Hamlet Theme of Appearance vs. Reality

A major theme that encircles the play "Hamlet" is the disparity between what something appears to be, and what something is in reality: In otherwords, to distinguish between what is fake (a lie) and what is truth. This theme is so heavily enwoven in the play due to the fact that most of the central characters in the play hide behind a mask to conceal their true intentions while as trying to figure out what the other characters are thinking. For example, with the case of Hamlet he chooses to appear mad in front of the others (whether or not he actually turns mad is a whole other debate entirely) so that he may better conceal his true intentions (he does a poor job in this part) and gain the opportunity to kill Claudius (perhaps with the defense that he is insane?). Thus, Hamlet exaggerates and shows tremendous hatred and disgust towards Ophelia so that he may convince Polonius and Claudius that he has gone mad due to Ophelia's rejection of his love.

On the other hand, there is Claudius, the duplicitous cowardly, and conniving politician. Claudius, in comparison to the rest of the characters in the play, is the master at deception and hypocrisy. Claudius hides behind a veneer of being a gentle, just, and concerned King, that grieves for his dead brother and who cares for his people and in particular, his stepson. However, in reality, Claudius conceals a very dark secret and fears Hamlet's apparent madness not because of Hamlet's well being but his own. And it is with this, that he uses his pawns, such as Polonius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet discover the true meaning behind his insanity.

Thus, it only makes sense that Polonius himself would appear to be a loyal servant to his Kingdom when in reality, he secretly enjoys spying and probing around someone else's business So much so does Polonius enjoy the thrill of deceit, that he sends a spy on his own son, Laertes, to make sure he does not make a fool of himself (which would in turn make Polonius look like a fool). Polonius appears to be a trustworthy and caring father when in reality, he is incredibly selfish, hypocritical, and carries dishonorable intentions. This is furthermore demonstrated by Hamlet's subtle allusion to his scandalous affairs with his mistresses. Similarly Rosencrantz and Guildenstern attempt to deceive Hamlet by acting as his concerned friends, just like how Laertes appears to be honorable in his fight when using a poisoned rapier. The same could be said for Ophelia who appears to neglect Hamlet out of her own volition when in actuality, acting as a bait to lure out Hamlet's reason for madness.

As one can easily tell with only a glance, the play is filled with lies, deceit, and deception. There is the consistent contrast between what appears to be, and what is real. However, because of this deception, the play is enshrouded with corruption, lies, and ominous intentions that result in the tragic demise of all the central characters involved (excluding Horatio who was not apart of the deception). The play serves as the quintessential example of the dangers and grave damage that lying and deceiving one another can cause. This theme is perfectly relatable and ever so relevant in society today due to the detrimental relationships that exist when people lie to one another. Examples of this including cheating on your significant other, lying to parents about something that one might be ashamed of, or being someone's friend for the sole purpose to be invited to hockey games, cocktails, etc. What lying and deceiving does, as Shakespeare's play explicitly portrays, is it creates an atmosphere of mistrust, shame, guilt, and corruption. Typically only bad things result in damaged relationships that consist of lying to please one another, rather than truthfulness.