that illustrate how Hamlet's deceptive nature results in tragedy due to his inability to choose which role to play. In the first act, Hamlet seems to be very straightforward in his actions and role. When his mother questions him, Hamlet says, "It seems, lady? No, it is. I know not, it seems" (1.2.76). By saying this, Hamlet lets Gertrude know that he is the one she sees, torn apart by the death of his father. Next, he makes a clear statement about his state of mind when he pledges to take revenge. "I will erase all the trivial fond memories, all the book saws, all the forms, all the pressures of the past, that youth and observation copied there, and your commandment all alone will live in the book and volume of my brain" (1.5. 100 -104). In that statement, Hamlet declares that he will engage in nothing other than revenge for his father's death. There is no confusion about Hamlet's character in the first act. He previously said that's what it looks like, and there's no reason to doubt it. In the next act, Hamlet's intentions suddenly become confused. In the first act, Hamlet was devoted and inspired in his pursuit of revenge. However, when Hamlet reappears in the second act, he loses the conviction that was present before. He still has to follow the orders given to him by the ghost. He spends the act walking, reading and talking with Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenst... middle of the paper... I loved her, but he didn't. If he had loved her he wouldn't have treated her so badly before. Now he is engaged in acting and loving Ophelia suits the role. In the rest of the play Hamlet maintains his determination. He barely has time to tell his story of escape to Horace before he is challenged. He does not refuse the challenge because as a nobility he cannot refuse and must maintain his honor. Hamlet goes to the match and since he has now accepted the role, he does not hesitate to kill the king when asked to do so. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet struggles with an internal conflict that ultimately costs not only Claudius' life, but many others, including his own. He even feels that playing a role can transform his inner feelings too. While one moment Hamlet is busy with revenge, the next moment he is unsure whether Claudius was the murderer. In one scene Hamlet praises the acting and fulfills his role, but in the next he decides to postpone his actions. If Hamlet had followed through with his actions and not argued so often, there would have been fewer deaths. Hamlet's failure to act leads to everyone's death.