The legitimate area of action for the psychiatrist is not yet clearly defined. This paper studies psychotherapy, comparing it with the role expectations of friendship. Parallels are drawn from Shakespeare's Hamlet between the true friendship of Horatio for Hamlet and the psychiatrist's stance toward the other, and between the false friendship of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for Hamlet and the psychiatrist's action on behalf of society. The author urges the psychiatrist to carefully consider the ethical implications of "pseudotherapy."Abstract Teaser