Shakespeares Hamlet - The Reality of Appearances Essay

The Reality of Appearances in Hamlet Within Hamlet the notion of appearances (through apparitions and mental afflictions) lies in direct dichotomy of reality. This becomes evident through both plot and character. The continual demise in Hamlet’s mental state is an important issue which leads us to question his actions and motives within the play. In this essay I shall be attempting to elucidate how the reality of appearances is a central theme. The plays plot is full of incidents and events that are not what they appear to be. One such incident is Ophelias ambiguous death. When, from the Queen, the audience first learns of her passing, the girls death seems very peaceful, poetic and accidental. But later,†¦show more content†¦There are also many spy plots set up during the play which may also be considered as deceiving events. These spy plots demonstrate the appearance versus reality theme since they are invisible to the spied upon, but weave a web of dishonesty. In Act II, Scene 1, Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes. Polonius does not trust his own son. Later, Hamlet directs a play entitled The Mouse Trap in order to spy on the King, Claudius. He does this to know whether or not Claudius is guilty of his own brothers murder. Hamlet is by far the most observed character throughout the play. Claudius first calls upon two of Hamlets old friends, Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. He asks them to try to find the source of Hamlets madness. Polonius and the King himself later spy on Hamlet. This time, they use Ophelia to try to expose the reason of Hamlets madness. Another spy scene occurs in the Closet Scene when Polonius eavesdrops on Hamlet and the Queen. This proves fatal for the old lord chamberlain. Through Ophelias death, the Triple-Pronged plan, and the various spy plots, the audience becomes aware of the beguiling nature of Hamlets plot. Shakespeare also used the characters in Hamlet to explore the theme of appearance versus reality. 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