Hamlet says this in Act II Scene 2 while having a discussion with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This sentence can be interpreted on different levels and linked with the play as a whole.
Clearly, “shadow” can be linked with the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Hence, the ghost could represent something more internal to Hamlet, another one of his bad dreams. The ghost could be the materialization, as a shadow, of Hamlet’s bad dreams, fears, and heinous thoughts.
“A dream” can refer to nightmares but also to ambition or desires. Here, Hamlet’s dreams to avenge his father don’t become real, they don’t materialize themselves, they stay shadows as he is never able to take action.
The theme of depression and oppositions can also be illustrated by this sentence. Here, a dream becomes something negative and weak. Hamlet cannot see the beauty in the world, he cannot rest when he sleeps. Everything in his world has become dirty and unworthy: dreams and ambition are not real, they are futile.
Beatrice
you may want to think about the Elizabethan belief that Melancholy is an actual disease, stemming from black bile and affecting the spleen. They may have thought of Hamlet's depression in this way, so this adds to his lack of ambition and inabilities.
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