In Shakespeare’s writing of Hamlet, he uses the characteristics of madness and insanity to further his story of family deception. Each scene added to Shakespeare’s story enrages Hamlet to the point at which he contemplates murder. Madness is woven throughout the play, disrupting lives and causing tension between one another. Hamlet goes through an internal battle of the mind, whether or not he is actually going insane. His fabricated madness begins to take a toll on him, causing him to make impulsive decisions, such as taking revenge on Claudius. Shakespeare represents both the protagonist and antagonist sides of Hamlet’s madness, therefore supporting the idea that insanity can possess both positive and negative effects on their host. …show more content…
Hamlet makes the rash decision not to kill him in that moment because he believes that if he is murdered right then, Claudius will go to heaven. Hamlet wants the ultimate punishment for King Claudius, “and that his soul may be as black as hell, whereto it goes" (III.iii.96-97). He refuses to kill Claudius when he’s in the good graces of God; he is willing to wait to make him suffer in Hell just as he thinks his father is. Due to the madness stirring inside Hamlet’s mind, he shows “a perverse determination to kill the soul as well as the body,” therefore having no sympathy or mercy when deciding when to kill his victim (Foley 47). Andrew Foley’s observation is insightful because he focuses on the fact that Hamlet is turning into a madman, and it is not only poisoning his mind, but his actions as well. This revenge plan has turned Hamlet into an inhumane murderer, just as Claudius …show more content…
Polonius suspects that the cause of his “lunacy” and “distemper” is due to his love for Ophelia (II.ii.52&58). The letters from Hamlet to Ophelia give evidence as to why Polonius is concerned. He is blinded by Hamlet’s outward actions that he fails to see Hamlet’s plot to take revenge on the King. Polonius spies on Hamlet and his daughter’s discourse to discover the kindle to the fire. Hamlet’s own “madness” has rooted itself into others’ minds as well. These characters are diverted from Hamlet’s real plan and make his madness their focal point. Shakespeare demonstrates his madness as the protagonist in this part of the play. Hamlet uses it to his advantage to cover up his true
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
Many people, while reading and studying Hamlet, often question the sanity of various characters throughout the play. There are many signs throughout Shakespeare’s writing that indicate a lost sense of sanity in the main characters Hamlet, his uncle/father Claudius, his mother/aunt Gertrude, and Ophelia. Each of these character’s sanity plays a large role in the plot of the play.
One of the recurring themes in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is Hamlet’s unwillingness or rather inability to act and make decisions when necessary. Time and time again, he is given the chance to exact his revenge for his slain father and murder his uncle. Yet every time he comes up with an excuse as to not have to act. Granted he takes some action to prove that it was in fact his uncle that killed his father, however, he goes no farther than that. Hamlet’s inability to fulfill his destiny and take out his revenge that he wants shows insanity. Hamlet is a man who’s father passed away, his mother married his uncle, and he later finds out that it was his uncle, his mother’s new husband, who killed his father, this would cause serious mental issues in any man. Even though Hamlet may have feigned insanity, Hamlet is insane because he is clinically depressed, he shows signs of being bipolar and he has hallucinations. Eventually even in his insanity he is left no other choice but to kill Claudius, his uncle, however until then his depression, bipolar disorder, hallucinations, and overall insanity keep him from exacting his revenge.
The insanity of a person can be contributed through the trauma that is caused by a few events in a person’s life, but in the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare wrote the main character prince Hamlet experiences a few dramatic events from the play which his attitude changes throughout. In order to figure out whether hamlet is insane is by figuring out what the characteristics of his insanity. Characters see Hamlet in different shades of gray, each side more or less sane than others. His sanity can be his truth or his lie.
What is madness? Madness to most appears like a complex double-cross between reality and fantasy of the mind. William Shakespeare creates the use of madness throughout his play Hamlet, he portrays the sense of it as the breakdown of the mind, but also the breakdown of society. Within the play, two main characters welcomed madness into their lives, one is fake for personal reasons, and the other is real. Hamlet, prince of Denmark, had a plan to act mad to confuse Claudius. On the other hand, Ophelia the daughter of Polonius, goes insane due to many factors, such as grief, isolation, and distrust.
