The play "Hamlet" is one of the greatest works of William Shakespeare. One of the major themes that surround the play is the difference between what something appears to be, and what something is in reality: in other words, to make out what the lie and what truth is. "Appearance vs. Reality" remains constant throughout the play. All the characters appear to be one thing on the outside, yet on the inside they are completely different. King Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, appears to be a caring, modest and just man on the outside, but he is using his loving personality to mask his true selfish intentions, for example, cold-hearted murderer. Polonius appears to be a loyal servant to his Kingdom when in reality; he secretly enjoys spying and probing around someone else's business. He appears to be a trustworthy and caring father when in reality, he is incredibly selfish, hypocritical, and carries dishonorable intentions. And finally, Hamlet appears to be mad and insane, but really he is using his madness to hide his true intentions of seeking justice/revenge for his father's murder. King Claudius, Polonius and Hamlet all share the common quality; appearing something what they are not in reality, which eventually in the end leads to their demise.
King Claudius, the villain of the tragedy, caused his own demise first of all by murdering his own brother, former king Hamlet, and secondly marrying prince Hamlets mother and his sister in law, Gertrude. Claudius is a multi-faced character. His ambition was to get his hands on the crown and become king of Denmark. He was cruel in pursuing his dream, even to the point of murder.
Throughout the play, he acts upset in front of Hamlet, because of King Hamlet's death, while in reality he is the one who killed him for his own selfish reasons. Claudius convinces the whole kingdom of his sadness for King Hamlet's death. The reality of the situation is that Claudius cares little for his brother and his death.