No doubt this question has aroused to anyone who has read what is probably considered to be Shakespeare´s masterpiece Hamlet. And the answers to this question almost certainly differ in each case.
One way of approaching the subject is considering whether what drives the Prince´s actions is madness or not. Someone could think that Hamlet is obviously mad, and thus understanding him would be presumably easy. As they consider that it is madness what drives the character, they do not need to understand the way in which he responds because he is just mad, and as any other mad person, he acts in a way someone sane is unable to understand. Therefore, the only answer for them lies in the Prince´s madness.
Nevertheless, I belong to the group of those who think that far from being crazy, Hamlet is one of the sanest characters of the play. Hamlet is a character who likes performing his own madness. Besides, there is no question he turns to theatre every time he has the chance. We see him interpreting some lines form Aeneas and Dido (Act 2, scene 2) and also reciting Pyrrhus’s speech. Therefore, the character shows some predilection towards acting.
In fact, one of the main clues that
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He thinks he is more ethically aware of the way in which people should behave. Thus, he believes they are the ones who act without following reason and are therefore mad. He is the sane one and as so, he does not like people and society, which are corrupted. Nevertheless, it might be worth mentioning that this ethical awareness may be exaggerated in some points, it could be considered excessive. Hamlet´s way of acting, precisely guided by reason, might seem unreasonable sometimes, just because of the fact that it is exaggerated by the character. Notwithstanding, this exaggeration made on purpose by the character serves as another example to illustrate that the protagonist is in fact
Many people have seen Hamlet as a play about uncertainty and about Hamlet's failure to act appropriately. It is very interesting to consider that the play shows many uncertainties that lives are built upon, or how many unknown quantities are taken for granted when people act or when they evaluate one another's actions. Hamlet is an especially intriguing production, both on the set and on the screen because of its uniqueness to be different from what most people expect to be in a revenge themed play. Hamlet's cynicism and insane like behavior cause him to seem indecisive, but in reality he is always judging and contemplating his actions in the back of his mind in order to seek revenge for the murder of
Additional proof that Hamlet must be sane is that even in his ?madness? he is clever in his retorts and speech, and has a full understanding of the situations around him. He plays his madman character almost too well, and each phrase he utters appears to be an attempt towards conveying his
He acts irrational only when he is around certain individuals. He acts irrational around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Ophelia but remains calm and rational around Horatio, Marcellus, and the players. A big part of the play is when Hamlet lashes out at Ophelia and convinces her he has actually gone mad. “With a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of horrors...Then he let out a sigh so piteous and profound as it did seem to shatter all his bulk and end his being” (2.1.84-97). This single action brings tremendous tension and makes Polonius immediately believe that Hamlet has gone mad because of his love for his daughter. On the other hand, Hamlet can be rational just as much as a sane person. "Give him heedful note, for I mine eyes will rivet his face, and, after, we will both our judgments join in censure of his seeming” (3.2.83-86). Hamlet tells Horatio to watch Claudius during the play to see if he acts guilty. The fact that he thought this out in such an organized and clear way makes it hard to believe that he is mad because a madman would never be able to think like that. Hamlet also knows how to act properly around the players. An example of this is when he asks, "You could, for a need, study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines, which I would set down and insert in 't, could you not?” (2.2.540-542). This question is understandable and
The most interesting thing about all of the characters' guesses as to the logic behind Hamlet's insanity is that the majority of their opinions stem from the thing that most plagues or preoccupies them. Claudius believes that Hamlet is crazy because he has a secret. This was ironic because the secret that Hamlet does have is that he knows that Claudius is his father's murderer. The very secret that plagues Claudius is the same that plagues Hamlet. Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, is wrapped up in her guilt about marrying Claudius so soon after the death of her late husband. She thinks that this must be what makes Hamlet rant so incoherently. While spying on Hamlet for the King, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern decide that he is going crazy because he can no longer fulfill his potential. Their betrayal of their school chum is fueled by the same blind ambition that they believefuels Hamlets insanity. Polonius thinks that Hamlet must be mad
Can you imagine acting like a whole different person? Throughout the play, the bizarre Hamlet claims to pretend to be insane. Many people believe that Hamlet is not acting psychotic but others believe that he is actually out of this world psychotic. There are many reasons that prove that Hamlet is going mad. Firstly, because he is acting crazy in front of many people, he may even be crazy. Also, it would be normal for him to go mad because of how his life is going. For instance, his world turned upside down the second his father died. Secondly, what he does makes him seem more like he is delirious. A time that made Hamlet seen more insane is when he was talking to Ophelia as if he didn't love her. Thirdly, Hamlet telling us his thoughts make
One of William Shakespeare's most well- known characters is Hamlet. This story has a great plot and entices the reader throughout the entire play. A controversial part of the play is whether the main character Hamlet is sane or insane. Readers may argue that Hamlet is insane, but, due to his cunning remarks and decisive plans, Hamlet is not mad, but instead completely sane.
