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There’s one thing that’s for certain. You can’t be certain about certainty. That’s why Shakespeare certainly wrote about uncertainty in Hamlet. So if you’re feeling uncertain about Hamlet’s theme of uncertainty, you should certainly check out this video.

Video Transcription:

Isn’t it just like Shakespeare, king of wordplay, to use Hamlet as an exploration of the uncertainty of certainty.

Did you catch that? Basically, Shakespeare is saying that you can’t be certain about certainty. For certain!

More on this theme … coming up.

For a guy who’s allegedly crazy, Hamlet is pretty intent on getting his facts straight. He wants to be sure that Claudius is his father’s murderer before he takes any action.

Think about it. The Ghost’s speech in Act I enrages Hamlet—and he vows revenge. But then what does he do? He basically waits until Act V to act. And what is he doing in the meantime? He’s trying to get at the truth. Like in Act III, scene ii, when he stages a play to mimic his father’s murder and watches for Claudius’s reaction.

But Hamlet’s uncertainty is bigger than just the issue of King Hamlet’s unfortunate demise. It permeates his interactions with all the characters in this play; he doesn’t trust them; he’s never sure they’re being honest with him.

And can you blame the guy? Seems like everyone has it out for him.

So what was Shakespeare getting at with this theme of uncertainty? He was getting at exactly what Hamlet experiences throughout the play: That it’s basically impossible to know what’s in another person’s heart. That truth is unknowable. That believing that another is honest is a matter of great trust—or great naïveté.

Not exactly a hopeful message. Then again, Shakespeare didn’t call this play a tragedy for nothing.