The Sanity of Hamlet
One of the most controversial questions surrounding William Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, is whether or not the title character was insane or merely acting. By examining Hamlet and his actions throughout the play against the characteristics of sanity, such as the ability to reason and knowledge of the difference between right and wrong, it will be shown that Hamlet was in fact sane.
Many have tried to determine sanity by proving him insane. However, this is difficult because Hamlet states he will act insane to exact revenge upon Claudius (1.5.180-181). Therefore, the reader is unsure whether Hamlet is acting or not when he appears to be insane. While it is possible to be sane and act insane, by definition it is impossible to be insane and act sane because insanity lacks the characteristics essential to controlling the thought process necessary (the ability to reason) to act sane. By examining Hamlet's sanity instead of his perceived insanity a more accurate conclusion of his mental status can be achieved.
Hamlet displays the ability to reason on several occasions. The first display occurs in act 2 scene 2. Hamlet is unsure whether the ghost he saw was really his father. "The spirit that I have seen / May be the devil, and the devil hath power / T' assume a pleasing shape," (2.2.599-601). Hamlet also questions whether the devil was merely telling him what he wanted to hear. "Yea, and perhaps, / out of my weakness and my melancholy, / . . . / Abuses me to damn me," (2.2.601-604). In these lines Hamlet questions the truthfulness of the ghost and his own inner desires. This shows that Hamlet is able to reason that the ghost may not have been his father and that he may have wanted...
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...." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 1-10.
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Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Norton Critical ed. Ed. Cyrus Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992.
Ebstein’s Anomaly is a rare congenital condition, present at birth, in which the tricuspid valve is malformed and the valve itself is not in the correct anatomic place (Mayo Clinic Staff). This anomaly affects the right side of the heart – the tricuspid valve is located too deep into the ventricle, causing a smaller and weaker right ventricle. The space above the decreased right ventricle is made up of atrial tissue and this can be referred to as right ventricle dysplasia or an atrialized right ventricle (Reynolds). Typically the tricuspid valve has three freely moving leaflets, but in Ebstein’s anomaly one or two of those leaflets get fused to the heart walls causing regurgitation. Since the heart does not work as efficiently in those who have this anomaly, the heart usually compensates and becomes enlarged. It...
Rose, Mark. "Reforming the Role." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 117-128
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment incorporates the significance of murder into the novel through a multitude of levels. The act of killing is not only used to further the plot point of the novel, but also offers insight to the reader of Raskolnikov’s ideology and psyche. This is portrayed through both his initial logic and reasoning behind the plotting of the crime, as well as through his immediate and long term reactions after killing Alyona Ivanovna. The emotional and physical responses instilled in Raskolnikov after killing Alyona Ivanovna as well as his justification for doing so helps illustrate his utilitarianism by offering accurate insight into the character’s moral values. These reactions also serve to show the instability of Raskolnikov’s character due to his changing emotions from being completely justified as the ubermensch to showing a sense of great regret. By including the act of killing, Dostoevsky further develops Raskolnikov’s character, and provides another level of detail to readers concerning his ideology and beliefs prior to his actions.
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.
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.
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Bloom, Harold. "Introduction." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 1-10.
The languages that the Guatemalan people speak are spanish, quiche, and cakchiquel.The official language for Guatemala is spanish.
The protagonist in both tales differs in her motivation and actions greatly. The princess in Donkeyskin is less direct in her actions and choices than in All-Kinds-of-Fur, being firstly influenced and advised by her fairy godmother, but in All-Kinds-of-Fur she makes the decisions herself, ...
What happened in Jonestown was a sad devastation to many people, and it can even be considered genocide because of all the people he made commit suicide to be with each other in the end. A total of 900 people died from drinking the cyanide-laced grape punch. Once you kill someone it cannot be undone and that does not change once you kill more either it just makes it worse with the 900 that were killed in Jonestown. That makes Jim Jones a dictator to this genocide.
The impression made by a character in a play is one of its most complex and debatable components, for each individual, from the director to the audience, forms an idea based on their own interpretation of the work. Each character can be read differently, with each perception having its own implications beyond the text. The analysis of alternate perspectives of Hamlet can provide insight into possible hidden motivations and underlying plot elements invisible in the original text.
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.
Madness is a condition in which is difficult to identify whether it is true or not. William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a drama in which the main character (Hamlet) devotes himself to avenge his father’s death. However, Hamlet does not know how to avenge his father. Hamlet shows signs of hesitation, depression, and even madness. The first two qualities, are explicit from the text. Hamlet’s madness however is a topic of debate even to this date. So the question is, was Hamlet truly mad? Hamlet was a man who struggled to express himself, this was evident throughout the play. Some believe that the death of his father drove Hamlet to apparent insanity. The prince displays erratic behaviors throughout the play because he does not know who he can trust in his own small circle. Those that were supposed to stand beside him have forsaken him and have left Hamlet surrounded by empty promises and lies. Hamlet behaves in an irrational manner to expose the transgressions of others and restore justice and peace to a world of deceit and chaos.
So both in marriage and in prostitution – two institutions not usually thought as comparable women are used as objects of exchange . While the institutions themselves may appear vastly different , the level of objectification is equivalent . And they are altogether different from enslavement , or even rape ; there is in all an inherent element of force perpetrated by the male : the virgin is forced into marriage ; the prostitute , not being a virgin , is forced into her profession because she will never be deemed marriable and rape , ofcourse , by definition , is all about power and force . Though Angellica lived in the society , however she was not considered the part of society . Both are the victims of male authority .
Corum, Richard. Understanding Hamlet: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1998. Print.