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Hamlets Madness

             There are many factors in Shakespeare's Hamlet that lead us to think Hamlet is mad. Although if we really look into the reading and pay attention to little comments and gestures that he does throughout the play we come to a conclusion that he is just faking his insanity. Characters in the play accuse him of being mad for several reasons. Each one of them has his or her own theory to explain his so called madness. Hamlet's sanity is sprinkled throughout the whole play.
             Hamlet encounters the ghost in scene five of act one. First of all he does not seem stunned or surprised after seeing this spirit. Normally someone who comes across a ghost would either think he has gone mad or would just get scared and run off. Hamlet on the other hand speaks to the ghost as if he were just another character in the play. He listens to what the ghost has to say and from what he just heard he builds up plans and further thoughts to what may come about later on and what he should do. A second reason in this scene that would lead us to doubt his insanity is the fact that he was not in the least surprised when the ghost had told him what happened to his father and the real cause of his death. Hamlet already suspected someone who was close to the old throw holder had done something to the late king and that it was not just a sudden natural death. The ghost's information serves as a foundation that solidifies Hamlet's suspicions. The significance of all this is that Hamlet uses these reasons to compliment the fact that he wants people to think he is crazy. By doing that he buys himself more time to look into his father's death. Hamlet only pretends to be mad so that his plans will not be found out by Claudius, Polonius or any other person that may be suspicious of his actions. The ghost informs Hamlet of his father's murder and demands that Hamlet takes vengeance. Without the ghost, Hamlet's actions would seem much more insane.


Essays Related to Hamlets Madness

1. Hamlet's Madness

... ghost was right and Claudius did murder his father. Is Hamlet Mad? A big part of the play revolves around the question of Prince Hamlets madness and if it exists. If you can imagine, after the death of his father, and the remarriage of his mother, it is hard for ... with, My lord, I do not know, But truly I do fear it.(II, I) This is really the first assumption that one can make about Hamlets madness. They assume that he is insane because he is in love. Little do they know, Hamlet has just found out that his father was really murdered ... by their new King. As shown, Polonius makes many...

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

2. Hamlets Madness

... had murdered his father. Hamlet's predictions and actions were all very well done, and it is obvious to say that no madman could have done this so successfully. Hamlets" madness is very weird and confusing. From my point of view it is very easy to become absolutely mad if a man were to kill my father. I might ... absolutely without any hesitation kill him. I believe it is very hard to not become so mad, for that is your father which someone killed. So many say that Hamlets madness is unacceptable but from what I see he has a right to be that way. Also, not all people act the same way wh...

  • Word Count: 1944
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3. Hamlets Character

... have tried to justify Hamlet by explaining or interpreting his actions; Dr Samuel Johnson views Hamlet as an element of evil, cruelty, violence, and cynicism. Like many others, I also question Hamlets "madness". Hamlet has lost faith in himself and others. He also derives pleasure in watching other people he once loved suffer. Hamlet no longer cares for Ophelia, "I have heard of your ... transformed into a creature of hatred, and he wishes horrible things upon others. Many address the question of Hamlets "madness". Is Hamlet a mad man? As a result of what happens throughout the play in ...

  • Word Count: 791
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. hamlets sanity

... disturbed by this visitation and then attempts to seek revenge on his father's death. Throughout Hamlet seeking his revenge, he is accused of being insane. Hamlets character could be called, and is called by many, a lunatic. Hamlet, during the course of the play, acted as if he was insane to ... actions. Insanity is defined as exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; mad; deranged in mind; delirious; distracted; no ability to reason. Hamlets character does display an act of these characteristics but it is only that, an act. It would be impossible if he were sane to act as ....

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5. Discuss Shakespeare's portrayal of madness and the feigning

... his want of determination" (2). A strong case indeed, as it is Hamlet's uneasy conscience, acute sense of duty, and lack of self-confidence that turn him towards the pretence of madness. Hamlet uses madness in the play as a disguise, but it is believed by many critics to be an excuse for his delay towards revenge. However, Shakespeare acknowledges that Hamlet does hide from ... hatred of women, and ultimately Ophelia. Peter Hyland stated Ophelia was "An appropriate figure to embody the conflicting tensions of a changing society"(4). Ophelia and Gertrude hold great relevance to Hamlet's ...

  • Word Count: 1550
  • Approx Pages: 6
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6. hamlets sanity

Whether or not Hamlet was sane depends on the definition of insanity. In Hamlets case he may have been a hypochondriac and caused his own illness. Hamlet's actions may also have been just an act, which would prove him not ... him like they would play a recorder yet he turns around and does it to them. Not only does he play Guildenstern and Rosenchrantz but also he manipulates madness towards Ophelia to give the impression of insanity to Claudius and Polonius. Hamlet appears to these people as insane according to Roget's International Thesaurus, which states insanity ... person who is insan...

  • Word Count: 557
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Hamlets madness

Hamlet's Madness" Is Hamlet Mad? Not Likely Madness is a condition of the mind which eliminates all rational thought leaving an individual with no proper conception of what is happening around him/her. Madness typically occurs in the minds of individuals that have experienced an event or series of events that their mind simply cannot cope with and, thus, to avoid their harsh reality, they fall into a state of madness. In William Shakespeare's masterpiece Hamlet, there is much debate around the protagonist, Hamlet, and whether or not his madness in the play was real or feigned. It was a disastr...

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8. Hamlets Madness

The idea of a character feigning madness is not foreign to great literary works; in fact, many authors use it to show the sanity of the character. Odysseus shows his sanity by pretending to be mad in Homer's The Iliad to avoid going to war. If his plan had been successful, he would have stayed safe at home, away from the dangers of war. The idea of feigning madness is also apparent throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet. The tragic character puts on an act after he is told of his father's murder, perhaps to have something on which he can place the blame after he avenges his father's death, or perhaps...

  • Word Count: 736
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9. Is He or Is He Not - Madness is the Question

... and pestilent congregation of vapors. (II.ii.307-317) Yet Hamlet goes far beyond melancholy and the purpose of this paper is to discuss Hamlet's madness. Madness or insanity is part of a mental health continuum. At what point does society classify one as sane or mad varies depending on circumstance. A clear ... he becomes obsessed with avenging his father's death. It is this obsession that drives him beyond melancholy. Not only is there a fine line between madness and sanity, there is also a fine line between pretense and reality. The longer one plays a part, the more likely one takes o...

  • Word Count: 1100
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  • Grade Level: High School

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