Hamlet's Madness And Madness In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

The character of Hamlet is considered an icon of English literature. Even more so is the question of his madness; is it real or is it feigned? “Madness by definition precludes the realization of a stable, coherent subjectivity in opposition to the disorder from without” (Coddon 59). The question of Hamlet’s madness has been a debate over the last few centuries. It is clear to see that in the beginning of the play, he was already experiencing grief with the loss of his father. What made the death of his father even harder to bear was the fact that his uncle was responsible for the murder. Then for his mother to marry the man that killed his father made it even worse. An event that traumatizing could cause someone to become insane, because they cannot learn to cope with a devastating situation as such. Hamlet is constantly being betrayed by the people that he trusts the most. Although there are many instances throughout the play that could cause Hamlet to become insane, evidence proves that his

The king questions him on his feelings, but his mother assures the king that his actions seem to be normal. He starts yelling and screaming at his own mother when she justifies his actions. He states that his actions and grief are sincere, and that he is truly grieving his father’s death. What enrages Hamlet so much is that his mother says that his actions “seem” to be real. “Seems, madam! nay it is; / I know not 'seems. / 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, / Nor customary suits of solemn black, / Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, / No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, / Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage, / Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, / That can denote me truly: these indeed seem, / For they are actions that a man might play. / But I have that within which passeth show, / These but the trappings and the suits of woe”