Kevin Alvarez
Stephanie Fousek
English 102
30 March 2016
Hamlet is Crazy Mad genius or just crazy? There is much debate over the topic of whether or not Hamlet is actually crazy or just pretending. Someone who pretends to be crazy could really turn mad over time. One could also say that Hamlet is just a crazy genius . That he just so smart and that he plays it off to good . His wants to act "strange or odd" (I. v. 170, 172). When he talks to Guildenstern he even says that "his uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived,"(II. ii. 360.)When he talks to Horatio before the party, he tells him that he is going to act crazy. He later confesses this truth to his mother that he is merely acting mad but despite the rumors, is actually completely sane. He
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We know that after returning in the beginning of the play that he finds out about his father’s death and that his uncle Claudius is going to marry his mother. This is enough bad news to make anyone a bit crazy. He even says, “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!”(1.2.131-134). This is proof that he even thinks about killing himself. He tells Horatio not to say anything when he starts acting crazy. In Act 2 Scene 1, Hamlet is very rude towards Ophelia which may lead us to believe he is truly mad. He even starts to claim to see the devil when he says “The spirit that I have seen May be the devil: and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape”(2.2.188-189). He can see this ghost even though nobody else can. Horatio uses an allusion to compare the ghost to Julius Caesar and the tenantless graves and also uses and analogy when comparing ther fall of Caesar to the death of king Hamlet when he says “A little ere the mightiest Julius fell” (114). If this doesn’t sound crazy then I don’t know what is. Clearly, this guys is out of his
Throughout the story, Horatio is continuously shown as the voice of reason and clarity. He is the authority figure and it is through him that we see the truth behind the actions of Hamlet and the others. Horatio is the outside observer to the play and it is a result of his words and actions that we can ground the play in reality. Ever since the beginning of the play, Horatio is shown to be a voice of cautious reason and measured skepticism along with a voice of truth, for it was not until he saw the ghost that the ghost became a reality. This idea is clearly portrayed atop the battlements when Horatio says “Before my God, I might not this believe/ without the sensible and true avouch/ of mine own eyes.”(I.i.56-58). Here Horatio confirms that he is the “narrator” of the play and the most sensible observer. However no matter what, Horatio is still Hamlet’s friend and despite his calm mindedness, at the end...
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, we, as readers, increasingly question the sanity of the protagonist, Hamlet, as the play continues. His seemingly psychotic banter with the other characters in the play begins to convince us that Hamlet is, indeed, insane. Hamlet, however, states, “How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, as I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.171). He specifically tells Horatio and Marcellus that he will be acting mad, as a front. Hamlet has an exceptional grasp on mental philosophy and the uses and effects of logic, more so than the other characters in the play.
Alas, he knows that there was, in fact, a ghost of the king haunting Denmark, and that Hamlet spoke to him. After Hamlet speaks with the ghost he literally tells Horatio, verbatim, "Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, how strange or odd some'er I bear myself (As i perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on." I. ii. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. 189-192. So, ahead of time Hamlet warns Horatio that he is going to be putting on a show of madness, but it is not real.
As the reader, we are to know that Hamlet is only acting crazy so that when he kills Claudius his insanity can be to blame. Also, when Hamlet talks to the actors that will perform the play about his father's death, he acts completely crazy. He says bizarre things and acts not like himself when he is in front of everyone. To the characters they only see him being crazy, but as the reader we see Hamlet talking to Horatio making complete sense. We know that Hamlet was just pretending because he could act crazy then completely know what was going on around him with in the next minute.
The whole story of Hamlet would not have unraveled as it had were it not for Horatio. Hamlet’s quest for revenge stems from his encounter with his father’s ghost; however it was Horatio who, after seeing the ghost for himself, thought to “impart what we have seen tonight/ Unto young Hamlet…” (I.i.185-86). At the meeting with Hamlet in which Horatio and his friends arrive to tell Hamlet about the ghost, Horatio is set up to be the protagonist’s confidant for the remainder of the play. Hamlet corrects Horatio’s comment that he is Hamlet’s “poor servant ever” by saying, “Sir, my good friend. I’ll change that with you” (I.ii.168-69). Later Horatio solidifies his position as a major character by accepting Hamlet’s request to help him “Observe my uncle” for any suspicious actions during the Murder of Gonzago (III.ii.85). At this point in the play, Hamlet’s trust for Horatio has dev...
Many characters in the play have confidence in Horatio because of his trustworthiness. Horatio is very trustworthy, and not only in the way that he can keep a secret if needed, but he is honorable and keeps his word, and is honest to himself, showing integrity. Here, Horatio shows this trait by revealing to Hamlet that Hamlet’s father’s ghost had appeared.
