Examples Of Madness In Hamlet

Polonius has the most asides and they are all in response to the words or actions of Hamlet. When Polonius tells the king of his theory that Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia and intends to prove it by having him speak to her while he and the king watch, he first approaches Hamlet to talk to him. When they talk Hamlet believes that Polonius is a fishmonger which Polonius denies in a polite way while still trying to get information out of him. His first aside says “How say you by that? Still harping on my daughter. Yet he knew me not at first. He said I was a fishmonger. He is far gone, far gone!” (II.II 106-109) Although unnecessary, this aside reveals once more his true beliefs when speaking to Hamlet which are that he is madly in love with his daughter and that is why he is so mad that he can’t even recognize Polonius. His asides reveal only his true intentions when talking to Hamlet and his own personal thoughts on his actions. However, this is enough to affirmate that Polonius is someone who puts up the front of loyal chamberlain to everyone, including those that he works for, like Hamlet. This front does not apply to King Claudius, however, as it seems that he is the only one he is truly loyal to. Lying to Hamlet for Claudius and thinking less of him because he is mad whilst still pretending to be loyal only supports that idea

While Hamlet and Polonius where both in the library Polonius approached Hamlet asking if he knew who he was Hamlet responded by saying, “You are a fishmonger”(2.2.166). Polonius took Hamlets bait not knowing that is was all apart of his plan to prove he is mentally off. Hamlet’s main reason to blatantly offend Polonius is to figure out if he was in on the murder of his dad. All while using an offensive wordplay to confuse Polonius. As the play goes on Hamlet becomes braver and braver with his offensive puns. While Hamlet’s play was being acted out King Claudius ask for the name of the play Hamlet replies saying, “The Mousetrap” (3.2.221). This Is a very risky thing to say, especially to King Claudius. King Claudius however was outwitted by one of Hamlet yet again. The reasoning for Hamlet to be so blunt is, he wanted King Claudius to figure out Hamlet knows he killed his father in cold blood. Hamlet doesn’t use offensive wordplay like he uses defensive wordplay. Hamlets wants to prove something when he uses offensive wordplay

Polonius seemly hear all these vulgar and misogynistic rants and becomes ever more convinced that Hamlet is mad. He never rests easily until he ends up behind yet another arras, scheming, yet this time in Gertrude’s room and gets himself killed. The act of betrayal, by both Polonius and Gertrude has far-reaching consequences; Polonius is killed by Hamlet, Ophelia becomes mad and Laertes demands vengeance. Polonius’s betrayal disgusts Hamlet and he can only but refer to him as ‘a foolish prating knave’ and his mistreatment of his body when he says he will ‘lug his guts in the neighbour room’ can equally be taken as his disgust towards him.

Polonius played a vital role in Hamlet even though he was not one of the main characters. He continued to reinforce the theme of corruption and displayed the social and ethical collapse of Denmark. His deceitful actions show the reader that he is one of dishonesty and chicanery. In the play, Polonius was portrayed as someone who is a deceiver and pretender that betrays people he is supposed to be devoted to; and who only cares about things that will benefit him. These characteristics of Polonius are seen through his interactions with Ophelia, Hamlet, Laertes, Reynaldo and the King.

Over the course of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet begins to act strange. He not only acts strange, but he begins to act like a madman. Therefore, many question his sanity after reading the play. There are many examples and hints throughout the play that leads one to believe that Hamlet has slowly gone mad after losing his father. It is noticeable that Hamlet is mad when he enters Ophelia’s room, sees the Ghost, and talks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Right after Hamlet calls Rosencrantz a tool of the king, Rosencrantz replies "I understand you not, my lord." (IV, ii, 21) In act II, scene ii, line 185 - 7 , Hamlet calls Polonius's daughter a prostitute, and he merely replies "How say you by that," Social mores were incredibly strict in that era and such an insult would almost inevitably have created an uproar. The lack of such a disturbance indicates a lack of understanding on Polonius’s part.

It is interesting to note that Hamlet only puts his 'madness'; performance on for the characters he is suspicious of such as Claudius, Polonius, Gertrude, and Ophelia. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Marcellus, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the Players and the Grave-Diggers, he acts rationally. He changes his disposition with ease and speed. During Act 2, Scene 2, Hamlet is speaking with Polonius. When Polonius asks if Hamlet recognizes him, Hamlet replies that 'You are a fishmonger.'; He goes on to insult Polonius further and calls daughter Ophelia a 'good kissing carrion';. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear, Hamlet begins to behave cordially again. He warmly greets his friends and engages them in light philosophical humor.