In Shakespeare's play Hamlet the main character Hamlet experiences many different and puzzling emotions. He toys with the idea of killing himself and then plays with the idea of murdering others. Many people ask themselves who or what is this man and what is going on inside his head. The most common question asked about him is whether or not he is sane or insane. Although the door seems to swing both ways many see him as a sane person with one thought on his mind, and that is revenge. The first point of his sanity is while speaking with Horatio in the beginning of the play, secondly is the fact of his wittiness with the other characters and finally, his soliloquy.
Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who faces adversity and is destined to murder the individual who killed his father. Hamlet is a character who although his actions and emotions may be one of an insane person, in the beginning of the book it is clear that Hamlet decides to fake madness in order for his plan to succeed in killing Claudius. Hamlet is sane because throughout the play he only acts crazy in front of certain people, to others he acts properly and displays proper prince like behavior who is able to cope with them without sounding crazy, and even after everything that has been going on in his life he is able to take revenge by killing his father's murderer. In the play Hamlet by William
Throughout the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, the main character is given the overwhelming responsibility of avenging his father’s "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.iv.36). Such a burden can slowly drive a man off the deep end psychologically. Because of this, Hamlet’s disposition is extremely inconsistent and erratic throughout the play. At times he shows signs of uncontrollable insanity. Whenever he interacts with the characters he is wild, crazy, and plays a fool. At other times, he exemplifies intelligence and method in his madness. In instances when he is alone or with Horatio, he is civilized and sane. Hamlet goes through different stages of insanity throughout the story, but his neurotic and skeptical personality amplifies his
Hamlet’s insanity can be thought of as a tragedy or misconception of reality. The death of his father had shaped the first few impressions of his own persona as well as a new experience with his new aunt. As a result of his genius insanity prince Hamlet has devised a plan to make things more clear to the audience. “Hamlet’s behavior strikes the audience as abnormal on several occasions. For example, Hamlet seems to be really mad when he is in front of Ophelia in disordered clothes. He behaves as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of the horror”. As the progress of the play foreshadows a significant end to his insanity that he acts upon. As the play progresses throughout, Hamlet finds ways in order to give others the impression that he has lost his sanity from his “love” of Polonius’s daughter Ophelia. “(Ophelia)He grabbed me by the wrist and held me hard, then backed away an arm’s length and just looked at me, staring at me like an artist about to paint my
The major conflict which seems obscures the possibility of obtaining clarity on the answer to this question is Hamlet’s inability to find any certain moral truths as he works his way toward revenge. Even in his
He is not crazy and out of his mind. He is emotionally upset with all that he has to deal with. Hamlet has to deal with so many emotions following the loss of his father and this has broken his heart. Then he is upset that his mother quickly gets married to his uncle.
Firstly, being the brilliant writer that William Shakespeare is, he created the Hamlet play with many characters that have their own manifestation that has their own agenda. The main character Hamlet, for instance, is a extraordinary character who exerts philosophical rhapsody; As he says “Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration forced breath,No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected ‘haviour of the visage, Together with all forms, modes, shapes of grief, that can denote me truly: . . . For they are actions that a man might play: . . . But the trapping and the suits of woe.”(Act 1, Scene 2, 77-89) That said throughout the play Hamlet will face difficult moments where even he himself can has a tough time understanding his
He never explicitly explains his own motives not even in his soliloquies. We have to keep in mind that the situation of the play is already developed before he comes on the stage and the full solution is reached only after his death. Hamlet's tendency for hesitation or passivity is reason for a lot of criticism, justified or not However, it comes into full maturity when it comes to the task given by the ghost of old Hamlet. The prince is constantly putting of the instruction for that he is not ready and not done thinking about it. For him it naturally poses as a moral struggle; it is not his private revenge that he has to carry out but he is merely the sword of a greater invisible power. It appears that his tragic erroris his inability to act and his tendency towards reflection that ultimately leads to his death. As it stands Hamlet is not someone who is lacking insight but rather someone who is caught between being and doing. “These inner conflict modern psychologists know as neurosis, and it is only by study of neurosis that one can learn the fundamental motives and instincts that move men.” (Philips 2009). Being the victim of a neurosis would certainly attest the theory of insanity, however it lacks
Shakespeare has come up with many different characters throughout all his plays but, Hamlet is by far the most complicated. He is an overly developed character with many different complex traits that are hard to comprehend. As the play goes on Hamlet gets more and more aggressive towards his mother and Ophelia. He keeps to himself throughout most of the play because he doesn't trust others with anything. His morose mentality and contrary behavior towards himself makes this more apparent. This comes into play when trying to determine whether Hamlet is actually insane or is just playing the part. Hamlet’s relationship with his mother, the ghost of his father, and his contrary behavior, make it is obvious that Hamlet truly goes insane.