Duality and Appearance vs. reality in Hamlet

<Tab/>Throughout history there has been a general understanding that appearances can be deceiving. A person may go through life without anyone understanding the true reality of there character. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest writers of all time, understood the relationship between appearance and reality and often gave characters two sides to their personality. In Shakespeare's tragic play, Hamlet, a young prince is left to reveal the truth of his …

…characters of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, and Claudius are shown to hide behind illusion to hide their true characters. It can be learned that even though a character may come across as being true and sincere, this may not be reality. The characters may have ulterior motives, even ones they are not even conscious of. It is this prominent relationship between duality and appearance versus reality that makes Hamlet one of the best plays ever written.