Hamlet: Appearance Vs. Reality Essay, Research Paper

Hamlet: Appearance V. World

One of the most celebrated and popular writers and book authors is William

Shakespeare. Shakespeare has ever been able to make interesting characters

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

people with their interior egos differing from their outer egos. Are the

characters in Hamlet the same on the interior as they appear to be on the exterior?

The characters in William Shakespeare & # 8217 ; s Hamlet can be studied in a mode

associating to appearance versus world. Some of these characters are Claudius,

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Hamlet.

One character who enables us to analyze the subject of visual aspect versus

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

Acts of the Apostless as though he truly cares for his brother and heartaches over the senior

Hamlet & # 8217 ; s decease. This is shown in his first address addressed to his tribunal, & # 8220 ; and

that it us befitted/To bear our Black Marias in heartache, and our whole kingdom/To be

contracted in one forehead of suffering & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare I22-4 ) . It is shown farther on in

the same address when he says, & # 8220 ; our late beloved brother & # 8217 ; s decease & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare

I219 ) . However, this is non how Claudius genuinely feels about his brothers decease,

for Claudius is the 1 who murders elder Hamlet. We see the cogent evidence of this in

Claudius & # 8217 ; monologue when he appears to be praying ; & # 8220 ; O, my offense is rank, it

odors to heaven./It hath the cardinal eldest expletive upon & # 8217 ; t/A brother & # 8217 ; s slaying & # 8221 ;

( Shakespeare III336-38 ) .

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

stepson, Hamlet. In his first address to his tribunal Claudius tells Hamlet non to

leave for school but to stay in Denmark ; & # 8220 ; It is most retrograde to our

desire/And we do bid you, flex you to remain/Here in the cheer and comfort

of our oculus & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare I2114-117 ) . However, subsequently in the drama Claudius

develops a program to direct Hamlet off from Denmark with the assistance of Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern ; & # 8220 ; And he [ Hamlet ] to England shall along with you [ R & A ; G ] & # 8221 ;

( Shakespeare III34 ) . Claudius besides refers to himself as & # 8220 ; Thy loving male parent,

Hamlet & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare IV350 ) but when Hamlet is out of the room a few minutes

subsequently Claudius has a complete alteration of face in which he reveals his program to

hold Hamlet executed ; & # 8220 ; Our crowned head procedure, which imports at full/By letters

congruing to that effect/The present decease of Hamlet & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare IV363-65 ) .

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

cogency. Claudius, near the beginning of the drama, appears to be happy about

his matrimony to Gertrude and in the ulterior scene of Claudius & # 8217 ; monologue, he lists

Gertrude as one of the grounds he murdered his ain brother. We can presume by

this

that Claudius did look to love Gertrude, but we can non state for certain.

During the concluding scene of Laertes and Hamlet & # 8217 ; s fight Claudius toxicants Hamlet & # 8217 ; s

drink, but does nil to forestall Gertrude from by chance imbibing the

toxicant salvage his stating & # 8220 ; Gertrude, do non imbibe & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare V2280 ) .

Another character beginning of information associating to the visual aspect versus

world subject would be Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Both appear to be Hamlet & # 8217 ; s

friends ; & # 8220 ; My honor & # 8217 ; vitamin D Godhead! / My most beloved Godhead! & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare II2223-224 ) but

in world both are merely workers for Claudius who attempt to help in the

slaying of Hamlet. Hamlet realizes this and voices his misgiving of the couple, & # 8220 ; my

two schoolfellows/Whom I will swear as I will adders fang & # 8217 ; d & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare

IV1202-203 ) .

One other character which allows us to take a good expression at visual aspects

versus world is Hamlet. The most celebrated illustration of this subject would be

Hamlet & # 8217 ; s & # 8220 ; fantastic temperament & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare I5171 ) which we learn subsequently in the

drama is in fact, merely a act & # 8220 ; I am but huffy north-north-west: when the wind/is

southward I know a hawk from a hand saw & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare II2377-378 ) . Hamlet is a

really convincing histrion for even his ain female parent, & # 8220 ; Alas, he & # 8217 ; s huffy & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare

III4105 ) , and father, & # 8220 ; nor stands it safe with us/To allow his lunacy scope & # 8221 ;

( Shakespeare III31-2 ) , think that he is huffy.

There is besides Hamlet & # 8217 ; s usage of the drama to find the Kings guilt or

artlessness ; & # 8220 ; the drama & # 8217 ; s the thing/wherein I & # 8217 ; ll catch the scruples of the male monarch & # 8221 ;

( Shakespeare II2606-607 ) . Claudius believes he is merely traveling to see a drama

that Hamlet would wish him to see ; he does non anticipate for Hamlet to utilize the drama

to impeach him of slaying older Hamlet. Hamlet besides appears to welcome and

swear his returning friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, & # 8220 ; My first-class good

friends! & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare II2225 ) but he shortly learns to mistrust them and leads

them to their deceases.

Hamlet & # 8217 ; s love for Ophelia besides has two different sides. Hamlet, when

have oning his & # 8220 ; fantastic temperament & # 8221 ; appears to non care for Ophelia at all stating

her, & # 8220 ; You should non hold believ & # 8217 ; d me/I lov & # 8217 ; d you non & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare III1117-

119 ) . After her decease Hamlet uncover his true feelings by stating & # 8220 ; I lov & # 8217 ; vitamin D

Ophelia: 40 1000 brothers/Could non, with all their measure of love/Make

up my amount & # 8221 ; ( Shakespeare V1270-272 )

As you can see there are many cases of different worlds being concealed

behind outward visual aspects in the drama Hamlet. Claudius and Hamlet, and

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to an extent, have a concealed side to them that merely

the reader is allowed to see. This helps maintain the secret plan suspenseful and

sometimes humorous when the reader knows what each character thinks of each

other and so sees the opposite happen when the characters interact.