Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Analysis

When one performs an act several times, eventually that act will become natural. Aristotle once said: “You are what you repeatedly do.” In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Hamlet pretends to act insane after he finds out his father has been murdered. Hamlet himself is not mad, but he acts as if he is to hopefully get away with more than usual. With the King and Polonius, Hamlet impersonates a crazy person; with Ophelia, Hamlet tries to turn the tables and create the illusion that she is crazy; and with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Hamlet uses them to pass false information off to the King. In order to better manipulate those closest to him, Hamlet uses antic disposition, emotional blackmail, and misinformation, which eventually loses the trust

of the audience and those around him. Hamlet’s ability to quickly switch from sane to insane proves to the reader that he is not mad.
After finding out his father was killed by Claudius, his uncle, Hamlet pretends to be crazy. Around the King and Polonius, Hamlet makes random and unnecessary remarks such as, “Buzz, buzz,” (2.2.417). The reason Hamlet does this is so he can have an excuse for unreasonable acts he may perform in the future because when one is crazy, people often let outrageous actions slide. To Polonius, Hamlet is rude towards Polonius by repeating what he says, as well:
POLONIUS My lord, I have news to tell you.
HAMLET My lord, I have news to tell you: when Roscius
was an actor in Rome— (2.2.413-15).
Hamlet, not just being rude, but also annoying, chooses to repeat what Polonius says in order to seem crazy. Hamlet uses antic disposition around the King and Polonius to make them believe that when he does something strange and/or unacceptable, it is normal for him. If Hamlet acted normal around the King and Polonius, then when he acted erratic, they would become suspicious, and Hamlet would never get close to reaching his final goal: to kill the King. Although, the audience has a chance to form their own opinions about him due to his madness. Due to Shakespeare’s choice to not describe how Hamlet was before his father’s death, the reader has no information of how he normally acts; he leaves this up to the reader. Therefore, the reader is forced to have a lack of trust for Hamlet because it is unknown if he is acting out of his element or completely normal.
Ophelia, Hamlet’s on-off love interest within the play, is pictured as one of his closest friends. However, Hamlet tends to scare Ophelia with his insanity act: “And with a look so piteous in purport, as if [Hamlet] had been loosed out of hell, to speak of horrors—he comes before me,” (2.1.92-94). This quote shows that although Ophelia loves Hamlet, he still frightens her. Hamlet also blackmails Ophelia emotionally when he plays with what he says. In the quote, “I did love you once.. I loved you not,” (3.1.125-129), Hamlet confuses Ophelia by confessing his love for her and then quickly taking it back. To the audience, this act seems awkward and an image is painted of Hamlet as if he really is insane. To Ophelia, however, an emotional toll is put upon her, when he makes her feel crazy and when he insults her, “Get thee to a nunnery,” (3.1.148-149). The reader then automatically feels sorry for Ophelia and mad at Hamlet for making an unfair statement. By Hamlet being deliberately rude to Ophelia, his love interest, supposedly, the audience feels pity for her and, overtime, see Hamlet as somewhat of a bully.
Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two of Hamlet’s closest friends, they are seen as very mischievous characters within the play.

Initially being sent by the King and the Queen in hopes of helping Hamlet with his “depression”, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are already seen as puppets. As the play progresses, it is revealed that the boys are being used to spy on Hamlet for the King. Hamlet eventually catches on with this, and begins to play around with them by giving them false information: “Sir, I lack advancement,” (3.2.368). Referring to his line to the throne, Hamlet lies to Rosencrantz knowing that he will return this false information to the King. The reason Hamlet does this is to give power to the King by letting him know that his status is not at risk of being taken away and handed down. Hamlet realizing that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not loyal friends, he admits that he believes they should be killed: “Those bearers put to sudden death, not shriving time allowed,” (5.2.51-52). Regardless of whether or not Hamlet was the bad guy in this friendship conflict, he still creates this sense of authority to the audience as if he can sentence anyone to death if they cross him.

In William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Hamlet pretends to act mentally unstable around Claudius (the King) and Polonius, emotionally blackmails Ophelia, and gives false information to his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet uses antic disposition, emotional blackmail, and misinformation in order to better manipulate those closest to him. This eventually causes the audience and those around him to lose trust in

him.