Appearance versus reality in HamletHamlet is organized around various pairs of opposing forces. One of these forces is the difference between what appears to be and what actually is, in other words, appearance versus reality. What is and what simply appears to be? We can discern two main angles from which this question is approached in Hamlet. First, we have the angle of inner and outer emotions, and the deep distinction that is drawn between them. In other words, the quiet face we all show to the world is never the same as the restlessness of our soul. In Hamlet, Shakespeare explores this both explicitly, through the device of the play within the play, and implicitly, through the way he uses the forms and conventions of theater to explore the aforementioned emotional dichotomy. There is also the dichotomy of knowledge which is essential to the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. God, in this tradition, is considered omniscient and therefore knows how all things really are. Mere human beings, on the other hand, can only, as in Plato's allegory of the cave, know what things are like. They have only imperfect knowledge. Throughout Hamlet, we repeatedly perceive characters who focus on things that seem, as well as those who focus on what actually is. This dichotomy is fundamental to our understanding of the play. Before we launch into the body of this presentation, it is necessary to define some important terms. By "being", or what "really is", I mean those things which exist in objective reality and which could be perceived by a supposedly omnipotent being. The imperfect knowledge of non-omniscient humans - that which we see every day - is represented by the word "...... middle of paper ...... for example, Ophelia's death happens behind the scenes. Why? To shroud it in mystery. To keep what seems - and what the characters see - outside the world of reality. The whole world is a stage, and all the men and women are just actors. . They have their exits and their entrances, and one. the man in his time plays many parts, his acts spanning seven ages. Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2.7.139-143Works CitedBerkeley, George. Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge. Ed. Kenneth Winkler: Hackett. Berman, Allison. “We Only Find Ourselves.” , conscience makes cowards of us all. » William. Sylvan Barnet New York: Classical Ed.., 1998.