What Makes Hamlet Insane

How many best friends do you have? What is a best friend? What does it mean to be a best friend? In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is faced with trouble from the beginning as his father dies and his mother immediately remarries with her brother in law. Due to this sudden change of lifestyle, and being told by his father’s ghost that his uncle killed his father, Hamlet vows to get revenge on the murderer. However, slowly but surely, on his path of vengeance, Hamlet slowly goes insane. Hamlet is faced with many obstacles that prevent him from achieving his goal, but with the help of his trusted friend and confidant Horatio, he is able to overcome these challenges and get his revenge. Without the help of his friend, Hamlet would

When Guildenstern and Rosencrantz question Hamlet’s sanity, he replies “I am but mad north-north-west. When the/wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” (Shakespeare 2.2. 402-403) Hamlet says he is mad only some of the times, but his response to his old friends say otherwise. He tries to reflect all the questions thrown at him by either answering with a question or giving an unclear answer. These are not the actions of a sane individual. However, when Hamlet is speaking to his mother, he has a slight change of tone. Before he disposes Polonius’s body, he says to Gertrude, “Mother, good night indeed. This counselor/is now most still, most secret, and most grave.” (Shakespeare 3.4. 236-238) Hamlet’s aggression is never directed towards his mother like it has been for Ophelia during the nunnery scene and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern when they question his sanity. When he is speaking to Gertrude, his diction changes from aggressive to loving/tender. Even though it is evident that Hamlet has gone mad, he is able to restrain himself and his actions which shows he has not gone completely

Hamlet and Horatio have the sort of relationship where they can tell each other anything and know that their secret is safe with the other. When Hamlet first speaks to the ghost in Act I Scene 4, almost immediately after, Hamlet tells Horatio what the ghost has told him. Even though, Hamlet makes him promise not to tell anyone, Hamlet still trusts that Horatio would not let him down. Hamlet knows that whenever he is in trouble or needs help, he can rely on his friend and confidant, Horatio to take action. When the players come to Denmark and perform the play Hamlet requests, Hamlet asks Horatio to keep his eye on the king for sudden movements when the play shows the poisoning of the king. Horatio responds, “Well, my lord./If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing/ and ‘{detecting}, I will pay the theft.” (Shakespeare 3.2. 93-95) Horatio replies in a way that almost suggests that the job is a piece of cake and he would definitely do this for his friend. Because of the tone Horatio has when he speaks with Hamlet, and the willingness to do anything to help his friend, Hamlet specifically asks Horatio and no one else because he trusts him and knows that he can rely on him for anything. Knowing this, Hamlet is able to control his actions and ultimately prevent himself from true