Firstly, someone who is truly insane cannot be insane only at certain times. You are either insane or you are not insane. Hamlet is pretending to be insane so that he could later kill Claudius and get away with it by saying he was mad. There are many times in the play that Hamlet acted perfectly sane and announced his “antic disposition” to people. Hamlet’s “

antic disposition” begins when the ghost of his father tells him about how he was murdered by Claudius and to avenge his death. Hamlet firmly states to Horatio that he might begin to act odd or weird, and that when he does to not to give him away. (Act 1, scene 5, lines 170-179). After Hamlet kills Polonious, thinking it was Claudius, he is very calm and states to his mother that his madness is just an act, “That I essentially am not in madness, bud mad in craft.” (Act 3, Scene 4, Lines 189-180). Hamlet also states to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “I am but mad north-north-west.” (Act 2, Scene2, Line 376). By this Hamlet is saying that he is only mad at times. Truly insane people’s minds can not go sane only at times. They are either crazy, or not. We can compare this to Ophelia’s insanity because she couldn’t snap out of her phase. She was truly insane and could not change her ways. Even as she killed herself she was still singing little songs and playing with the flowers, while when Hamlet was dying he was calm and rational, his true sane self.

Secondly, truly insane people can not make swift, rational decisions with common sense and plan ahead. Hamlet shows both of these qualities many times during the play. Firstly, he asks the players to play “The Murder of Gonzago”, which he knows deals with the murder of a king. (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 533-534). Hamlet has a discussion with himself about how plays can make guilty people confess their crimes. He states, “Play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle; I’ll observe his looks.” (Act 2, Scene 2, Lines 593-595) Hamlet is sane and smart enough to know that his uncle will act strange when he watches the play if he truly did murder his father

Some topics in this essay:
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