Hamlet - Appearence Vs Reality Essay example - 830 Words

Appearence vs Reality Possibly the best piece of writing ever done by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, is a classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers, and usually dies at the end. Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, Brutus falls on his sword, and like them Hamlet dies by getting cut with a poison tipped sword. The theme that remains constant throughout the play is appearance versus reality. Things within the play appear to be true and honest but in reality are polluted with evil. Many of the characters within the play hide behind a mask of dishonesty. Four of the main characters that hid behind this mask are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and the king Claudius. From behind this mask they give the impression of a†¦show more content†¦Hamlet insults them at every chance knowing that they are lying to him about their purpose of the visit, amp;quot;’Tis as easy as lying: govern these ventages with you finger and thumb, give it breath with your mouth...amp;quot; (Shakesp eare 3:2:348) The twins show their appearance of being Hamlets friends but in truth they have a hidden reason for visiting with Hamlet. Both show that it will be very difficult for Hamlet to uncover the reliability hidden within the lies. Polonius the king’s royal associate plays an important role in developing appearance. He always wants to keep up the look of loving and caring person. Polonius appears like a man who loves and cares about his son, Laertes. He speaks to him with advice that sounds sincere but in reality it is not. It is hollow and without feeling. Polonius gives his advice only to appear to be the loving and caring father. The reality is he only speaks to appear sincere as a politician, to look good rather then actually be good, quot;And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry†¦amp;quot; (Shakespeare 1:3:77) Also Polonius adds to the theme appearance verses reality by ordering Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet. He lies to her by telling her that Hamlet does not love her, he only wants to have fun with her. However in truth Hamlet does love Ophelia. Through the play Polonius pretends to be honestShow MoreRelatedAppearence vs. Reality in William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1671 Words   |  7 Pages amp;#65279;Appearance vs. Reality nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there is a dominant and overwhelming theme that is concurrent throughout the play. Throughout the play, all the characters appear as one thing on the outside, yet on the inside they are completely different. The theme of appearance versus reality surrounds Hamlet due to the fact that the characters portray themselves as one person on the outside, and one different on the inside. In the play, Claudius