Madness in Hamlet by William Shakespeare
At first glance, William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet appears to be an obvious story of a man who goes mad over the murder of his father, the king. Madness is a common theme throughout Hamlet, but often times Hamlet himself is the only character seen as mad. An explanation for this is that a first time reader does not carry the perception that any other characters are mad, simply Hamlet. When in actuality Hamlet is surrounded by people who are indeed mad. Ophelia is one main character whose madness is quite obvious. From her Valentine Song in act IV to her suicide in act V, her madness becomes more apparent as the play unfolds. Throughout Hamlet small glimpses of madness from other characters are seen, however the extent of these characters madness is not equal to that of Hamlet or Ophelia. The World Book Dictionary defines madness as " the fact or condition of being crazy; insane condition; loss of one's mind" (2: 1251). Jerome Mazzaro says that "Madness becomes, consequently, a closing off of one's self from others and from one's past..." (101). Whether or not Hamlet and Ophelia fit this definition exactly is unclear; however, this definition does describe each of them somewhat. The degree of their madness differs, but both Hamlet and Ophelia are indeed mad.
A constant argument that arises when talking about Hamlet is that of is his madness real or is it simply an act. The answer to this question can be gathered by
looking at his actions and his words. I believe that in the beginning of the play, Hamlet is
not truly mad, however, he becomes mad through the actions that unfold throughout the play. Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to "Put an...
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...ct that Hamlet and Ophelia's own poor relationship eventually leads to their demise.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Primary Source
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and
Drama. 7th ed. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Longman,
1999. 1522-1634
Secondary Source
Hamner, Thomas. Shakespearean Criticism. 24 (1984): 78-83.
"Madness." Def. 1. The World Book Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1987.
Mazzaro, Jerome. "Madness and Memory." Comparative Drama. 19 (1985): 97- 116.
Miller, Roger. "Melancholy, Madness in Hamlet." Hamlet Studies and Tragedy of
Hamlet. 6 (1998): 81-87.
Perry, Ruth. "Madness in Euripides." Psychoanalytic Review. 65 (Summer, 1978): 253-279.
Proser, Mathew. "Madness Revenge." Modern Drama. 24 (1981): 338-352.
“I plead guilty by reason of insanity,” is Hamlet’s plea if he was sitting in a modern courtroom. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, it is evident that Hamlet himself is indeed out of his mind. The reader understands the reason for his anger and frustration, but how he “fixes” the situation is beyond a sane mind. To be fair, his madness deals more with emotional instability referred to as melancholy or madness than a person who is incoherent. Hamlet’s madness becomes clear in his actions and thoughts, in his erratic relationship with Ophelia, and in the murder of Polonius.
Hamlet's actions and words have a "method" to them; there appears to be a reason behind them, they are logical in nature. II, ii.
Riddled with ambiguity by its very nature, the text of William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been a commonly debated subject in literary circles since its first performance. The character Hamlet undergoes intense physical and emotional hardship in his quest for revenge against his despicable uncle. This hardship, some argue, leads to an emotional breakdown and, ultimately, Hamlet's insanity. While this assessment may be suitable in some cases, it falls short in others. Since Hamlet is a play, the ultimate motivation of each of the characters borrows not only from the text, but also from the motivations of the actors playing the parts. In most respects, these motivations are more apt at discerning the emotional condition of a character than their dialogue ever could. Thus, the question is derived: In Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Hamlet, does the character Hamlet suffer from insanity? Giving halt to the response, this paper will first endeavor to establish what insanity is and will then provide sufficient examples both from the text, film, and Branagh's own musings on his motivations as proof that Hamlet's character, at least in Branagh's version of the play, is not insane.
Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, must seek revenge for the murder of his father. Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to murder Claudius. Throughout the play, Hamlet becomes more and more believable in his act, even convincing his mother that he is crazy. However, through his thoughts, and actions, the reader can see that he is in fact putting up an act, he is simply simulating insanity to help fulfil his fathers duty of revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet shows that he understands real from fake, right from wrong and his enemies from his friends. Even in his madness, he retorts and is clever in his speech and has full understanding of what if going on around him. Most importantly, Hamlet does not think like that of a person who is mad. Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to seek revenge for his fathers murder.
Throughout Shakespeare?s play, Hamlet, the main character, young Hamlet, is faced with the responsibility of attaining vengeance for his father?s murder. He decides to feign madness as part of his plan to gain the opportunity to kill Claudius. As the play progresses, his depiction of a madman becomes increasingly believable, and the characters around him react accordingly. However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfill his duty to his father.
Shakespeare's tragic hero, Hamlet, and his sanity can arguably be discussed. Many portions of the play supports his loss of control in his actions, while other parts uphold his ability of dramatic art. The issue can be discussed both ways and altogether provide significant support to either theory. There are indications from Hamlet throughout the play of his mind's well being.
When Hamlet is in the presence of certain people, he acts differently, he acts like any other normal individual, he is smart, he is able to thoroughly think about every plan or idea he has and he is fully aware of his surroundings.
A great controversial talking point of the play Hamlet is whether he was mad or in fact making people think he was mad.
One of the most analyzed plays in existence is the tragedy Hamlet, with its recurring question: "Is Hamlet’s 'antic disposition' feigned or real?" In truth, this question can only be answered by observing the thoughts of the main characters in relation to the cause of Hamlet real or feigned madness. In the tragedy Hamlet, each of the main characters explains Hamlets madness in their own unique way. To discover the cause behind the madness of Hamlet, each character used their own ambitions, emotions and interpretations of past events. Characters tried to explain Hamlet's "antic disposition" by means of association to thwarted ambition, heartbreaking anguish, and denied love. In the workings of their thoughts, the characters inadvertently reveal something about their own desires, emotions and experiences to the reader.
prove Claudius’s guilt as a murderer; allows him to fully see the truth surrounding his father’s
A consideration of the madness of the hero Hamlet within the Shakespearean drama of the same name, shows that his feigned madness sometimes borders on real madness, but probably only coincidentally.
The inclusion of the term ‘madness’ or phrase ‘gone mad’ play a pertinent role in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Not only does the title Character, Hamlet, show signs of ‘madness’ but his love, Ophelia ‘goes mad’. Although from the plot of the play we can pick up what is meant by mad, but what truly is madness? Merriam Webster dictionary lists two definitions for this term: A state of severe mental illness and or behavior or thinking that is very foolish or dangerous. By the standards of these definitions we can conclude that Ophelia, the lover of Hamlet, daughter of Polonius, sister to Laertes has in fact gone mad, but the question remains as to why. Ophelia has gone mad because her body cannot process all of the grief and stress she has been subjected to, during the events of the play.
Another reason why Hamlet is not mad is in the way he escaped his awaited execution in England. Hamlet knew that he was to be sent to England to be killed on the orders of Claudius. But once he saw a chance of escape on the pirate ship, he took this opportunity to board the ship, which made him escape death, thus prolonging his life a little longer. If Hamlet were actually mad, it would be doubtful that he would know of Claudius’ plans,...
The quickest take over of madness is exhibited in Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia. The most important example of madness is shown in Hamlet after his meeting with the Ghost and his plot for revenge upon his uncle. The most unexpected example of madness is in Laertes who in a fit of rage loses all gentleman like qualities and almost upsets the kingdom. All of these characters add up to the idea that to lose someone a person cares about dearly, ultimately ends in losing one’s composure and going mad. If we take away anything from Shakespeare’s play, it should be that each of us should think over our decisions prior to making them to insure we don’t have the same fate as the characters stated
Davis, Tenney L. “The Sanity of Hamlet.” The Journal of Philosophy 18.23 (1921): 629–634. JSTOR. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.