Appearance vs. Reality

A detailed Summary of Appearance vs. Reality

Daniel Webster once stated, "The world is governed more by appearances than realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it." In other words, much of what goes on in the world is due to what people think rather than what actually is; therefore, the only thing one must do is present himself in the way he wants others to believe he truly is. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare best exemplifies this quote by the use of various literary devices, including characterization, symbols, and soliloquies. The play makes several references to how things appear versus the truth. Through Shakespeare's in depth development of the theme of appearance vs. reality, nearly everything in the tragedy must be questioned at some point due to the uncertainty of appearances.

Firstly, the theme of appearance vs. reality is established at the very beginning of the play when the dead King appears to have been bitten by a snake. In reality, he has been poisoned. Also, early in the play, the Ghost appears as an apparition from hell, but he is actually there to serve a purpose. He is in truth revealing the facts to Hamlet about the reality of his father's death as well as foreshadowing the death and destruction i

Having the death of his father still in mind and the recent remarrying of his mother, Hamlet cannot go on playing the part of a Prince. He begins to resent the way that things appear to run as normal. Shakespeare uses a soliloquy by the young Hamlet in Act I, scene ii to portray these dreadful feelings of hatred towards his mother. Naturally when Hamlet finds out from his father's ghost that his uncle was the King's murderer, his life again has purpose. Now his only purpose is to avenge the death. In order to do this, Hamlet feels that the best way to carry out his plan is to take on the appearance that he is truly insane. In Act I, scene v, Hamlet states, "As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on." In this way, he makes a promise to the ghost that he will remember the ghost and do what he can to avenge his father's death. It may seem at first to be hypocritical for Hamlet to take on an act after being characterized in opposition to falseness in others, but he only does it to conceal his intentions, which he believes are for the public good. Furthermore, at his current state, he did not have much to lose, being on the verge of suicide.

Although Hamlet uses his antic disposition to cover his plans, he also uses it as an excuse for bad behavior. His comments to Ophelia before the play in Act III, scene ii are painfully cruel. His play on words insults Ophelia greatly when he asks her whether he may lie in her lap. Through his punning though, Hamlet reveals his tormented state to the reader. At this point it is unsure whether Hamlet is truly beginning to go insane or not. Also, the way in which he condemned Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to death towards the end of the play would have been an example of what he

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Approximate Word count = 1188
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English