[Joseph examines the concept of appearance versus reality with regard to Claudius's character in Hamlet. When the play begins, the crit ic asserts, there is no indication that Claudius is a villain; rather, he appears to be the consummate monarch, who effectively transacts private and public business. As the play progresses, however, the quality of his villainy is gradually revealed to the audience. Joseph also defines the term "hypocrisy" in relation to Claudius. maintaining that Elizabethans viewed it as aparticularly serious character flaw. The king's hypocrisy is perhaps most evident in his eloquent speech in Act I, scene ii in which he openly discusses his hasty marriage to Gertrude and down plays its awkwardness by providing sound reasons for establishing the union. As aresult, the grief-stricken Hamlet-with whom we are supposed to identifyseems to be the.....
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