Insanity In Shakespeare's Hamlet

     Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is a complex play, filled with layers of meaning. These are often revealed through the madness of the characters and the theme of madness throughout the play. Although Hamlet and Ophelia are the only characters thought to be so afflicted, the reactions of other characters to this madness mirrors their own preoccupations.

   In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, there are several questions that come to the reader's mind regarding the emotional state of Hamlet.  Was Hamlet really suffering from madness, as many of his friends and family thought?  Was he mad or just pretending to be mad?  Did Hamlet start out pretending to be mad, and his obsession drove him to madness?  The reader gets insight into Hamlet's mental status through other characters and through Hamlet himself. If the characters had the information that Hamlet had about the murder of his father, would they have thought differently of his actions and his sanity?

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.

“Norms” are established by the society, which an individual lives in. For this reason when an individual does not conform to those norms, they are looked upon as outcasts or even insane. In William Shakespeare’s book, Hamlet, he incorporates the theme of sanity vs. insanity as a way to develop characters throughout the plot though their actions and thoughts. One of the characters Shakespeare demonstrates this theme through is Prince Hamlet.

Outraged by her decisions, Hamlet resorts to verbally assaulting his mother, telling her that the marriage between her and King Claudius is unjust. Hamlet’s disgust with his mother marrying his own uncle is shown when he screams at her in her room, “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!”(Shakespeare 2017). This scolding displays how Hamlet will say anything and everything that he feels without hesitation.

Hamlet claims that he is only acting crazy, but it seems more likely that he actually is. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, assumes that he has gone crazy because of his father’s unexpected death. She tries to bring in Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to see if they can find the root of Hamlet’s mental issues and cheer up Hamlet. Gertrude, however, fails to realize the role she plays in causing Hamlet’s poor mental state. After the death of Hamlet’s father, Gertrude wastes no time in marrying the new king and maintaining her position as queen. She does not seem to notice the negative impact this has on Hamlet’s disposition. She could simply be pretending that she does not notice how her actions affect Hamlet, but more likely, she is more concerned about maintaining her status as queen than the mental state of her beloved son. Hamlet shows his true feelings about his mother when he says, “O God! A beast, that wants discourse of reason, / Would have mourn’d longer—married with my uncle, / My father’s brother, but no more like my father / Than I to Hercules: within a month” (1.2.150-153). He, however, keeps the disgust he feels at his mother sleeping in “incestuous sheets” to

Assuming a fake insanity, Hamlet finds an excuse to act impulsively while concealing his real motive, which is to take vengeance on King Claudius. As a result to his his mental state, she is unable to reason or take action, making her appear as a passive character. Regardless of the character’s externalization of insanity, both are initially pitied by the reader. Shakespeare opts to make the audience feel sympathy towards Hamlet

Throughout the play, Hamlet’s disdain for his mother marriage to his uncle, Claudius, is made apparent. It is because of this union, Hamlet believes that it is his responsibility to separate Claudius from his mother for her own good. Because Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, was killed his brother, Claudius, is now King and has married Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. After a play which depicts the death of King

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.

nd for Hamlet like for many others is seen like she has betrayed her husband so as by marrying his brother just after one month of her husband’s death ,it is called an incest. He express this thoughts better in his first soliloquy , when he says : “-A little month or ere shoes were old…up to -But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.(Act 1, Scene 2) Many writers have presented in

On William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, after the assassination of his father, Hamlet thinks he is living in a world full of corruption and deceit, where everything is falling apart and everyone is against him. An imminent, exaggerated, and passionate love for his mother is his main feature. Although others argue that Hamlet’s obsession to murder Claudius is strictly to claim revenge for his father’s death, it is Hamlet’s obsessive desire to possess his mother in an unhealthy and, perhaps incestuous, relationship. Hamlet also appears jealous of Claudius, his father-uncle, jealous of him for having Gertrude and for owning the crown. He lives a love-hate relationship with his mother. He is full of anger towards her, but at the same time he

She married. “O, most wicked speed, / to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets! / It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue” (i.ii. Lines 161-164 Shakespeare). Hamlet greatly disapproves of his mother and uncles positive attitudes towards his beloved father’s death. Hamlet is outraged that “but two months dead—nay, not so much, not two. / So excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a satyr. / So loving to my mother” (i.ii. Lines 142-144 Shakespeare).The hasty marriage between Claudius and Gertrude hurts Hamlet deeply and is only one of many things that Hamlet must battle between his thoughts and his instincts. Part of the reason Hamlet is so melancholy is his mother's marriage and throughout the play he is forced to deal with the feelings that have arisen from the conflict he is in. In a way, confronting his mother provides Hamlet with a way to vent his anger and let loose some of the rage he has held in. The conflict that he had with Gertrude and Claudius is mainly projected upon Gertrude because Hamlet is more focused on dealing with murdering Claudius to avenge his father than he is angry and disgusted by Claudius’ incest marriage he is in with

Hamlet has many problems dealing with the fact that his mother married his uncle less than two months after the death of his father. Hamlet sees his mother's remarriage as disgusting and sees murdering Claudius as a way of freeing his mother of an incestuous marriage as well as avenging his father. Hamlet and his mother's relationship is also shown as more sexual than the traditional mother son relationship because of Hamlet's long and private conversation with his mother, as well as his rivalry toward Claudius for his mother's attentions. Hamlet makes numerous sexually allusions. The "closet scene" in Act 3 Scene 4, proves to be essential in understanding Hamlet's and Gertrude's relationship because the

An incident that affects Hamlet is when his love, Ophelia, rejects him. In return, He insults Ophelia for being a woman; “Get thee to a nunnery. Why, wouldst thou be a breeder / of sinners.” (3, 1, 121-122) Hamlet believes that all women sin and that they cheat on men. Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to the nunnery, in order to protect her chastity and become more loyal to men. Another person that Hamlet cannot trust is his mother. When she marries her brother-in-law, he expresses his anger to her by stating: “She married – O most wicked speed! To post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! / It is not, nor cannot come to good.” (1, 2, 156-158). Hamlet is offended that the queen remarries the deceased king’s brother and does not feel any guilt for it. The reader is aware that the situation will not end up well and someone will be have to be killed for their crimes. Hamlet admits that he is angry with his mother when he confronts her about her actions. He finds it odd that his mother marries her dead husband’s brother and she mourns over the death for such a short period of time. Hamlet questions her nature by

Clearly, Hamlet cannot accept his mother marrying his Uncle Claudius. His heart is ripped in two. His world is full of decay and disgust as is a garden that is unweeded. There is no beauty in his world at the present. Not only has he lost his