Essay on Appearance vs. Reality in Peter Shaffer's Amadeus

There is a general understanding that appearances can be deceiving. This is one of the most fundamental questions in philosophy, appearance vs. reality. When we meet people and get to know them throughout our lives, we soon discover that there is a genuine side to everyone behind the appearance they show. In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the characters Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Claudius use appearance vs. reality to manipulate and deceive, which ultimately leads to their downfall.

In Hamlet deceiving illusions are frequently used to protect truth from being a destructive force. Situations within acts one and two that appear to be true and honest are really contaminated with evil. Various characters within the first two acts hide behind masks of corruption. In the first two acts most characters presented seem to be good and honest making it a complex task for Hamlet to discover all the lies that have hidden objectives within them.

     Things are not always as they appear. You may think someone is a certain way because of how they dress and carry themselves this is called stereotyping. Many people stereotype without even noticing that they are doing it. Everyone has his or her right to first impressions, but stereotyping is wrong. There are many examples of this topic in literature as well as in our society today.

forgiven. He wants to repent for his sin, but he knows that he can’t because he is not truly sorry.

3. Reality and appearances, or if you prefer, being and acting, are important themes for both Machiavelli and Shakespeare. Why? How do their perspectives on this subject agree or differ?

He has influenced musical appreciation throughout the world and has created some of the best works of musical art in his time. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born January 27, 1756 in Salzburg Austria to Leopold and Maria Pertl Mozart. He was a pianist and a composer. Mozart created a string of operas, concertos, symphonies, and sonatas that shaped todays classical music. Mozart died in Vienna, Austria on December 5, 1791. Mozart made a positive impact on Musical culture by composing some of the best-known operas since the age of five. Mozart was inspired by a childhood influence of this genre of music, he composed operas since the age of five and his music influenced a scientific study called the “Mozart Effect.”

     Appearance versus reality is one of the central themes of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The characters in the play assume roles for the purpose of concealment - Claudius, in reality a murderer and usurper, plays the roles of grieving brother and rightful king; the adulterous Gertrude plays the role of a 'most seeming-virtuous queen' when she is, in her son's view, a 'most pernicious woman'. Even Hamlet himself assumes the role of a madman in his attempt to establish the reality of his uncle's guilt.

There are also many accusations against Mozart like him cheating on his wife and drinking heavily. Also, no one is sure about his cause of death, the ones mentioned were from overwork, kidney failure and typhus. Mozart died at age 35. And if you have seen the movie AMADEUS then you should know that there are TONS of discrepancies between the movie and the truth, the most notable one being that Antonio Salieri never tried to assassinate Mozart. Mozart had more then one unfinished piece when

While Hamlet believes that “[to] be or not to be,” (Shakespeare 3.1. 64), is the question, I would argue that a larger question exists that remains unanswered: what is? How does one differentiate between what is real, and what is an illusion created by the depths of the mind? In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, the characters are challenged to constantly distinguish between what is and what seems -- the presence of reality or appearance. Reality, in a literal sense, is “the state of things as they actually exist,” (Fowler); however, it’s possible that existing -- or not existing -- is subjective. Hamlet, the protagonist and tragic hero of the play, interprets a much different reality than the surrounding characters and devises appearances that drive others away from understanding his truth; in turn, he is made a pawn in the illusions of others, specifically Gertrude, Claudius, and Laertes, to the point

Like how the caterpillar transforms into the beautiful butterfly, or how the chameleon changes its colour according to its surroundings, the world is a place full of a variety of people who may not act according to his/her own outward demeanor. The obvious events of appearance versus reality which occur in everyday living is also a prevalent theme throughout literature and media; William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is no exception. In fact, this theme provides the characters of Hamlet with a wall of protection to allow them to conceal their weaknesses and unruly desires which eventually lead to their demise. The honest nobleman Polonius, the newly inaugurated king Claudius,

In the play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, a young prince of Denmark, named Hamlet, seeks to uncover the truth about his father’s death. As the play progresses, Hamlet’s father’s ghost reveals to him that his uncle, Claudius, was the one who actually murdered him. After discovering the truth, Hamlet promises to avenge his father’s murderer. In the play, the theme of appearance vs. reality is a continuous one. Many characters in the tragedy that appear to be innocent and honest are actually incestuous and evil in reality. The most prominent characters in this play who are not what they appear to be are King Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. William Shakespeare’s

Today in our society our appearance means everything. People judge ones personal worth by their appearance, for example two men standing beside you one man is in a suit and dressed well, the other is dressed in oversized clothes and his hood up on his jacket, which person are you more willing to approach? this is a key example of what our appearance says about us in our society today.

Instead, I got a pair of glasses connected to a little box that hangs around your neck. I was skeptical when

In certain instances, there is more than you can see to a story. Countless amounts of people leave out specific details or a back story to hide their own faults. Many characters illustrate the theme of appearance versus reality in the play of Hamlet by Shakespeare by lying and creating facades to hide their plans. Hamlet, Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, all represent the equivocation presented in the play. The characters in Hamlet are deceitful.

In Amadeus, the prelude of the opera “Don Giovanni” composed by Mozart after the death of Leopold Mozart – Mozart’s father – refers the relationship between Mozart and Leopold and the scheme of Salieri foreshadowing the death of Mozart. For one thing, the opera “Don Giovanni” explains the abnormal relationship between Mozart and his father. In the film, Mozart is illustrated as the character which always feels afraid of the presence of a ‘father.’ The dependency of Mozart in Amadeus is based on the real relationship between Mozart and Leopold. In reality, Leopold worked for the court of Salzburg and had a great ambition for success when he was young but, after the birth of Mozart, he devoted his life for education Mozart, having left his reputation and ambition as a musician. (Yu 22) Also, Mozart had never received formal education and instead he was only educated by his father until he became an adult. (Lee) Based on researches about Mozart including the two articles mentioned above, in Amadeus Mozart is portrayed as a child who is dependent on his father but feels a fear of him at the same time. To illustrate the dependency of Mozart and Leopold’s domination over