What are some examples of things that aren't what they seem to be in Hamlet?

Answer: The most obvious example of the contrast between appearance and reality is Hamlet pretending to be mad.

Explanation:

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, and the most famous play about revenge.

Having found that his father has been murdered by his uncle, Hamlet decides to revenge his father's death. He announces that he will put on 'an antic disposition' (Act I, Scene V), or, in other words, he will pretend to be crazy. Hamlet seems to be naive and ignorant about his uncle's betrayal, while in reality it is not the case. Another example would be Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, acting as a victim, a poor widow that has lost her husband, while she actually participated in the plot against her husband. She also betrayed him by having an incestuous relationship with his brother.