Examples Of Madness In Hamlet

650 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme of madness in Shakespeare

Hamlet is using madness to conceal his ulterior agenda of enacting revenge on his step father/uncle King Claudius to fulfill his father’s entity wish. He believes that in portraying a madman, attention will only be directed towards his socially abnormal antics. Hamlet came up with this plan at end of Act one and he enacts it in Act Two. After two months, Hamlet’s plan is shown to be running well as everyone in Denmark are focusing on his newfound insanity.
The people of Denmark have many contrast theories on Hamlet’s sudden change of behavior. Polonius believes that Hamlet’s sudden madness comes from his unrequited love for his daughter Ophelia. This brings somewhat pride to him, that the Prince of Denmark is madly in love with his daughter. On the other hand, Gertrude believes that Hamlet’s abnormal behavior derives from him not being able to deal with the death of his father and her incestuous marriage to his uncle Claudius. “I doubt it no other but the main, his father’s death and o’erhasty marriage” (2, 2, 1145). Hamlet’s deception of the public and his royal family brings euphoria and it is therapeutic to him. …show more content…

In Act Two, Scene Two, Hamlet insults Polonius by calling him a fishmonger (implying that he is selling his daughter for his own gain). All Polonius can surmise is that Hamlet’s madness is severe to the point of not being able to remember people very well. Hamlet’s feign of madness gives him extended time to flesh out his revenge plot on King Claudius for his father’s death. First, he needs to make sure that Claudius committed the crime and he himself is not being deceived by the entity. However, throughout Act Two, Scene Two, Hamlet shows signs of actual mental conflict within him to his dear old friends Rosencrantz and

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Mental Illness In Hamlet

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mental Illnesses Impact Everything Mental illnesses and craziness are not always a bad thing, it is what mental illnesses and craziness can cause the people to do. Hamlet by William Shakespeare provides the reader with many different types of mental illness and madness. This play was written in the early 1600’s and times have changed a lot since then, but the examples of mental illnesses and craziness are still an issue in todays world. The majority of characters in this play have mental illness and/or are crazy, insane, or mad. In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, mental illness and craziness and madness play an important role in the development of the characters and the story.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Sanity

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Hamlet - Intelligent , NOT Insane

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, the main character is given the overwhelming responsibility of avenging his father’s "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.iv.36). Such a burden can slowly drive a man off the deep end psychologically. Because of this, Hamlet’s disposition is extremely inconsistent and erratic throughout the play. At times he shows signs of uncontrollable insanity. Whenever he interacts with the characters he is wild, crazy, and plays a fool. At other times, he exemplifies intelligence and method in his madness. In instances when he is alone or with Horatio, he is civilized and sane. Hamlet goes through different stages of insanity throughout the story, but his neurotic and skeptical personality amplifies his persona of seeming insane to the other characters. Hamlet comes up with the idea to fake madness in the beginning of the play in order to confuse his enemies. However, for Hamlet to fulfill his duty of getting revenge, he must be totally sane. Hamlet’s intellectual brilliance make it seem too impossible for him to actually be mad, for to be insane means that one is irrational and without any sense. When one is irrational, one is not governed by or according to reason. So, Hamlet is only acting mad in order to plan his revenge on Claudius.

    Read More

  • Hamlet- Truly Mad, for Freigned Madness?

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to seek revenge for his father's murder. As the play progresses, the reader may start to believe Hamlet’s “insane” act, but throughout the scenes, Hamlet shows that he knows right from wrong, good from bad, and his friends from his enemies. Hamlet shows that he still has power and control over his actions. As Elliot says “Hamlet madness is less than madness and more feigned”. Hamlet portrays a mad man, in order to be free from questioning, thus allowing him to have an easier path towards revenge.

    Read More

  • Madness and Insanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Hamlet - Observations of Madness

    2623 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Real Madness And Madness In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Lewis Carol’s, Alice in Wonderland, he tells of the meeting between two of his characters, Alice, and the Mad Hatter. Carol writes about the struggles the young girl Alice has with him due to the fact that he appears to be entirely crazy, though the question stands if there is some method to his madness. Playwright and actor, William Shakespeare, uses this controversial connection between real madness and loss in his play Hamlet, portrayed in his characters Hamlet, and his crazed actions towards his loved ones, in Ophelia and her reaction to the death of her father, and lastly, in his character Laertes and his quick, rash reaction to act upon his desire for revenge.

