Preview

Hamlet Appearance Vs Reality Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1216 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hamlet Appearance Vs Reality Analysis
Hamlet supports a large array of themes, but I feel that the most prominent theme, by far, must be that of Appearance vs Reality. Shakespeare’s work, very much open to interpretation of the individual reader, makes the question of the central theme one that proves difficult to choose but simple to support no matter the decision. The play, filled with problems and questions answered with yeses or noes or anywhere in-between, creates a large area for discussion and person identification. Whether the reader supports the theme of Women, Poison and Corruption, or any of the other themes said to be present in the play it proves fairly simple to build a case to support it. With all that, I have decided to support the stance of viewing Appearance vs Reality as the central theme as I feel it seems the most logical and the most widely supported theme throughout the work. Overall, the theme of Appearance vs reality proves to be the best fitting central theme throughout the story because it encompasses other smaller themes, such as Madness vs Sanity and Justice and Revenge, and it is the most widely supported theme as a whole. To begin, the theme of Appearance vs Reality can in fact encompass many of the other supposed major themes throughout the play such as those of Justice and …show more content…
Appearance vs Reality provides the most logical answer to the question of the central theme in Hamlet as it shows in nearly every aspect of the story. Hamlet, classified a problem play filled with uncertainty in unanswered questions, leaves the reader to question if all is as it appears to be at any given moment. In brief, the yeses, noes, and maybes throughout the play make up a theme of Appearance vs Reality and leaves many questions open to interpretation of the reader allowing for varying views and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Appearance vs. reality in Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, is a jaded yet common theme. This play is teeming with characters that play their roles behind a veil of duplicity. They often appear to be one way when they really are something entirely different. 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 King Claudius. From behind this mask they give the impression of a person who is sincere and true, in reality they are overwhelmed with lies and evil.…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Any critical evaluation of the play “Hamlet” must be chiefly concerned with the character of Hamlet. Unlike Shakespeare’s other tragedies, “Hamlet” is singular in purpose and scope-it is the story of one man’s personal and moral collapse under the weight of his own (and other’s) decisions, intentions and machinations. The play is not complicated with subplots and extraneous secondary characters, but is wholly focused on the man himself. This dedication to a singular dramatic intention paradoxically makes for “Hamlet” to be, subjectively, Shakespeare most confusing play. It is problematic in its protagonists’ inscrutability, his missing motives, his contradictory actions, and his utter implacability to settle into one stable character. Almost everything he does further contradicts him as an individual in the world of the play and as a dramatic character. For this reason my critical evaluation of the play is that it is artistically self defeating due to its own subversions of character and dramatic convention, and this should render it unfulfilling and disappointing as a dramatic performance. Paradoxically, the plays confusion renders it all the more infuriatingly readable-it is both alienating and enticing, a work which defeats itself in its own realisation and at the same time is only worthwhile and meaningful in this artistic enigma-the individual components should not work, yet it does strike a powerful emotional and dramatic resonance in its completion. Many aspects of “Hamlet” as a text are easily criticised-it is certainly a work with a large amount of problems. However, in a rather subversive and mysterious manner the play is a wonderful work of literature.…

    • 1441 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare Major Paper

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet himself is a difficult character to figure out. With his elegant intensity and reckless but cautious attitude, he is able to keep his readers entertained as the play progresses. Through his irrational decisions, emotional madness and admirable qualities, Hamlet becomes a character with whom readers will continuously empathize. Our first impression of Hamlet sets the tone for the entire play. We are brought to one of the beginning scenes where Hamlet is…

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet v. Ozymandias

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The texts that are being discussed in this essay both share parallel themes, and this essay will be describing and comparing two of the similar themes, Greed and Appearance vs. Reality. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, possibly one of the greatest plays that has ever been put to paper, we encounter the prince of Denmark, Hamlet himself, and the trails and suffering he has to go through. In the beginning we know that the old king died and his brother, Hamlets’ uncle Claudius, marries the queen Gertrude and becomes the new ruler. In the poem Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe we start of meeting a wanderer, who meets a stranger. He then hears the story of the foolish king Ozymandias, who thought that his once wondrous works would still be standing after he died. Instead, he became the lonely king of nothing. Both Hamlet and king Ozymandias were lonely people, and they both lose everything in the end. Two key themes that are shared in these texts include Greed, and Appearance vs. Reality.…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Hamlet, Prince of Denmark has remained the most perplexing, as well as the most popular, of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Whether considered as literature, philosophy, or drama, its artistic stature is universally admitted. To explain the reasons for its excellence in a few words, however, is a daunting task. Apart from the matchless artistry of its language, the play’s appeal rests in large measure on the character of Hamlet himself. Called upon to avenge his father’s murder, he is compelled to face problems of duty, morality, and ethics that have been human concerns through the ages. The play has tantalized critics with what has become known as the Hamlet mystery, that of Hamlet’s complex behavior, most notably his indecision and his reluctance to act.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Characters in Hamlet

