In hamlet in the first scene, how does shakespeare use the theme appreance vs reality through the ghost?
Let´s compare the ghost to a mirage. There appears to be water in the distance, and we are lost in the desert, dying of thirst. With our last bit of energy we run towards the (in-existent) water. It was only the appearance of water, but it had consequences in the real world. Hamlet and others hallucinated the ghost of Hamlet´s dead father, possibly because they suspected the official story of his death. Later on, even Hamlet suspects that the ghost may be an unholy spirit, and refuses to obey its command until he has more proof. The appearance of the ghost, even if unreal, causes all the action which follows in the play, including suspicion, intrigue, alienation, betrayal, suffering, madness, death.