    Read More

  • Insanity and Procrastination: An Analysis of Hamlet’s Inaction and Mental Degeneration

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Hamlet transforms from a motivated intellectual to an obsessed griever, Shakespeare evaluates the fluidity of sanity.The juxtaposition of Hamlet’s desire to act and inability to do so unveils Hamlet’s inner turmoil, for as Hamlet disconnects from family, distrusts his environment, and forms an obsession with perfection, the audience realizes his fatal flaw and watches him tumble into the grasps of insanity. This degeneration forces the audience to consider how equilibrium between thought and action influences the conservation of sanity, not only for Hamlet, but also for all of humanity.

    Read More

  • Justification of Hamlet's Sanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet throughout the play seems insane but in reality it is only an act to achieve his goal of killing his father's murderer. Hamlet chooses to go mad so he has an advantage over his opponent and since he is the Prince of Denmark certain behavior is unacceptable, so by faking madness he is able to get away with inappropriate sayings and actions. We can see this when he talks to Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia and his mother. When Hamlet talks to Horatio in the first act he says how he is going to "feign madness" and that:

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Weak and Pitiful Hamlet

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet’s sanity began to deteriorate when learned that his father’s death was not an accident, but rather a foul deed committed by the newly crowned King of Denmark. “If thou didst ever thy dear father love – Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” [Act I, v l .23-25]. As a mysterious ghost appeared in the terrace, Hamlet learned of a murderer that would prove his fealty towards his father. As he contemplated the appalling news recently brought to his attention, the control Hamlet had over his actions was questioned. “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! My tables meet it is I set it down, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark,” [Act I, v l. 106-109]. Hamlet’s hatred toward his father’s killer caused him to relate the tribulations between murder and the aspects of Denmark as a country together. As with most of the conflicts Hamlet faced, his lack of ability to avenge his father’s death, furthered the deterioration of his life and surroundings.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Maintaining Moral Order as it Relates to Hamlet by William Shakespeare's

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    He decides to feign madness to gain more freedom of action and to escape the too-close observation of those whom he himself wishes to watch. By examining the chaos within the supernatural, moral and political aspects of Denmark's society and the corrupt relationships of Hamlet's life it has been proven that thus far Hamlet's antic disposition has not been effective in his plan to restore order to the state. In fact, he is defeating his own purpose because his eccentricities have caused the king to regard him with fear and suspicion, and to spy on his actions. His "antic disposition" is drawing a lot of negative attention to him, which isn't helping in his plan to restore order to Denmark.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Uncover The Truth In Hamlet Analysis

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Considered to be one of the most famous playwrights written in the history of English literature, Hamlet is no doubt a complex play and far from being easy to decipher. The protagonist finds himself entangled within a slew of different predicaments ranging from love, incest, death, murder, and even touches upon the spiritual world when his father’s apparition presents himself with the task of avenging his death. How he goes about handling all of these difficulties has been a debate for decades and continues to baffle even the greatest minds today. However, in order for Hamlet to uncover the truth and fulfill the task he is given, he must put on an act of madness in which the other characters mistake him to have truly lost his mind. While he

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Madness Analysis

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, is one of the most analyzed plays in existence due to its vivid dramatization of melancholy and insanity. There is sufficient evidence displayed in the play that Hamlet deliberately feigns his fits of madness. He puts on this act to deceive people such as the King and his following attendants into thinking he was no threat. Hamlet needed to distract attention from the investigation concerning his father’s death so he could baffle those who intend on preventing him in his quest for revenge. In light of the fact that Hamlet had claimed to “put an antic disposition on” (1.5.180) his choice to do so actually lead to his downfall. Thus I claim, that on account of feigning his madness, Hamlet did not only fool

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Madness In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare thus leaves his audience to fabricate their own perception with serving only minor stage directions. They are then left with Hamlet’s lingering words, actions, and the reactions to predisposed whether Hamlet’s madness is actually feigned or legitimate. Nevertheless, The evidence does not actually define Shakespeare’s character, Hamlet. To relate, modern audiences must do their research to become accustomed to the way of thinking done by people of the Renaissance. All in all, Hamlet’s true soundness is left up to the people of today’s

    Read More

  • Hamlet’s Madness

    1882 Words  | 4 Pages

    The tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is about Hamlet going insane and reveals his madness through his actions and dialogue. Hamlet remains one of the most discussed literary characters of all time. This is most likely due to the complex nature of Hamlet as a character. In one scene, Hamlet appears happy, and then he is angry in another and melancholy in the next. Hamlet’s madness is a result of his father’s death which was supposedly by the hands of his uncle, Claudius. He has also discovered that this same uncle is marrying his mom. It is expected that Hamlet would be suffering from some emotional issues as result of these catastrophes. Shakespeare uses vivid language, metaphors, and imagery to highlight how Hamlet’s madness influences several important aspects of his life including his relationships and the way he presents himself.

    Read More

More about Examples Of Madness In Hamlet

Open Document