Reality and Illusion in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Appearance vs. Truth

Hamlet: Appearance vs. Reality

One of the most famous and popular authors and script writers is William

Shakespeare. Shakespeare has always been able to create interesting characters

and one of the reasons they are so interesting might be that they are complex

people with their inner selves differing from their outer selves. Are the

characters in Hamlet the same on the inside as they appear to be on the outside?

The characters in William Shakespeare's Hamlet can be studied in a manner

relating to appearance versus reality. Some of these characters are Claudius,

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Hamlet.

One character who enables us to examine the theme of appearance versus

reality is Claudius, the new King of Denmark. In Act One, Scene Two Claudius

acts as though he really cares for his brother and grieves over the elder

Hamlet's death. This is shown in his first speech addressed to his court, "and

that it us befitted/To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/To be

contracted in one brow of woe" (Shakespeare I22-4). It is shown further on in

the same speech when he says, "our late dear brother's death" (Shakespeare

I219). However, this is not how Claudius truly feels about his brothers death,

for Claudius is the one who murders elder Hamlet. We see the proof of this in

Claudius' soliloquy when he appears to be praying; "O, my offence is rank, it

smells to heaven./It hath the primal eldest curse upon't/A brother's murder"

(Shakespeare III336-38).

Another love which Claudius fakes is the love he has towards his nephew and

stepson, Hamlet. In his first speech to his court Claudius tells Hamlet not to

leave for school but to remain in Denmark; "It is most retrograde to our

desire/And we do beseech you, bend you to remain/Here in the cheer and comfort

of our eye" (Shakespeare I2114-117). However, later in the play Claudius

develops a plan to send Hamlet away from Denmark with the aid of Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern; "And he [Hamlet] to England shall along with you [R & G]"

(Shakespeare III34). Claudius also refers to himself as "Thy loving father,

Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV350) but when Hamlet is out of the room a few moments

later Claudius has a complete change of face in which he reveals his plan to

have Hamlet executed; "Our sovereign process, which imports at full/By letters

congruing to that effect/The present death of Hamlet" (Shakespeare IV363-65).

Even the love Claudius showed for Gertrude can be questioned in its

validity. Claudius, near the beginning of the play, appears to be happy about