Why Is Hamlet Crazy

Everyone gets the sense that they are not doing something they should be doing. Sometimes it is because they don’t want to do it, or may not even know how to; other times it is because they are too afraid to. This was the issue in Hamlet as Hamlet was too afraid to do anything about the murder of his father. Hamlet will admits to it multiple times during the play of how he does little to nothing to actually avenge the death of his father, the late king of Denmark. Hamlet starts off his third soliloquy furious at himself for not even being able to act like he has actually gone mad over the death of his father. Hamlet talks about the actor being able to convince an audience of his sorrow, for someone he does not even know, “What's Hecuba to

Polonius quickly picked up that there was something off about him and his madness. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t.” (207) Polonius told us, the audience, this directly because Hamlet was quite obviously directly attacking him multiple times during their conversation, where as a crazy person would be bouncing from subject to subject. If Polonius can notice something awry within one conversation, maybe Hamlet should take a new approach. Hamlet also can’t even keep his own secret about him only acting crazy. “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” (384) He told this to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, which pretty much directly tells them that he isn’t actually crazy. Horatio is supposed to be the only person who knows Hamlet is acting, instead he is telling other people and not being able to keep a straight face through his

He, himself, even admits he does nothing but dream of taking action, he won’t even say anything about the murder. “Yet I, a dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak, like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, and can say nothing…” (575) Hamlet is the one who’s father was murdered, but instead of acting, he just dreams about it. Not only does he not take action, but he just moans and groans. “That I, the son of a dear father murder’d, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words…” (592) He even knows what he is doing is ridiculous, but just doesn’t know how to act on it. Hamlet is scared of doing the wrong thing and murdering an innocent