After talking with the ghost, Hamlet, comes back to Horatio and Marcellus and tries to explain to them never to let anyone know what has happened. Both are very scared but agree to the prince’s, but both are still looking to find out what happened between the ghost and him. Further on in the evening Hamlet takes Horatio to the side and explains to him that no matter how odd he acted that Horatio say nothing. (And therefore as a stranger-you most need help you Act1 sc5 line 187-202) He basically explained to Horatio that he was going to be acting much differently than normal, and he told him not to ask questions. This here proves he knew what he was going to have to do. It shows that he was willing to get his revenge by any way possible.
This is further proven by the fact that when he is around Horatio he shows no signs of mental illness. He speaks calmly and everything he says makes sense. He also admits to his mother after he kills Polonius his lack of true insanity. While talking to his mother, he says “I am not in madness, but mad in craft” (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 194-5). Others realize themselves that his madness may not be true, and that even if it is, he still has a shred of sanity.
Horatio serves often as the voice of reason, for instance; he is skeptical of the watchman's testimony that a ghost appeared during their watch in the previous night. Marcellus says of the watchman's testimony, "Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy, / And will not let belief take hold of him" (1.1.23-4). Horatio believes the watchmen only when he witnesses the ghost and even then is still skeptical. He is also the voice of reason when he asks Hamlet to restrain himself from meeting the ghost. He is afraid that Hamlet will hurt himself or go mad (1.4.63-91), finally telling Hamlet, "Be ruled, you shall not go" (1.4.81). Hamlet often seeks verification of events from Horatio as well. Horatio agrees with Hamlet, in 1.4, that the night is cold (1.4.2), and verifies Hamlet's belief that the ghost is "wondrous strange" (1.4.164). Horatio does not exaggerate about the length of the stay of the ghost. In 1.2, Horatio tells Hamlet that the ghost stayed in his presence for possibly "a hundreth" (1.2.137), followed by Marcellus and Barnardo's utterance, "Longer, longer" (1.2...
Throughout the play Horatio constantly tries to bring Hamlet back to reality by advising him to follow his mind instead of his heart. When Hamlet decides to follow the ghost, Horatio strongly opposes by saying, “What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord, or to the dreadful summit of the cliff that beetles o’er his base into the sea, and there assume some other horrible form, which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness?” (Shakespeare 1, 4, 69-74). Horatio’s warning to Hamlet suggests the idea that he views the unknown more cautiously than the reckless prince. Additionally Horatio’s inference about how the ghost might “drive [Hamlet] into madness”(1, 4, 74) displays a foreshadowing of Hamlet’s fate, emphasizing the idea that the warnings from the spokesman of common sense goes unheeded by the tragic hero. In addition to giving advice against the ghost, Horatio advises Hamlet in the matter of the match with Laertes saying, “If your mind dislike anything, obey it” (5, 2, 18). By this advice Horatio implies that he as well holds a suspicion against the King and Laertes and has doubts towards the match as Hamlet does, however, Hamlet ignores this sensible advice and leaves his life into the hands of
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 is going on around him. Most importantly, Hamlet does not think like that of a person who is mad.
When Hamlet talks to Horatio in the first act he says how he is going to "feign madness" and that. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. How strange or odd some 'er i bear myself (As i perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on) That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake, Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase.let us go in together, And still your fingers on your lips." (I,v,187-208).
Kallie Wagner Professor Arevalo World Literature 1 28 April 2014 Hamlet’s Gone Mad Hamlet is without a doubt one of the most complex pieces to interpret for many different scholars and people. The question of the truth behind his madness has become a debate among anyone who lays eyes on the play. In fact, madness plays a large role within the play that will cause many situations as well as effect them. I believe Hamlet unintentionally went mad attempting to act like a mad man.
When the encounter with the ghost occurs at the beginning of the play, Horatio’s original skepticism introduces doubt. When Horatio agrees that the spirit exists, the readers are allowed to believe that the ghost was not a figment of Hamlet’s imagination. At the first sighting of the ghost, Horatio, urging Hamlet to stay away from the ghost, says, “What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord.../And there assume some other horrible form/Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason/ And draw you into madness? Think of it./The very place puts toys of desperation/Without more motive, into every brain” (III.ii.75). Horatio is foreshadowing Hamlet’s descent into madness. Here, Horatio is...
There are many reasons why Hamlet had his downfall. One being his decision to keeping the murder of his father a secret. Another one being the betrayals of his closest friends. Perhaps if Guildenstern or Rosencrantz had been there for Hamlet, to rely and place trust upon, he might not had to fell so alone. A little sympathy from his girlfriend Ophelia, and even his mother Gertrude would have been nice as well. Unfortunately Ophelia is held back from Hamlet, due to her father. Gertrude marries his uncle Claudius, who is responsible for his fathers death, and is looking to kill him next. And Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are ordered by Claudius to spy on Hamlet, and betray him as a friend.