Prevalence of Betrayal in Betrayal in the City by Francis Imbuga and Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Fatha Aden Abdirahman
Department of Psychology, Languages and Humanities, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
Margaret Njoki Mwihia
School of Social Sciences, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
ABSTRACT:
Betrayal stands as motifs recurrently explored across literary works throughout history. Across diverse literary genres, authors have extensively discussed betrayal and justice, illuminating their psychological impacts and broader societal implications. While numerous studies have been conducted on the theme of betrayal in literature, there remains inadequate knowledge regarding their psychological effects in specific texts such as Betrayal in the City by Francis Imbuga and Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The current study sought to bridge this gap by conducting a critical analysis of betrayal in the aforementioned texts. The study employed reader response theory, to guide the analysis. The researcher employed descriptive research design, where qualitative data was gathered using intensive reading of the texts which were purposively sampled. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and present the obtained data. The findings indicated that in Betrayal in the City, betrayal is evident through the government’s suppression of cultural practices, Jusper’s ostracism by students, Mulili’s betrayal of friends, and Tumbo’s failure to protect Regina. Betrayal is also central in Shakespeare’s work, moreso in Hamlet, with Claudius’s murder of King Hamlet disrupting the natural order, Hamlet’s quest for revenge, and various betrayals leading to moral and political instability. The study concluded that betrayal is a central theme in both Betrayal in the City and Hamlet, manifesting through personal and political actions that disrupt societal and moral order.
Published in: International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Topics (Volume 5, Issue 10, October 2024)
Page(s): 76-82
Date of Publication: 31/10/2024
Publisher: IJRAMT
Cite as: Fatha Aden Abdirahman, Margaret Njoki Mwihia, “Prevalence of Betrayal in Betrayal in the City by Francis Imbuga and Hamlet by William Shakespeare,” in International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Topics, vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 76-82, October 2024.