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Is Hamlet Insane

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When reading the tragedy Hamlet one of the very first questions people ask themselves is whether Hamlet is truly insane or not. Hamlet is a Danish prince who returns home from school to the news of his father’s passing, and then his mother’s marriage to the new king and uncle, Claudius. Hamlet is isolated, lonely, and melancholic because he is still mourning the death of his father. Hamlet’s mood, however, escalates after the appearance of his father’s ghost, which tasks him to avenge his untimely death at the hands of Claudius. From this moment, Hamlet decides to fake insanity so that he can avenge his father’s murder. Hamlet is not insane because he tells people that he is not insane. Although he might seem insane, he is aware of his surroundings and of everything he says or does; he is acting insane to hide his true motive of revenge.
Hamlet’s first words to Horatio and Marcellus, after the conversation with the ghost, are that he is going to “put on an antic disposition” which means that he is going to act insane even though he is not (III.ii.85). When courters enter in the room before the play within a play, Hamlet tells Horatio that he must be idle because he wants other characters to see him insane. When Hamlet confronts his mother in the closet, he confesses that he is “mad in craft”, yet because he has been acting crazy, his mother does not believe him (III.iv.187-188). Hamlet also tells Guildenstern that the king and the queen are deceived, that he is crazy, but it

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