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.
Even though Hamlet claims to be acting throughout the play he expresses questionable traits of madness that put others in danger and in confusion. Which make others believe that as the play goes on Hamlet strays to the insanity side of that fine line. Due to Hamlet’s strong feelings for his father, how Hamlet acted around others, and his indecision proves that throughout the play Hamlet is insane. Hamlet’s madness was caused by many reasons
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. In it, a young, Danish prince struggles with the death of his father and the betrayal of his mother. This struggle is so profound; it shakes its main character Hamlet to the core and brings him to the brink of sanity. Shakespeare uses madness to convey important information throughout the play especially through Hamlet and his love interest, Ophelia. Hamlet does not always appear to be mad, in fact throughout the play his sanity is questioned by the reader and other characters. Whether real or faked, Hamlet and Ophelia’s madness reveal to us more about their characters, opinions and secrets than their regular discourse.
Hamlet’s insanity has always been a controversial topic within literary analysis. Many individuals believe Hamlet has always been insane, while others believe that his insanity was an act he played the whole time. Ultimately however, throughout the play, Hamlet becomes legitimately insane due to the events that occur, the primary factor being the death of King Hamlet, his father. Seeing the ghost of King Hamlet is the beginning of his descent into insanity. Soon afterwards his mother marries Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. Finally, Hamlet becomes so obsessed with Claudius that he creates a play re-enacting the events of his father’s death to try to persuade Claudius to confess to murdering King Hamlet.
Many criminal suspects today are found guilty by them attributing their insane actions to society by breaking human laws. In return, they are to make a contribution to in horrendous places such as place of confinement, guardhouse and correctional facility with their labour, effort and time. Nonetheless, what are the punishments for someone who feigned his or her madness and sparks off the death of the entire royal family? Shakespeare's Hamlet significantly demonstrates the consequences of dissimulating, in a way of dishonesty, but is Hamlet's madness simulated or real? This question is often left unanswered among the fans of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The idea of a character impersonating the concept or motif of insanity is not foreign to great literary works in modern days although many authors in ancient time use it to convey the sanity of the humor. There is much evidence in the play of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which Hamlet deliberately feigned fits of madness to confuse and plan to disconcert the king until he reveals his secret that he is responsible for Hamlet's father murder. However, the majority of the professors continue to argue that Hamlet's anti-decomposition is purely innocent and that he is not pretending. Nevertheless, with the similar saying of “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch”, in Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, Hamlet’s fatal flaw of
The first chance he gets to kill Claudius, he decides not to because it appears that Claudius is “confessing his sins” (3.3.86) and he didn’t want Claudius to go to heaven. Hamlet blamed Claudius for the murder of his father and
Hamlet is a young man who has become crazy from his trials and tribulations in life. He lost his father due to his uncle murdering them and then had to watch his mother marry the killer. Hamlets insanity can be demonstrated by his crude language and disregard for the well being of his mother. It can also be shown by his depression, which causes him to second guess everything including his life and finally his love, Ophelia helps to justify his absurdness by acting as a mirror. His foolish behavior worries many in the kingdom and creates a hostile and paranoid environment for those around. While some in the castle may believe that Hamlet is putting on an act, he proves that he is mad through his violet actions, his mental health and Ophelia.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one of the most evident and important themes is the theme of madness. The theme is apparent throughout the play, mainly through the actions and thoughts of Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes. Madness is defined as the quality or condition of mental illness or derangement (being insane). Madness is at the center of the conflicts and problems of the play and is conveyed through Shakespeare’s elaborate use of manipulation and parallels between Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes to contribute to Hamlet’s tragic character.
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 Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, must seek revenge for the murder of his father. Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to murder Claudius. Throughout the play, Hamlet becomes more and more believable in his act, even convincing his mother that he is crazy. However, through his thoughts, and actions, the reader can see that he is in fact putting up an act, he is simply simulating insanity to help fulfil his fathers duty of revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet shows that he understands real from fake, right from wrong and his enemies from his friends. Even in his madness, he retorts and is clever in his speech and has full