I believe that Hamlet claimed to have feigned madness because then the suspicion of what he is planning, the revenge he is planning, wont seem so clear to the others. Hamlet made it seem like he was going mad so people would just brush off any weird or maddening comments or actions that he has and will do in the act of revenge for his fathers death. I believe this because after Hamlet talks to the ghost of his father he says, “I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, all saws of books, all forms, all pressures past that youth and observation copied there, and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain,” (Act I, Scene V). After talking to his fathers ghost, Hamlet decides that nothing matters in life other than to seek revenge for his father’s murder. As he stated, he clears his brain of everything but that and sets him plan into motion to kill his uncle. As well as the appearance of insanity can help him achieve his goal, by giving him a mask to hide behind while forming his plan and putting it into place. …show more content…
He is just so determined for revenge that he doesn’t care about the casualties that he takes down with him while going after his goal. The only time he really breaks from his feigned madness is when he learns that Ophelia has killed herself. Hamlet then shows a bit more emotion then the rage and madness he’s been portraying. He realizes then that he may have gone too far and not cared about who he will be taking down with him to get revenge, but I feel that only strengthens his want of revenge. When Hamlet finds out that Ophelia’s the one to be buried, it angers him and he takes to fighting her brother claiming that, “I lov’d Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?” (Act V, Scene
When we first meet Hamlet, he is a sad, dark, loathsome figure; the loss of his father and the whoring of his mother have upset him indefinitely. Like a ticking time bomb, Hamlet’s noticeable temper reflects the storm of emotions and thoughts brewing in his head, and then like a catalyst, his meeting with the Ghost of King Hamlet brings his anger to a boil. With revenge in mind, Hamlet plans to fake his madness so that he may be free to pursue his father’s killer. Everyone, except his close friend Horatio, seems convinced that he is mad. Claudius however, fearful that someone will discover his evil deed, has also had his perceptions heightened by his guilt and he experiences chronic paranoia throughout the
In Act I, Scene V, after hearing the ghost’s demand for revenge, Hamlet says in advance that he will consciously feign madness while seeking the opportune moment to kill Claudius. Therefore, it is hard to conclude that he coincidentally became insane after making such a vow. Hamlet’s supposed madness not only becomes his way of relating to the other characters during the majority of the play, but also that which develops his character as throughout the play. Still, the question remains: Is Hamlet really crazy or just pretending?
Firstly, Hamlet admits to Horatio that his madness is just an act when he states “As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on” (Shakespeare 1.5.171-172). This is the first time hamlet mentions madness, and he alludes to the fact that he will be acting insane in the near future on purpose. It is also clear that Hamlet is very keen on keeping this a secret from the king, which verifies that his actions come with a strategy which proves his saneness. Furthermore, when Hamlet talks with his mother and says “Make you to ravel all this matter out that I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft.” (3.4.187-188), he proves that within his mind he believes in his sanity at all times. Additionally, Hamlet further explains that all of his actions are just a ‘mad act’ to redirect the focus off his plot. Only a sane and rational person could devise such a plan as to act insane to convince others that he is insane when he actually has complete control over his psyche. Anytime from his first mention of insanity, till the moment he dies, Hamlet never doubts his control over his
As the play begins Hamlet plans on acting mad in attempt to defer attention away from himself so he didn’t come across as a threat to the king. This then escalates as Hamlet is ensured that Claudius killed his father, thus making him turn actually mad. This madness can be shown when Hamlet arrives to Ophelia’s funeral and sees her brother Laertes jump into the grave to say his final goodbyes. Hamlet then also jumps into the grave to say his final good-byes and then goes on to fight Laertes. These actions made by Hamlet shows the madness that was brought upon him from the theme of
On the one hand, proponents argue that Hamlet uses his proposed madness in order to lead people to believe that he is not capable of action towards anyone by claiming that there is structure in the way he acts, telling others that he is not mad, fulfilling his quest set out by his dead father.
Throughout the play of Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy's the main character, Hamlet is faced with the responsibility of getting vengeance for his father's murder. He decides to pretend madness as part of his plan to get the opportunity to kill Claudius who was the suspected murderer. As the play goes on, his portrayal of a madman becomes believable, and the characters around him respond quite vividly. Through his inner thoughts and the obvious reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor faking insanity in order to complete the duty his father assigned him.
