Theme Of Madness In Hamlet

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Hamlet: Madness vs. Method The story of Hamlet is one centered around the theme of revenge with the purpose of showing how people will change in order to achieve their goals. Of course within that theme there are many sub themes such as Hamlet acting crazy for a majority of the play. The big question is, was that craziness part of a grand scheme of revenge or had Hamlet lost his mind? Hamlet may have been overdramatic, but he was simply using a ruse of madness in order to kill his uncle and gain his revenge.
Dealing with a formalism lens, most hints of Hamlet faking his craziness are through his speech. In some cases it can be seen that Hamlet is only saying what he does because he knows others are listening in. The monologue before his …show more content…

For example, the incident with the ghost. Some of the guards as well as Horatio see the ghost and when Hamlet sees it as well it doesn’t make him seem as crazy if he had seen it by himself. “ Marcellus: Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy and will not let belief take hold of him. Touching this dreaded sight twice seen of us. Therefore I have entreated him along with us to watch the minutes of this night, that if again this apparition come he may approve our eyes and speak to it… Marcellus: Peace, break thee off. Look where it comes again! Bernardo: In the same figure like the king that’s dead…” (I.i.21-39). Given that this scene happens before Hamlet had even heard of the ghost, the dialogue proves that others have seen this ghost and it is not just a figure of Hamlet’s imagination. If one person said they saw something strange most would not believe them and deem that person crazy, but when more than one person sees that same event the thing that was strange starts to become more believable and eventually there’s a whole bandwagon of people on board.
The main character that helps Hamlet seem sane would be Horatio. Hamlet talks sane around Horatio but with a tone that shows he is on edge “...Never to speak of this that you have seen. Swear by my sword...”(I.v.156-157), by this point in the play Hamlet has made them swear at least four times and this may make him seem crazy on the surface, but this dialogue reveals that Hamlet is just anxious, which is completely normal for anyone plotting a murder

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