Hamlet - A Question of Madness Hamlet's public persona is a facade he has created to carry out his ulterior motives. The outside world's perception of him as being mad is of his own design. Hamlet is deciding what he wants others to think about him. Polonius, a close confidant of the King, is the leading person responsible for the public's knowledge of Hamlet's madness. The idea that Hamlet is mad centers around the fact that he talks to the ghost of his dead father. He communicates with his dead father's ghost twice, in the presence of his friends and again in the presence of his mother. By being in public when talking to the ghost, the rumor of his madness is given substance. Polonius decides to go to Hamlet's mother, the Queen, in Act II to tell her that her "noble son is mad" (105). Aware of what has been going on with Hamlet, the Queen questions Polonius. In his response, Polonius continues to proclaim "That he's mad, 'tis true. 'Tis true, 'tis pity, / And pity 'tis 'tis true - a foolish figure" (105). Although not believing it in her heart, the Queen later admits that Hamlet may be mad. After their conversation, Hamlet enters and has his own conversation with Polonius. During this conversation, Hamlet falsely labels Plonius as a fishmonger. Hamlet knows that Polonius will tell others of the mistaken identity; specifically, he knows Polonius will report it to the King. Polonius believes Hamlet's insanity is related to sex; therefore, he is concerned with Hamlet's relationship with his daughter, Ophelia. Hamlet's relationship and actions towards Ophelia are not exempt from his dual personalities. In private, he is deeply devoted to her; but in public, he humiliates and belittles her... ... middle of paper ... ... are dead at the end of the play. If Hamlet had not chosen to pretend to be mad, the outcome of the events would probably of been different. Hamlet's quest of destroying the King is selfish, in that it affects the innocent as well as the guilty. Hamlet's false madness finally brings about true madness at the end of the play that is inescapable. Works Cited and Consulted: http://shakespeare.about.com/library/blhamlet_2_2.htm Bloom, Harold. Introduction. Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Bradley, A.C.. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. New York: Penguin Books, 1991. Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996.
In Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the Creature executes extreme and irreversible acts due to his isolation from society. Although the Creature displays kindness, his isolation drives him to act inhumanely.
Bradley, A.C. "Shakespeare's Tragic Period--Hamlet." Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Toronto: MacMillan, 1967. 79-174.
An idea becomes a vision, the vision develops a plan, and this plan becomes an ambition. Unfortunately for Victor Frankenstein, his ambitions and accomplishments drowned him in sorrow from the result of many unfortunate events. These events caused Victors family and his creation to suffer. Rejection and isolation are two of the most vital themes in which many dreadful consequences derive from. Victor isolates himself from his family, friends, and meant-to-be wife. His ambitions are what isolate him and brought to life a creature whose suffering was unfairly conveyed into his life. The creature is isolated by everyone including his creator. He had no choice, unlike Victor. Finally, as the story starts to change, the creature begins to take control of the situation. It is now Victor being isolated by the creature as a form of revenge. All the events and misfortunes encountered in Frankenstein have been linked to one another as a chain of actions and reactions. Of course the first action and link in the chain is started by Victor Frankenstein.
Shakespeare, William. The Three-Text Hamlet. Eds. Paul Bertram and Bernice Kliman. New York: AMS Press, 1991.
Frankenstein toils in his laboratory, gazing at the being he is about to bring to life. He will have his own subjects that honor him as their creator. He will be forever remembered and respected by the scientific community. If he only knew how wrong he was. In Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley illustrates how social isolation leads to loneliness, guilt, and revenge.
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport: Greenwood, 1998. Print. Literature in Context.
In William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, we meet an interesting character named Hamlet. His father is killed and he finds out it was his uncle who murdered him. This, among other events, is believed to drive Hamlet insane. But he is not insane, he merely puts on an act because he craves attention, and is really quite sane. There are little incidents that tell the truth of his state of mind. He plans ahead, before doing something important. He acts in a calm and rational manner (most of the time) when planning, and when carrying out this plan, acts irrational. Everything he does is done for a viable reason; there is a purpose to what he does and why he does it. Also, Hamlet is aware of what is going on around him, something someone insane would not see.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly is an old classic that has been enjoyed by many generations. Despite the fact that the novel was written over a hundred years ago, it is not only beautifully written but also enthralling and well composed. At the young age of eighteen, Mary Shelly raises questions about education and knowledge to which are answered through the well written characters in the novel. The Monster, who is a creation of another character, is highlighted as an individual who goes through an intellectual change.
Mary Shelley used the character of the Monster in her novel “Frankenstein” to state how fear and isolation can affect an individual in the society. The author foreshadows how isolation changes people’s action, motive and character. Others may tend to isolate themselves thinking that they may encounter rejections and may be mistreated by others. Often, isolation can influence an individual’s thought and action which may hinder from having a further association with others. How can isolation change an individual’s perception in society?
Bradley, A.C. "Shakespeare's Tragic Period--Hamlet." Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Toronto: MacMillan, 1967.
a way to deal with each problem and move on facing life as it comes
There are many different reasons for a major theme of Hamlet to be considered that of madness. Seeking revenge for his father’s death Hamlet acts with passion to give off the perception that he is indeed mad. This leads to the question many people ask: is Hamlet truly insane, or is he just acting? As D.J. Snider writes in his article entitled “Hamlet” in The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, “[physicians] carefully reckon up the symptoms and show the various stages, evidently regarding Hamlet as a treatise on insanity” (73). Many, like the aforementioned physicians, regard Hamlet’s madness as concrete. Loosely defined insanity can mean different things but most commonly refers to someone who is suffering from a deranged state of mind, is foolish, or irrational. This leads one to wonder whether or not Hamlet was acting from insanity or if he was following a clear path towards a reasonable goal. One can follow three different interpretations starting with believing that Hamlet is completely insane. Another perception is that one can see Hamlet as partly mad but still in slight control of his faculties. Finally, one can interpret Hamlet’s madness as the antic disposition that it is, and see that he is in complete control. When hastily examining the evidence supporting the first two options one might see a viable argument; however, upon further examination one will find that the true condition of Hamlet’s mental facilities are clear and that while he may seem insane he never strays from logic and rationale and is in total control.
Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.
Additionally, a drastic change is noticed when Hamlet is talking to Claudius. When talking to Horatio, he is friendlier and makes more sense; however, when he begins to talk to Claudius, he starts to act mad and says random phrases and words to confuse Claudius. After killing Polonius and taking his body away, Hamlet is confronted by Claudius who demands, “Now, Hamlet, where’s Polonius?” (IV.iii.16) to which Hamlet answers, “At supper” (IV.iii.17). The answer given by Hamlet is very random and does not answer the King’s question. Thus, indicating that he is now “mad” to fool Claudius. Hamlet acts like this to convince Claudius that is truly mad so he would not doubt or suspect him for any bad event that happens in the future. Moreover, Hamlet acts very differently around Claudius and his henchmen and the people that he trusts which shows that he is indeed feigning his insanity.