In his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare leads the reader to believe during the first four acts that the characters' objectionable judgment and resulting action are acceptable to the reader. However, in Act V, Hamlet's world is turned upside down, leaving the reader completely perplexed. By closely examining Hamlet, it becomes apparent that Shakespeare uses repetitive images of the eyes and ears as the source from which action flows. The lack of coordination between these two senses is largely responsible for the state of affairs that followed in the first four acts. In Act V, Shakespeare decides to shake things up and play with the reader in the manner of his characters, by limiting the coordination of their two central faculties: sight and hearing. In order for the reader to interpret the actions that take place in Hamlet, in their entirety, the reader must "draw a comparison between the eye and the ear as two faculties by which sense data are transmitted to reason" (Anderson) During the first four acts of Hamlet, Shakespeare shows that “exclusion [of the eye or ear] results in a truncation of the intellect and therefore in unwholesome judgment and action” (Anderson). From the start of the game, in the first two lines, there is a lack of sight among the two sentries, Barnardo and Francisco. Specifically, Barnardo states: “Who is there? » and Francisco replies: “No, answer me. Stand up and unfold. (II1-2). The lack of sight is perfectly illustrated for the reader: “They are both guards whose duty is to identify the people they meet, but here they cross paths [and cannot identify each other]” (Manafov) . Shakespeare deliberately focuses on this imp... middle of paper ... his main action deals with the unfolding of this revenge, leading to the death of the murderers and often to the death of the avenger himself. » (Thorndike).Works CitedAnderson, Mary. “Hamlet: The dialectic between the eye and the ear. » Renaissance and Reformation. Flight. 4. Np: np, 1991. 299-311. Manafov, Elmar. "The Riddle of Hamlet, Part Two:." 2011. Web, April 20, 2011. Shakespeare, William, Ed. Paul Werstine and Barbara A. Mowat Shakespeare Library, New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print. Venkova, Savina. , Shakespeare. Reverend from Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Helium Inc., 2011. Web April 20, 2011. Thorndike, AH “Hamlet's Relations to Contemporary Revenge Plays,” PMLA, XVII (1902), p.. 176.