Appearance and Reality in Shakespeare's Hamlet

One example we see of reality vs. The imagined is when Hamlet first encounters the ghost. This scene is powerful because it sets the mood for the rest of the play. He cannot decide if the ghost is really the ghost of his father or something worse. He calls the ghost a "goblin damned" (I.iv.44) but then later, he comes to the conclusion that the ghost might not be evil after all and calls it, "King, father, Royal Dane" (Shakespeare I.iv.50). Another scene where things are not quite what they seem to be is when Hamlet feigns his madness when he is around Polonius and Polonius comments that Hamlet is not himself. (I.iii.124) the appearance of madness can also bee seen in the following scene when Hamlet is with Ophelia. Here, his is faking his madness that he crushes Ophelia. He certainly doe not seem like the man that was once in love with her. He admits to loving "her once" (III.i.125) and then he says, "I loved you not." (III.i.26-8). This is a powerful scene because we begin to think that Hamlet is not what he seems and we cannot figure him out.

Another scene where things are not what they seem is when Hamlet is talking to refuses to give Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a direct answer regarding Polonius' body. He says the "body is with the King, but the king is not with the body them a straight answer, instead saying, "The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body" (IV.ii.27-8).

Here we see how Hamlet is making others believe that things are not what they seem. In the final scene of the play, nothing is at it appears when it comes to beverages and swords. Gertrude drinks from a poisoned glass unknowingly and Hamlet ends up using Laertes' poisoned sword against him without knowing that it was intended to kill.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Washington Square Press. 1992.