Distinguishing between what seems to be and what is plays a huge role in the believability for many works of art. Allowing one to conceal his or her true thoughts, intentions, and personalities from another gives them the ability to define a false reality. This deeply entwined theme of appearance runs assiduously throughout Shakespeare’s renowned play, Hamlet, and is also a central component of a modernized movie known as The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins and Shakespeare show similar ways of working with this theme. Although times have changed between the releases of both works, the motives for use of false appearances have not changed since the release of Hamlet, and continue to be used by multiple characters in The Hunger Games. Hamlet by William Shakespeare, tells the story of a prince of Denmark who suffers from the death of his…show more content… Hamlet knows that if he were to kill his uncle Claudius outright, many others would rebel against him, as they would not understand the reason for the murder. He needs to appear insane so that his actions can be excused long enough to let everyone else understand the motive for his actions. Given Ophelia’s explanation of her encounter with him, he does a superb job of it. “Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle; Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking” (2.1.1) In a similar way, Katniss needs to protect herself and get through the games so that she may go home to her family. To do this, she creates an image for herself, choosing how people will perceive her. At one point, Haymitch tells her that she “looks startling, certainly not like someone from district twelve” (The Hunger Games) Katniss is also doing an exceptional job of making people believe her to be someone she isn’t and she receives astounding publicity and