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Hamlet- Madness in the play

            William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet opens with there being "[s]omething rotten in the state of Denmark" (Madden 81). Given that the rotten state of Denmark becomes center stage, it is the perfect setting for madness to emerge; "Denmark's a prison" (Madden 96) for those who are inflicted with madness. The main thesis is that in all it's forms madness reveals truths and the understanding of these truths are interconnected. The text's reference to truths told by Hamlet, Ophelia and Laertes create this concept. These three types of truth when interconnected result in total understanding. .
             Ever since the death of King Hamlet young Hamlet has been in what appears to be a state of madness; using madness as his guise Hamlet reveals empirical knowledge of the past which leads to present suffering and future self-destruction. Hamlet is "born to set [his father's murder] right" (Madden 86). He will "remember [his father]" (Madden 83) by "[avenging] his foul and most unnatural murder" (Madden 82). His quest for revenge has led him "[i]nto the madness wherein he now raves" (Madden 94). Using madness to his advantage Hamlet keeps the court occupied with his mental state so that his true doings may not be revealed. Hamlet tries to "[make] mad the guilty" (Madden 103) by changing the show that the players perform to resemble his father's death so he may see if Claudius is guilty. Hamlet knows the true nature of his father's death and tires to reveal it to all. This overwhelming revelation of truth causes Claudius to be overcome with guilt. Since Claudius is "[t]he serpent that did sting [King Hamlet's] life" (Madden 82) he fears what may happen if the court becomes aware of his evil doing. Anxiety is inflicted into Claudius and this apprehension causes his suffering. Hamlet speaks empirical truth of past understanding, guised by madness, which leads to present suffering and fear of the future. .
             Ophelia brings to the court truth of the past, masked by her madness, which leads to a present understanding and in turn creates future suffering.


Essays Related to Hamlet- Madness in the play

1. Hamlet

... into believing that he is genuinely mad, but all of the evidence from the play points to the contrary. In the exposition of the play, Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, dies. Just over a month later while Hamlet is still mourning, Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, remarries with Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. The actions of his mother cause Hamlet to feel outrage along with grief. Others believe that the cause of Hamlet's madness is that his lover, Ophelia, ended their relationship. Polonius is ... so sure that the root of Hamlet's madness is love that he sets up ... ...

  • Word Count: 1191
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Hamlet's Madness

... a certain extent and he knows his own limitations. Does Hamlet know his limitations? At the end of the play, after everyone is dead, and has committed their sins (especially Hamlet), Hamlet admits his madness to Laertes. Hamlet says, Roughly awake, I here proclaim my madness. (V, II) Hamlet finally admits that he does in fact have some madness. However, Shakespeare never specifies whether it is faked madness or true insanity. So, again we are left ... with our own opinion of Hamlets level of madness. In conclusion, we see that Hamlets madness does exist in ... ...

  • Word Count: 1318
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Hamlet's Madness

... to his father's ghost while bystanders watch their conversation. His anger builds and at some points is controlled; nevertheless, loses this rage to madness during the play. Hamlet is mad not only in anger but in insanity as well. Hamlet's reaction in the beginning of "Hamlet" mostly lies upon depression and sadness. He feels that his mother had married to early and that his father's death was not a ... . For anything so o"erdone is from the purpose / of plying- Also Hamlet starts to play with Polonius" head by stating some things about the players. Things that Hamlet says are always opp...

  • Word Count: 828
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Hamlets Madness

... back and told the King and Queen of Hamlet's "crafty madness" (III, i.8). The play Hamlet was designed also to serve as evidence in which shows that his madness was all an act of intelligence. The play are designed to entertain the people at Denmark. Hamlet gave his idea of a play that should be performed in which would be interesting to the people, but at the same time, he thought of a play that would help ... where he should not make all of the other comments and action toward the other characters in the play such as Ophelia or Polonius. It is all a matter of how the person deals with ...

  • Word Count: 1944
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Is He or Is He Not - Madness is the Question

... (V.ii.28-46), Hamlet shows he is now a clever and yet depraved killer without compassion or conscience. He is driven by his single focus of revenge on Claudius and is now no better than Claudius. The purpose of this paper is to discuss Hamlet's madness in the play. This paper is an argument coming down on the side that Hamlet is depressed from the beginning of the play and is truly mad ... in his mother's chambers when he killed Polonius. One could quote many passages that argue to ... the contrary. Is Hamlet's level of depression deep enough to declare him insane? Is the violent killi...

  • Word Count: 1100
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Is Hamlet's Madness Genuine?

... avenge his father's death. The characters throughout the play try to decipher for themselves whether Hamlet had lost his mind or not. The two female characters Ophelia, Hamlets former lover, and Gertrude, his queen mother, both come to the conclusion that Hamlet is "mad". The major male characters on the other hand, such as Polonius for example in Act II notices that there is "method in Hamlet's madness"; that his insanity seems to ... be a mask to hide something deeper. Hamlet ... ...

  • Word Count: 558
  • Approx Pages: 2

7. Hamlet Essay- Interpreting Madness

... of Hamlet. Do it England, for like the hectic in my blood he rages, and thou must cure me."(Act IV, scene iii, pg 125) The unexpected return of Hamlet in Act five heats up the conclusion to this play. Hamlet finds out that Ophelia has died, and that Laertes tricked by the king who wants Hamlet dead. Hamlet now decides that he must fight for honor, and not play tricks of madness. In the remaining ... scenes of the play, he holds true to his crafty character and fulfills his ... ...

  • Word Count: 1206
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Hamlet: Madness is crucial to the play

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, there exist instances of madness that play a crucial role in the development and unfolding of the play. The three major illustrations of the madness are when Hamlet feigns his madness at the start of the play, Ophelia's madness after Polonius" death and Hamlet's semi-madness when he becomes violent with his mother towards the middle of the play. The first case of madness presented is Hamlet's feigned madness at the start of the novel. It is quite apparent that this first madness is feigned because Hamlet himself tells ... Horatio not to alert anyone if he is seen out...

  • Word Count: 633
  • Approx Pages: 3

9. Madness in Shakespeare's Hamlet

... is cleverly depicted by Shakespeare as Hamlet reckons with his father's unexpected death, views the ghost of his father and attempts to understand his mother's abrupt marriage to Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. Prince Hamlet's erraticism and depressed tendency lead others to believe he is 1) "draw[n] [] into madness" (I.v.66)1. At the onset of the play, however, Prince Hamlet feigns insanity in an attempt to gain the trust of his enemies. 2) " ... ;His madness: if't be so," (II.ii.296) is well portrayed with manic behavior ... ...

  • Word Count: 602
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

10. Literary Essay - Hamlet

... a disguise to obtain information to justify his acts of revenge. This conduct presages the upcoming plot of the play. Being out of control of his words and actions, Hamlet remains in the act of a madman, which allows the audience to foreshadow the main plot of the play. Early on in the play, Polonius declares that "though this be madness, yet there is method in't" (2.2.195-197). He believes that there is a reason behind ... Hamlet's craziness, and because of Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony, the audience acknowledges that it is feigned. When Hamlet ... ...

  • Word Count: 685
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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