Theme Of Insanity In Hamlet

In William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet, there are only two characters that display certain qualities of insanity. These characters are Ophelia and Hamlet. Ophelia begins to lose her sanity when her father dies, which leads to her suicide. Her madness appears to be clear-cut and is never really questioned. Hamlet 's sanity on the other hand is not definite. The nature of the mind makes the definitions of sanity fluid and dynamic as shown by how the characters view one another in Hamlet. These views show how there is no precise definition for sanity as shown around the world. Hamlet has plenty of reasons to lead us to believe that he is truly insane. The emotional strain that Hamlet has to undergo can make any human being go insane, but Hamlet

So, Hamlet sets up a play that portrays a brother murdering another brother. While talking with Horatio about his plans for the play, Hamlet says, "They are coming to the play. I must be idle. / Get you a place" (3.2.96-97). This is obviously a statement stating his intention to act irrational to carry on with his plan. In the scene where Hamlet kills Polonius, he clearly addresses the issue of him being mad. He assures his mother that he is not mad but is merely acting to attain his main goal: he says, "That I essentially am not in madness, / But mad in craft" (3.4.209-210). Hamlet is trying to explain to his mother that he is not insane, but is merely acting to attain his

Does it just depend on the society we live and the people that live in it. Hamlet has been shown as two different people, the madmen and the rational Hamlet. His actions stem from many thing but most importantly the death of his father. One can argue that the definition of sanity is different depending on the person, but why does Shakespeare portray Hamlet as both insane and sane? Shakespeare has a reputation and he has a great amount of skill to portray the character in different ways. Should the definition of sanity differ depending on the certain time and place? Yes, because the definition of sanity changes throughout time and everybody tends to define sanity in different ways. Everybody has opinions, but those opinions change and are different. Sanity has a variety of definitions, and Hamlet has shown that one concrete reason or definition does not specifically state that someone is insane.

Works Cited

Bradley, A.C. "What actually Happens in the Play." Hamlet: An Authoritative Text, Intellectual Backgrounds, Extracts from the sources, Essays in Criticism. 2nd ed. Ed. Cyrus Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992. 169-175. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon and Schuster paperbacks, 2012. Print.

Showalter, Elaine. "Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism." Hamlet: Text of the play, The Actors ' Gallery, Contexts,