Hamlet's Madness: Pretense or Reality?

Throughout the development of the play Hamlet, it is questioned if Hamlet was pretending to be out of his mind or if it had actually struck him. Many scholars and Shakespeare fans have disputed the true mental state of the character. Although it will never be really known what Shakespeare had hoped the audience would think about his famed character, we can all assume that he may have possibly meant it to be for the viewer to decide. Hamlet is such a complex character that one answer may not be enough.

Hamlet, I believe was faking his odd behavior, at first. He used his feelings of despair for his father and his disdain for his mothers marriage to fuel and manipulate people into believing he was insane. “Shakespeare carefully prepares him for this disease(insanity).”Kellogg, A.O. Commentary from "Insanity–Illustrated by Histories of Distinguished Men, and by the Writings of Poets and Novelists.” The escalation of these actions and feelings of revenge dram”atically increase after encountering his father’s ghost, which triggers him from being melancholy to the beginning stages of insanity. “How strange or odd

The turning point between faked and real came when he saw that people he trusted started to turn on him. “Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.” 3.2 pg 159. Once Hamlet becomes aware is in cohorts with his evil uncle, he delves deeper into his unraveling mind. “Thou wretched, rash,intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for better… Thou find’s to be too busy is some danger.” 3.4 pg 173. Hamlet we see feels no remorse or moral depreciation after he murders Polonius. Further proving that his mindset is not at the capacity of that of a mentally sound person. Polonius’s murder does not trigger emotional response from Hamlet which shows us that his mental capacity only focuses on his revenge ideology and will justify his doing even if it makes no