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The play Hamlet is without a doubt an odd story to read based on what society today has become accustomed to. A brother killing another brother, and then marrying his wife. It is not a typical story in the modern world today. There is a vast variety of different themes that can be traced throughout the play, however the most popular is madness and sanity. Madness and sanity shape the play into what it is, without madness and sanity the play would have no life. Certain actions would not occur, certain events would not occur, and certain statements would not occur. Hamlet is a perfect example in the thought of is he acting insane or is he truly insane?…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Given this critical confusion, we might as well admit up front that we are not going to arrive at anything like a firm consensus on what the play is about and how we should understand it. However, wrestling with this play is a very important and stimulating exercise, because it puts a lot of pressure on us to reach some final interpretation (that is, it generates in us a desire to make sense of all the elements in it, to find some closure), and, even if that goal eludes us, we can learn a great deal about reading poetic drama and interpreting literature from a serious attempt to grasp this most elusive work. If one of the really important functions of great literature is to stimulate thought-provoking conversations which force us to come to grips with many things about the text and about ourselves, then Hamlet is a particularly valuable work.…

    • 12004 Words
    • 49 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare’s longest, and perhaps most notable, play explores several important aspects of the human condition. Hamlet’s battle between his emotions and logic, as well as his fatal flaws and what he considers to be morally good and looming evil, encased in a story of murder and betrayal enlightens audiences to contemplate the true meaning of being human. Ultimately, through Hamlet’s questioning of humanity and what it means to be alive and human, Shakespeare prompts the conversation in his audience.…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Mind and Hamlet

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Shakespeare’s texts have been re-visited, re-interpreted and re-invented to suit the context and preferences of an evolving audience, and it through this constant recreation it is evident that Hamlet “does not define or exhaust its possibilities”. Through the creation of a character who emulates a variety of different themes, such as revenge, realisation of reality and the questioning of humanity, we can see the different possibilities within Hamlet as an “admirable text” with enduring human value. Furthermore, the emotional journey of Hamlet and his progression of madness provide further opportunity for differing interpretations. Hamlet connects with audiences from a variety of socio-historic contexts primarily due to its address of fundamental human issues and what it is to be human.…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hamlet Character Analysis

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In Hamlet, many think of Hamlet as being the main or only tragically flawed character within the play. However, in actuality, the play contains many other characters that possess varying severities of imperfection, some of which put the shortcomings of Hamlet, the title character of Hamlet, to shame. Despite the tragically flawed nature of Hamlet’s character, other characters in the play are clearly more flawed in comparison to Hamlet. As a result of this character’s imperfection, many of the characters within the play Hamlet are considered tragic; however, those in which this trait is predominant are Claudius, Laertes and Gertrude.…

    • 1996 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hamlet strips away the veneers and smoke screens that trap our minds, forcing us to confront the raw human condition in all its pain and glory. For this reason, Hamlet has never ceased to enthral audiences since its conception, and has been critically scrutinized for centuries. Shakespeare explores ideas that are universally understood: the human need for vengeance, human glory as well as human failings, and the unavoidable presence of death. Collectively, these ideas compose a deep probing of the human condition. On a personal level, Hamlet has been worthy of my interpretive study because it has provoked me to engage with my surroundings more critically, questioning established values, norms and codes of behaviour that had previously held my conviction.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Fate Reshapes Hamlet

    • 2046 Words
    • 9 Pages

    On the surface, the play about Hamlet may appear to be a typical revenge tragedy. However, crime, madness, ghostly anguish, poison, overheard conversations, conspiracies, and a final scene littered with corpses: Hamlet subscribes to the basic ingredients of the formula, but it also transcends the conventions of revenge tragedy because Hamlet contemplates not merely revenge but suicide and the meaning of life itself (DiYanni 1394). There are three crucial points in the plot in which Hamlet expresses his particular thoughts and positions. In each of these scenes, Hamlet displays his character in and through the manner in which he chooses to act in the situations in which he finds himself, and provides information about his stance on life as a whole. In addition, in each of the scenes there are reoccurring themes of revenge and appearance versus reality. As mentioned before, the major theme of the novel is revenge and this can be seen because Hamlet must avenge his father 's murder by killing Claudius. The second major theme of the play is the theme of appearance versus reality. The play makes several references to how things appear versus the truth (Hamlet 6). For example, King Hamlet 's death appears to be a snakebite in the beginning of the play, but it turns out to be a calculated…

    • 2046 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet's Inner Struggle

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In his tragic play, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses Hamlet, the main character, to portray ideas of deceit, desire, and death. A transition in Hamlet’s state of mind ultimately develops the play’s theme as the lack of decisive actions resulting from the clash between logical rationale and medieval intuition.…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The King says he cares for Hamlet’s safety as much as he grieves Polonius’ death…

    • 382 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Hamlet’s mother chastises him for his overly intense grief, she asks him why, if death is universal, “Why seems it then so particular with thee”?(1.2.78) He responds, “ ‘Seems,” madam? Nay, it is. I know not ‘seems’ ”(1.2.79). With those words, Hamlet delineates between appearance and reality, a theme that continues throughout the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare. The idea of appearance versus reality defines three characters in particular: Hamlet, Polonius, and Kind Claudius. The paradox of discrepancy between appearance versus reality is that sometimes, to find reality or truth, one has to act fake himself in order to find out the true nature of others. The two characters who use this theme for unjust purposes ultimately fail, but Hamlet is appearing as something he is not only to discover the truth. Even though Hamlet’s tragic death ends the play, he ultimately finds the truth and accomplishes his ultimate purpose, while Polonius and King Claudius could have easily avoided their deaths by remaining loyal and truthful to their loved ones and to themselves.(CHANGE AROUND THIS LAST SENTENCE, I THINK ITS CONFUSING)…

    • 1695 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays