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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 1

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 1

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Quote
“O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain! / My tables!—Meet it is I set it down / That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” (1.5. 106-108)

Context
Hamlet meets the ghost of his deceased father and learns that his death was not due to natural causes but poisoning from Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Claudius took his brothers crown and wife, Gertrude. Therefore, the ghost tasks Hamlet with seeking revenge and serving justice.

Analysis
After Hamlet’s encounter with the ghost, he learns that he can’t trust anyone. This follows the theme of appearance vs reality as Hamlet now understands that one may appear trustworthy and have good intentions but can be the complete opposite on the inside.

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 2

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 2

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Quote
"I’ll have these players / Play something like the murder of my father / Before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks. / I’ll tent him to the quick. If he do blench" (2.2. 556-559)

Context
Before seeking revenge on his uncle, Hamlet wants to make sure Claudius is truly guilty for the crime the ghost accused him of. Hamlet plans for actors to play a performance with a plot similar to the Kings murder. During the play, Hamlet will keep an eye on Claudius to see how he reacts. If Claudius has a little reaction, Hamlet will know the ghost lied to him, however, if Claudius has a big reaction, Hamlet will know the ghost was telling the truth and therefore, Hamlet will avenge his fathers murder.

Analysis
Essentially, this quote follows the theme as Claudius believes he is just going to see a regular play, but little does he know that the play is actually a test and all part of Hamlet’s scheme to see if Claudius is guilty of the drastic crime he is being accused of.

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 3

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 3

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Quote
“my two schoolfellows, / Whom I will trust as I will adders fanged” (3.4. 207-208)

Context
When Claudius and Gertrude notice Hamlet’s sudden change in personality, they hire his old childhood friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet and find out the cause.

Analysis
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to appear as they are simply visiting Hamlet and are his friends when in reality, they are only there because they were hired by the king and instead of being true friends, they are just following Claudius’s orders.

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 4

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 4

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Quote
"Yet must not we put the strong law on him. / He’s loved of the distracted multitude, / Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes. / And where ’tis so, th' offender’s scourge is weighed" (4.3. 3-6)

Context
When Hamlet was talking to his mother Gertrude, he hears movement behind the curtain and assumes it is Claudius, therefore, he stabs his sword through the curtain and kills Polonius. When Claudius finds out about this incident, he realizes that Hamlet is trying to kill him and now sees him as a threat to his life. For his own protection, Claudius decides to send Claudius away.

Analysis
When deciding Hamlet’s punishment, Claudius understands that he can’t put Hamlet in jail as the public would not be happy. He explains how since the public love Hamlet, they would care more about the way he is punished rather than his crime. It shows how we as a society judge solely on what we see even when we don’t know the full story.

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 5

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Appearance vs reality portrayed in act 5

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Quote
“She swoons to see them bleed” (5.2. 304)

Context
Hamlet has been invited to have a friendly duel with Laertes, and accepts. When the king calls for a toast, Claudius is given a drink but he rejects it. Hamlet and Laertes switch swords. Later on, Gertrude takes a sip from the cup and collapses. Laetres also realizes that he has been hit by his sword, he tells Hamlet that the king poisoned them all. Hamlet finally gets his revenge by stabbing Claudius with the poisoned sword and then making him drink from the poisoned drink.

Analysis
When Gertrude falls to the ground, Claudius tries to cover himself up by stating that Gertrude collapsed due to the sight of blood. Ultimately, he attempted to make it appear as though he was not responsible for her death when in reality, it was completely his fault.

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Why appearance vs reality is the most prominent theme

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Why appearance vs reality is the most prominent theme

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The most prominent theme in Hamlet is appearance vs reality as it is consistently seen throughout each act. In the novel, there are many instances where things appear to be one way, but in reality, are the complete opposite. There are also many characters who are impacted by this theme.

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Quote
“Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. / And now I’ll do ’t.” (3.3. 74-75)

Context
When Claudius is on his way to see his mother, he finds Claudius praying and lifts his sword to kill him.

Analysis
Before Hamlet strikes Claudius with his sword, he starts thinking about how if he kills him, Claudius would go to heaven as he was in the middle of prayer. Ultimately, Hamlet overthought it as he was only instructed to avenge his fathers death by killing Claudius. Had Hamlet had killed Claudius in that moment, he may not have died in the future.

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“Contagion to this world.  Now could I drink hot blood/ And do such bitter business as the day/ Would quake to look on.  Soft, now to my mother” (3.2. 351-354)

Context
It is the perfect time of day for murder according to Hamlet, and he is in the mood to do a terrible deed. However, Gertrude requests to speak with Hamlet, so he goes to see her.

Analysis
In this case, Hamlet procrastinates as he states that he is ready to murder Claudius but instead he goes to talk to his mother. Hamlet can get the murder over and done with but chooses to delay his plans. Ultimately leading to his demise.

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"How now? A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!" (3.4. 24)

Context
When Hamlet is talking to Gertrude, he hears a movement behind the curtains and immediately assumes it is Claudius. Hamlet then stabs the figure behind the curtain without verifying if it truly is Claudius.

Analysis
This is an example of Hamlet acting too fast. Instead of staying calm to assure it is Claudius, he acts on impulse and stabs the curtain, killing Polonius. What Hamlet should have done was wait a second to assess the situation and think things through, maybe then he would have moved the curtain aside to see who was behind it. Had he done this, innocent Polonius wouldn’t have been murdered.

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Quote
“You should not have believed me, for / virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock / but we shall relish of it. I loved you not” (3.1.114)

Context
Claudius and Gertrude notice Hamlet has been acting oddly so they ask Ophelia to walk down the halls where she will eventually run into him. Hamlet, knowing Claudius and Polonius are spying on him, starts to act mad when talking to Ophelia.

Analysis
Ophelia doesn’t know Hamlet's madness is all an act. Therefore, she believes that he doesn't love her anymore. At this point, Ophelia has not gone mad yet, however, she finds it hard to cope with the fact that he is no longer the healthy man he once was.

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Quotes
“He is dead and gone, lady,/ He is dead and gone,/ At his head a grass-green turf,/ At his heels a stone” (4.5. 25)

Context
When Hamlet hears a noise coming from behind the curtain, he stabs it thinking it is Claudius when it is actually Polonius, Ophelia's father. After hearing this news, Ophelia's starts to go mad and sings about her devastating loss.

Analysis
This event was another leading cause to her insanity as she heard the news of her father’s death when she had not fully coped with Hamlet’s rejection. Thus, causing her to be overwhelmed and essentially, driving her mad.

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“Her death was doubtful,/ And, but that great command o'ersways the order,/ She should in ground unsanctified have lodged/ Till the last trumpet. For charitable prayers/ Shards, flints and pebbles should be thrown on her.” (5.1. 201-205)

Context
At Ophelia's burial, the priest mentions how she should have been buried outside the church. At the time, suicide was considered a sin in Christianity and if one were to commit it, they would be denied a Christian burial.

Analysis
Ophelia has been cruelly rejected by Hamlet and has lost her father whom she loved. Ultimately, these factors drove Ophelia mad, to the point where she felt she had nothing to live for. This led Ophelia to allow herself to drown in a river.