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Shakespeare's play Hamlet, central theme is the idea of appearance vs. reality. The audience needs constantly be evaluate what is real and what is not. The truth must be deciphered from the lies. When the play begins we are introduced to this theme by Hamlet: "That can denote me truly: these indeed seem/ For they are actions that a man might play" (1.2.83-83). Emphasis is drawn to the words "seem" and "play." For the entirety of the play the audience has to "read" the characters to understand if what they appear to be are truly what their character is. We must determine if the King really does feel sorrow for his brother's death and him marrying his sister in law so close to the death. The audience also needs to determine if Hamlet is actually crazy or if its an act as he claims it to be.