Throughout Shakespeare?s play, Hamlet, the main character, young Hamlet, is faced with the responsibility of attaining vengeance for his father?s murder. He decides to feign madness as part of his plan to gain the opportunity to kill Claudius. As the play progresses, his depiction of a madman becomes increasingly believable, and the characters around him react accordingly. However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfill his duty to his father.
While Hamlet’s “mad” behavior starts out as an “antic disposition,” his mental state deteriorates. Does Hamlet truly go “mad,” or is all of his wackiness an act?
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the character of Hamlet feigns insanity. For a person in his situation, having one's peers think of one as crazy can be quite beneficial. His father, the king, had just died, and he is visited by a ghost who appears to be his father's spirit. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother Claudius, who is now the current king and who recently married the former king's wife. Hamlet vows revenge and, as a tool to aid him in that plan, convinces people that he is crazy. The fact that he is acting, as opposed to actually being insane, can be seen in Hamlet's conversations with a watchman, two childhood friends, and his mother. Also, there are many actions in the play that he would not have
When reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a class, the first thing that most teachers or professors point out is the argument/idea of sanity, specifically Hamlet's sanity. I believe that Hamlet is, in fact, feigning his madness. What I do not know is if I believe this because it is what I was taught or if I came up with the idea myself based on my own interpretation. When I was taught Hamlet there was no argument it was just fact that he was faking his madness. Because of my confusion, I came to find that it may be interesting take out of the play any moment in which Hamlet makes the audience aware that he is only pretending that to be mad. I want to take out any proof that his madness isn’t real. The argument for legitimate madness is always
Along with Revenge comes Hamlet’s streak of Madness, He feigns madness almost like a tool at his disposal. Hamlet first uses the illusion of his madness as a way of proving Claudius’s guiltiness. His madness acts as an excuse so that he can get away with strange behavior, and he won’t be held accountable for his actions. He feigns madness for so long that his depression over his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage pushes him into a madness which is not faked but rather quite real. He goes as far as to consider suicide. “To be or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and
Criminal investigators enforce laws and solve crimes. These individuals help to make sure that safe environment exists. Enforcing laws and solving crimes is only a portion of the responsibilities of a criminal investigator. The other duties of a criminal investigator include writing and completing certain forms. These forms and reports are ways the criminal investigators communicate to fellow officers, supervisors, and other individuals employed by the criminal justice system.
His madness was argued to be an act to confuse Claudius. He acted crazy to cover his plans of seeking revenge on Claudius, when talking to Polonius he acted completely mad, “For in the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”(Hamlet 2.2.95) Hamlet used much blabber, such as this, when talking to anyone close to Claudius. As the play went on his madness was more and more liable. He started becoming very irrational and distracted by his plans. When Ophelia gives Hamlets letters back he goes into a rage, yelling “Get thee to a nunnery.”(Hamlet (3.1.131) The most well known action Hamlet committed was when he stabbed Polonius in a rash decision, hoping it was Claudius, “O, what a rash and bloody deed is this!“(Hamlet 3.4.171) One thing that brought him one step closer to going mad was Ophelia’s death. Hamlet may have been acting in the beginning but by the end of his devious plan to avenge his father, he lost himself and actually caused himself to go mad.
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is about a young prince who wants revenge when he learns about the murder of his father. As the play begins, Hamlet’s character appears to be a normal, sane person. Moving through the acts Hamlet’s personality changes from normal to depressed. There are hints of insanity that try to convince people Hamlet is “mad”. Others might say that Hamlet is faking madness to pursue his goal of revenge. First, he sees a “ghost” that tells Hamlet who killed his father and married his mother. Was this a dream or was this real? Second, Hamlet kills more than one person to avenge his father’s death. Where these accidents or intentional? “Insanity: a legal term for mental illness of such degree
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character Hamlet is believed to have gone insane after the death of his father. There is much evidence in the play that causes one to believe that Hamlet is in fact crazy. However, there are also indications to the contrary, Hamlet only feigns madness for the purpose of carrying out his mission. He rehearses his pretend madness first with Ophelia for even if he fails to convince her , that failure would not cause him any harm. The language he uses is clearly not that of an insane person, he is lucid and succinct when he speaks proving that he knows exactly what he is doing. .