Listening and observing comes naturally to most of us. Most people don't quite think that to confirm something I've heard I have to see it or vice versa. This is the problem that the characters in Hamlet encounter when they try to think about the problems they have. The ear and eye motif in William Shakespeare's Hamlet forms an important part in the play. Hamlet suggests that information received only by the ear or eye can lead to undesirable results (Anderson). The simultaneous use of the ear and the eye must exist for the success of reason because they alone do not provide sufficient information to Hamlet, Gertrude, and the Danish people. Hamlet encounters several problems when he relies only on the eye or ear. When she hears a noise behind a curtain in scene three, she automatically assumes it is Claudius because the voice says he will help Gertrude. "What is this, a mouse? I'll bet you a dollar it's a dead mouse now" (III.iv.24) and Hamlet stabs Polonius. Hamlet was calm and happy when he thought he had killed Claudius, but Gertrude reveals that it wasn't Claudius he killed, it was Polonius. Hamlet felt very guilty for acting impulsively when he heard a voice that he thought was Claudius's. Hamlet is very shocked and then reveals to the Queen that it was Claudius who killed his father. Claudius killed King Hamlet by pouring poison into his ear. This is very significant because King Hamlet's real ear was poisoned, which alone goes with the noteworthy reason. Furthermore, Hamlet is mad or so he appears to be. Looking at Hamlet and all his actions everyone is convinced that he has gone mad. His mood changes a lot throughout the play, he utters "wild and whirling words" (Iv127-134) when he learns of his father's death, he has purple outbursts towards his mother... middle of paper.... ..o Claudius and he admitted to killing King Hamlet. The murder of a brother, Claudius says, is the oldest sin and "carries upon it the oldest curse" (III.iii.37). Therefore, the eye and ear did not have to work simultaneously for Hamlet to prove Claudius' guilt. The reference to the eye and ear in Hamlet appears more than 150 times in the play, which illustrates how important this motif is (Anderson). Only the eye and the ear cause problems for Hamlet, Gertrude and the Danish people because they do not receive enough information from them. As a result, Hamlet kills Polonius, and from the outside Hamlet appears to be mad. Furthermore, Gertrude is blind to King Hamlet's death and the Danish people trust their king even though they don't know much about him. Ultimately, using both the ear and the eye for Hamlet's characters produced better results than using them alone.