Hamlet's metaphor for the betrayal of his friends In Shakespeare's Hamlet, act three, scene two, line 327, Hamlet is in the middle of a conversation with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, which, as usual for Hamlet, is full of puzzles and double meanings. The discovery that the visit of his old school friends in Denmark is not accidental, but is actually part of a plot by Claudius to understand why Hamlet has gone mad. Therefore, after discovering the reasons for their return to Denmark, Hamlet no longer has any trust or camaraderie for his former friends. To create confusion for both Claudio and the two hired spies, he participates in the dialogue with the two, although his relationship is no longer the same as it once was. Instead of the honest friendship she has with Horatio, she is very impersonal with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz since she learned of their association with the king. He converses with the two in a cryptic manner, full of mind games of riddles and confusion, drawing a brilliant analogy to their attempt to get the truth out of him by playing a tape recorder. After the play Hamlet orchestrated as an experiment to test Claudius' reaction. , Hamlet continues in a conversation with the spies. Hamlet ordered Horatio to observe Claudius closely to study the king's reaction to the play that so closely resembles his situation. Horatio determined that Hamlet's suspicions of Claudius were well-founded due to Claudius' overreaction and abandonment of the play. After Horatio's judgment, Hamlet has determined that the ghost's message must be true, so he must move forward with revenge for his father's ghost. Just as they discuss their conclusions, courtiers Guildenstern and Rosencrantz enter to have the affair described... middle of paper... Guildenstern and Rosencrantz's ambitions. Show them that it's ridiculous that they try so hard to single him out for information that he would never divulge. Throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark consistently speaks with a disconcerting wit. With his mastery of argument and speech, he goes around his former friends who have been hired to extract information from him. Of course, Claudius ends up looking like the silliest character for employing the two who are certainly no match for Hamlet, as Hamlet was suspicious of the two immediately after their return to Denmark. Hamlet describes the humor and outrageousness of their attempted espionage. Although he resents the betrayal of their friendship, he finds their incompetence amusing. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Global Shakespeare Theater Series. 1996.