Where chaos and confusion reign behind an appearance of well kept secrets, an unknown reality is tearing a kingdom apart. After King Hamlet's death, a union between the widowed Queen Gertrude and her brother-in-law Claudius seems to be holding the kingdom together. What no one else knows is that Claudius' marriage to Gertrude was based solely on his hunger for power. Upon learning his uncle's plot, Prince Hamlet forms a plot of his own. Appearing to have gone mad from his love for Ophelia, Hamlet refuses to reveal his knowledge of his father's murder. Unknowing of Hamlet's plans, Ophelia fears she has driven him mad by denying him. Dependent upon her father's and brother's guidance, Ophelia rejects Hamlet's love only out of respect for her male peers. In the wake of this tragedy, the discrepancy of appearance versus reality has been so well developed that every event must now be questioned, for nothing seems certain.
             Driven by a deep ambition to become king, Claudius killed King Hamlet while he was sleeping, and then married Gertrude to obtain his desired power. This is first pointed out by the ghost to Hamlet as he is telling him of the murder. The ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius stole what elegance the Queen retained with his own lustful yearning to become king. Later, while Claudius tries in vain to pray, he admits to himself why he committed the murder, and what he has gained by doing so. "...since I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the murder --- my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen" (A III, s iii, l 56-58).
             After the meeting between Hamlet and his father's ghost, Hamlet knows it is not safe to simply hide what he knows. He "goes mad" as to throw any suspicions astray. Everyone believes this is due to his love for Ophelia. Only those present at the time of the meeting know of Hamlet's intentional madness, and have b...