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In Act II, scene ii Hamlet says, “The play’s the thing!” Oh, and it sure is—for Shakespeare, and for Hamlet’s cast. Find out what we’re talking about by pressing play.

Video Transcription:

OK, check this out. Hamlet has puzzled scholars for, like, centuries. And I’m not saying I’ve got it all figured out—not by far. But if I told you I had one more insight that could help you understand this play a tiny bit better would you be willing to stick out the next 60 seconds?

Less than three hundred lines into this play, Shakespeare gives his readers a whopping big clue. It’s Hamlet’s line to the queen in Act I, scene ii, when he remarks, “They are actions that a man might play.”

In other words, Hamlet is a play about play-acting.

If you’ve been watching all along, you already know that Shakespeare uses Hamlet to explore life’s uncertainties and mysteries. The play’s focus on play-acting helps reinforce these themes.

Think about it. Another word for acting is pretending. And what are you doing when you’re pretending? You’re not being true to who you really are. You’re becoming another character.

That’s what happens in Hamlet. The actors have to act like they’re acting. Like the guy who plays Claudius. We know that Claudius is actually a really demonic guy. But he pretends to be concerned for Hamlet—all the while plotting Hamlet’s death.

My point. Thinking of this as a play about playing helps you understand its themes—and what Hamlet faces. It also helps explain why this play remains somewhat of a mystery. You might say Shakespeare was playing at something, too.