An Exploration of the Theme of Appearance vs. Reality in Shakespeare's Hamlet In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, many of the characters exhibit a puzzling, duplicitous nature, namely, Hamlet and Claudius. Shakespeare weaves an ambiguous tale where, through the attributes of acting a role and that of being true to one's self, each of the characters appear to be something they are not (Unknown2 2). The reason for the characters' ruse is that they must struggle with some …showed first 75 words of 930 total…

…showed last 75 words of 930 total…amlet, the main characters' fraudulent behavior is due to the fact that they are struggling with an internal dilemma that must be overcome. Both Hamlet and Claudius feel a fervent need to appear to be something they truly are not in order to achieve their goals. Each of their beings is bolstered by this need. Revenge, hypocrisy and deceit are the true motives in this play; they are the reality hidden behind farcical appearances. .