Read the excerpt from act iii of hamlet. claudius: have you heard the argument? is there no offence in ’t? hamlet: no, no, they do but jest, poison in jest; no offence i’ the world. claudius: what do you call the play? hamlet: the mouse-trap. marry, how? tropically. this play is the image of a murder done in vienna: gonzago is the duke’s name; his wife, baptista. you shall see anon; ’tis a knavish piece of work: but what of that? your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches us not: let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung. hamlet’s character is complex in the excerpt because he is unable to explain the play. his actions symbolize cruelty. he conceals his true motivation. his play provides a spiritual lesson.