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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > English Revision Notes > Hamlet- Perception and reality

The difference between perception and reality in Hamlet is a major theme and is the reason the play unfolds as it does.

Claudius

Hamlet

The Ghost

There are two ways to look at the ghost in Hamlet, but both result in the same tragedy unfolding. The first and most simple is that the ghost really is that of the late 'Valiant Hamlet', come to ask his son to exact revenge. The second is that the ghost is more malignant that the audience first perceives, purposefully leading Hamlet to tragedy. The only real evidence for this comes from the statement that since the late king was not given the opportunity to confess his sins, he has been sent to purgatory. The protestant people at the time would not have believed in purgatory, suggesting that the spirit was, in their belief, evil. When Horatio commands the ghost 'By heaven I charge thee speak!' and it does not reply, this again could suggest that the ghost is not as good as he appears.

The Court

There are subtle hints as to how the household of Elsinore feel about the king's murder, and the scandalous marriage. The opening scene is one of tension and discord, the guards on duty treating each other with suspicion. Francisco states, in this first scene 'And I am sick at heart'. This comment is ignored by Barnardo, who swiftly changes the subject. The comment and reply explain a lot about the current affairs at the castle. Firstly that that people are disquiet, and secondly that they are anxious to openly discuss their disquiet. In Act 1 Scene 5, when Hamlet exclaims that there 'a villain dwelling in all Denmark' Horatio replies 'There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave, / To tell us this', in Act 1 Scene 4 when Marcellus states 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark' and in Act 1 Scene 5 again when Hamlet comments 'Time is out of joint' are comments of the noticeably troubled times.

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