Hamlet: “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;

And now I’ll do’t: and so he goes to heaven:

And so am I revenged. That would be scann’d:

A villain kills my father; and , for that,

I, his sole son, do this same villain send

O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.

He took my father grossly, full of bread,

With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;

And how his audit stands who knows save heaven?

But in our circumstance and course of thought,

’Tis heavy with him: and am I then revenged,

To take him in the purging of his soul,

When he is fit and season’d for his passage?

Up, sword; and know thou a more horrid hent:

When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,

Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed,

At gaming, swearing, or about some act

That has no relish of salvation in’t:

Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven

And that his soul may be as damn’d and black

As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays:

This physic but prolongs thy sickly days.

This eloquent passage offers one of many insights into the intriguing character of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. William Shakespeare succeeds in

he has my dying voice; / So tell him, with the

The question remains: was Hamlet truly mad, or did he feign it the entire time? At first, Hamlet himself admits that he plans to fake insanity in order to deceive his foes. “How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself” (I.v.171). He makes his friends Horatio and Marcellus swear not to say anything if they see him act out of character. From his actions and words, it is evident that Hamlet follows through with his plan to feign an insane disposition to fool Claudius and the rest of Elsinore. Despite this obvious façade, we are left wondering if Hamlet truly does go mad, or if it is all simply an act. Many things point toward the conclusion that Hamlet is really insane. By killing Polonius, he does something that is completely out of character. He kills the old man in a fit of rage and rash action, quite contrary to his methodical and calculated response when he happens upon Claudius in prayer. So why does Hamlet act so quickly in his mother’s room? Is it because of his insanity or is he just incensed? Later events make us question Hamlet’s sanity even more closely. His attack on Laertes at Ophelia’s burial is unprovoked and impulsive. Is this assault an act of madness or just a manifestation of subconscious jealousy and his love for Ophelia? A further indication of Hamlet’s madness is his acceptance of the King’s wager. Doesn’t Hamlet suspect that his uncle and Laertes are up to something sinister? Surely a man of such high intellect would know that his opponent has an ulterior motive. Then why does he agree to fight Laertes? Maybe he is confident that he will win, as evidenced by his response to Horatio’s statement that he will lose. “…since [Laertes] went into France, I have / been in continual practice; I shall win at the odds” (V.ii.201-202).

painting a vivid yet disturbing portrait of a bright young man consumed by revenge and spite for the ever-decaying world around him. In this particular passage, we learn much about our tormented protagonist. We see his ever-growing procrastination, as well as his methodical and calculating thought process. We also gain insight into the fascinating character of Prince Hamlet through his several soliloquies, his actions and conversations, and what others have to say about him. He possesses many interesting character traits and qualities: intelligence, wit, procrastination, broken promises, reasoning, facetiousness, and misogynism.

That has no relish of salvation it’t:”

Despite his redeeming qualities, Hamlet possesses a major character flaw: misogyny. He has a disdainful and distinct attitude towards women. It is evident that he is extremely angry with the women in his life, as well as women in general. In one particular instance, Hamlet is lamenting the marriage of his mother to his dead father’s brother. “Fraily, thy name is woman!” (I.ii.146). Considering Hamlet’s situation, it is not hard to see

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