"Appearance vs. Reality"� tells a great deal about Hamlet and explains to people how hypocritical people can often be. Act one of the book Hamlet stresses a great deal of the appearance of Hamlet rather than the reality of Hamlet.
Polonius and Laertes also have a great significance to this topic as they portray it when Polonius gives his advice to Laertes. The King, in my opinion displays it the most. He tells Hamlet to get over his father but yet he tells Laertes to get revenge. He says things to try to get what he wants. He tries to appear nice to Polonius when really he is just trying to get what he wants.
In the beginning, Polonius gives a speech to Laertes that is ironic to who Polonius appears to be. Polonius is giving all this advice, but yet is not being honest with himself. Polonius who later turns on Hamlet and spies on him as well, says " Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act."�
David Garrick in Hamlet, I, 4
A stain glass window representation of Polonius.
King of Greece & family (LOC)Even though he says this to Laertes, in reality, he does it himself later on in the book. He spies on Hamlet, to find out if he is mad or not through his daughter Ophelia. He most likely thought Hamlet was crazy, but most important he puts his thoughts into action. He tries to get Hamlet to display his madness through Ophelia which makes him a hypocrite who should listen to his own advice.
The King, Claudius, also portrays "Appearance vs. Reality."� In the beginning Claudius tells Hamlet to get over his father being dead. He says "...But you must know your father lost a father, that father lost, lost his;..."� This is his appearance to get what he wants. He is trying to persuade Hamlet that his...