Hamlet: Hamlet The Idealist :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

juncture crossroads The Idealist          In Hamlet, Elsinore is a society which people are seen acting in adeceitful manner in order to gain personal measures and prestige.  These peoplemask their real in intentions to acquire selfish desires.  In doing so theydevelop a reputation of the discrepancy between the way things appear and their truerealities. Hamlet, on the other hand, is an honest, moral individual trapped inthis deceitful society.  Hamlet is faced with the dilemma to either lowerhimself to their level by utilizing deception, or leave wrongs unrighted byremaining true to himself.  In Hamlet, the theme of appearance versus reality isprevalent in Hamlets decision between his morals and his father as he decidesto utilize the deceit of his society, starts recognizing it in others andfinally in using it to avenge his father.         When Hamlet is introduced he is seen acting as he feels and this is whatpr stock-stillts him from repaying in kind for his fathers murder.  Hamlet grieves overthe loss of his father so ample and intensely that no one understands, forGertrude and Claudius tell him he needs to move on like they have done, yetHamlet cant understand this.  His actions are reflections of his true feelingswhile the rest of his peers seem to be ignoring their grief.  When Hamlet findsout that he is supposed to kill Claudius for his father he becomes distraught.This is because Hamlets morals wont allow him to kill even if it releases OldHamlet from his purgatory.  He afterward realizes that he must start appearingdifferently than usual in order to carry out his fathers word.  Hamlet decidesto put on an antic disposition and in doing so has started becoming deceitful.He is trying to mask his true feelings in order to prepare himself for hisdilemma.         When Hamlet starts being deceitful he starts to recogn ize the deceit inothers and how they make themselves appear differently from their realities.Hamlets decision to put on an antic disposition was not honest to himself buthe felt that he must appear differently than he feels to fulfill his needs.Hamlet first recognizes the deceit in Claudius aft(prenominal) his father visits.Claudius committed the sin of fratricide (especially horrendous in thisChristian society) but was now enjoying the fruits of his sin at the cost ofhis community.  He tricked Elsinore into thinking he was a good king who steppedin to save the kingdom, yet in reality he was the cause of all the trouble.Claudius knew he had done wrong, for he later laments his action, but was now