During their conversation, Hamlet calls the old man a “fishmonger” and illogically answers the man’s questions. Still, many of Hamlet’s seemingly lunatic statements disguise pointed observations about Polonius’s conceit and old age. In fact, Polonius himself comments that while Hamlet is not of right mind, his words are often “pregnant” with meaning (II.ii.206).

“Yet he knew me not at first. ‘ A said I was a fishmonger. ‘ A is far gone, far gone. And truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love, very near this.” (Act II, Scene 2, p.46) Polonius says this when describing Prince Hamlet’s madness to himself during their exchange in Act 2, Scene 2. Hamlet pretends to be insane in order to throw off Polonius, because he is fully aware that Polonius is acting as a spy for Claudius. Seeking revenge leads to Hamlet becoming an utterly mad person with antic behavior. By mocking him, Hamlet convinced Polonius that he was crazy so that Polonius would report his craziness to the court. With Claudius thinking that

“I’ll loose my daughter to him” (2.2.162). Polonius uses her to lure and trap Hamlet the way a fisherman would place a worm on a hook. Her objectification is made more clear when Hamlet uses his conversation with her as a fib for insulting Polonius, who is hidden behind a tapestry. “Where’s your father?... Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool nowhere but in’s own house” (3.1.131-134).

Polonius is, of course, not a fishmonger. Hamlet's motivation for speaking about honesty here is at best unclear. And why Hamlet suddenly spits out deep philosophical truths - as he does in the final line above - is nothing short of mysterious. Yet somehow Polonius, who can see Hamlet where we can only read his words, finds meaning in them: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it" (2.2.207-208).

He is seen as a fool because he attempts to please all and he goes on unnecessary rants instead of giving the simple version. This can be seen when Polonius is speaking with King Claudius and Queen Gertrude about Hamlets interactions with Ophelia. During this scene Polonius is babbling about Hamlet, when suddenly the Queen snaps and tell him to get to the point. Queen Gertrude says, “More matter with less art”(2.2), she did this because Polonius is a fool who has no sense of urgency. Polonius’s inability to communicate his thoughts to the King and Queen shows that he is a

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare madness is a prominent trait that many of the characters in the play come to possess. These characters go through a multitude of troubles throughout the play that makes this madness justifiable. This madness plays an immense role in the outcome of the play and events throughout it. Hamlet and Ophelia show this trait of madness in their actions throughout the play which ultimately have a detrimental effect on themselves and other characters in the play.

Polonius’ interactions with Hamlet are often the source of misinterpretations that Polonius is a bumbling fool. In every conversation, Polonius appears oblivious to the witty and cruel remarks Hamlet makes in response to his persistent questioning. Even when explicitly called a “fishmonger,” Polonius feigns surprised ignorance and suggests that Hamlet is insane rather than sarcastic (II.ii.187). He appears to continue ignoring Hamlet’s thinly veiled insults even when Hamlet compares Ophelia to “maggots in a dead dog,” assuming that Hamlet is “still harping on [his] daughter” (II.ii.669). However, Polonius is not the “tedious old fool” that he appears to be; just as Hamlet confessed to being “not in madness,/But mad in craft,” Polonius merely feigns stupidity (II.ii.224; III.iv.204-5). By pretending to be clueless, Polonius is able to question and study Hamlet further without

Polonius' pre-occupation with his courtly duties overshadows his character as the wise old man and marks his role as the fool. As the fool, Polonius provides comic relief, and a "busybody" messenger for the court. His speech, for all its wisdom, "makes him so comic and absurd. All his ludicrous exhibitions of pedantry and expertise, his mouthings of clichés and commonplaces, his observations and definitions--all imprison the mind's potential range in littleness" (Long 137). In addition to his speech being superfluous, Polonius' messages to Hamlet are quite ironic. The arrival of the Players and Gertrude's request to speak with Hamlet have already been relayed to Hamlet before Polonius repeats the messages. This foolish redundancy is comic and even more so is Polonius'