Questions: Common Core ELA 12 A-IC Hamlet, Part 8: Themes Instruction Active Determining a Theme Ty It What topic is discussed in this passage? Hamlet: Do you see nothing there? Gertrude: Nothing at all; yet all that is I see. Hamlet: Nor did you nothing hear? Gertrude: No, nothing but ourselves. Hamlet: Why, look you there! look, how it steals away; My father, in his habit as he liv'd; Look! where he goes, even now, out at the portal. [Exit Ghost.] -Hamlet, William Shakespeare

The passage from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" discusses the theme of the supernatural and the perception of reality. In this scene, Hamlet is speaking to his mother, Gertrude, about the ghost of his father, which he sees but she does not. This highlights the theme of the supernatural, as the ghost is a spectral presence that only Hamlet can perceive. It also touches on the theme of reality versus illusion, as Gertrude cannot see or hear the ghost, raising questions about what is real and what is imagined. This scene is significant in the play as it underscores Hamlet's isolation and the tension between his perception and the perceptions of those around him.