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Appearance versus reality
- The theme of appearance versus reality is a prevalent theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Throughout the play, characters struggle to distinguish between what appears to be true and what is actually real, leading to confusion, mistrust, and tragedy.
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One can name them as themes but it should be remembered that all each Hamlet theme interacts and resounds with all the others. Here are brief accounts of a selection of the major Hamlet themes of revenge, corruption; religion, politics, appearance and reality, and women.
- The Impossibility of Certainty. What separates Hamlet from other revenge plays (and maybe from every play written before it) is that the action we expect to see, particularly from Hamlet himself, is continually postponed while Hamlet tries to obtain more certain knowledge about what he is doing.
- The Complexity of Action. Directly related to the theme of certainty is the theme of action. How is it possible to take reasonable, effective, purposeful action?
- The Mystery of Death. In the aftermath of his father’s murder, Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and over the course of the play he considers death from a great many perspectives.
- The Nation as a Diseased Body. Everything is connected in Hamlet, including the welfare of the royal family and the health of the state as a whole. The play’s early scenes explore the sense of anxiety and dread that surrounds the transfer of power from one ruler to the next.
- Action and Inaction. Hamlet is part of a literary tradition called the revenge play, in which a person—most often a man—must take revenge against those who have wronged him.
- Appearance vs. Reality. Hamlet is full of references to the wide gulf that often exists between how things appear and how they really are. From Hamlet’s own “craft[ed]” madness to Claudius’s many schemes and plots involving Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern to the very foundation of Denmark’s political stability (or lack thereof), things within Elsinore castle are hardly ever as they seem.
- Women. Though there are only two traditionally female characters in Hamlet—Ophelia and Gertrude—the play itself speaks volumes about the uniquely painful, difficult struggles and unfair fates women have suffered throughout history.
- Religion, Honor, and Revenge. Every society is defined by its codes of conduct—its rules about how to act and behave. In Hamlet, the codes of conduct are largely defined by religion and an aristocratic code that demands honor—and revenge if honor has been soiled.
- Madness. Madness is one of the dominant themes of Hamlet. Hamlet displays many sides of his personality since the death of his father. He appears as a philosopher, a sage, a mad as well as a mentally disturbed person.
- Revenge. Although not considered a good act in Christianity and even in other faiths, revenge is another theme that runs throughout the play. In fact, the appearance of the ghost in the first act lays a heavy responsibility on Hamlet to exact the revenge of his “unjust murder.”
- Religion. Although not a dominant theme, religion still has its significant impact on the roles and acts of Hamlet and other characters. Besides some religions markers, there are some dominant religious opinions and thoughts.
- Subversion of Relationships. Subversion and turns and twists in relationships is another theme of Hamlet. Gertrude is a cousin of Claudius and must not marry him on legal or religious terms.
There are a number of prominent themes of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Each of the key themes we have identified in the following article, though, throws out some surprising details and interpretations, so it’s worth probing some of the play’s most important themes and subjects in more detail.
Themes. Characters. Symbols. Quotes. Vengeance, Action, and Inaction. Hamlet belongs to a literary category known as the "revenge play," which features a person—usually a man—seeking revenge against those who have somehow done him wrong.
Themes in Hamlet. This resource is designed as a reference guide for teachers. We have listed the major themes and motifs within Hamlet and provided examples of scene where you can study them.
