Use of Insanity and Madness in Hamlet Essay

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the sane or insane Hamlet occasionally switches between the realms of sanity and insanity. When madness suits Hamlet's purpose, he puts on an "antic disposition" (1.5.173). On the other hand, when sanity proves worthy, Hamlet reverts back to being logical. Hamlet claims he is "mad north-north-west" (2.2.376), meaning he is mad sometimes and sane other times. Therefore, to achieve his short-term goals, Hamlet shifts between sanity and insanity, which ironically

central themes with which he provides his readers is the topic of madness and insanity. In Karin S. Coddon’s, “Such Strange Desygns”: Madness, Subjectivity, and Treason in Hamlet and Elizabethan Culture, the author depicts the reasons behind the psychosis of Shakespeare’s characters and what led to their insanity. The author expresses insight for not only the themes of madness in Hamlet but also helps explain the aspect of madness in one Shakespeare’s other plays, Macbeth. Through her analysis, Coddon

The play, Macbeth, also uses insanity as a device to contrast the mental state of characters as they change. As the play starts Lady Macbeth’s actions and thoughts show reason. However, after the murders and Macbeth’s insanity worsens she becomes unwell, as well. However, it is not until later in the play that Lady Macbeth falls to the same pressure. As stated by Shweta, “Macbeth succumbs to insanity, while Lady Macbeth is driven by Psychosis”. As Lady Macbeth wants to keep their lives stable

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an intricate play where many themes are connected; themes that help develop the play. The issue of death and disease, both physical and emotional is very important throughout the play, as well as fate. The play also questions insanity, as well as dishonesty and moral issues. Of course, who could fail to remember the illustrious phrase ‘To be or not to be’, where Hamlet not only ponders about life and death, but also life’s other mysteries as well. Though these themes play

Shakespeare’s Madness: A Timeless Reflection of Society The word “madness” often provokes thoughts of schizophrenia, dementia, and psychosis; however, these illnesses prove not to be the exact cause of the various downfalls to the characters throughout the play Hamlet. The author, William Shakespeare, depicts a different type of insanity in the play, one that seems ambiguous but also feels eerily similar to ones that still affect others to this day. Shweta Bali, author of Mechanics of Madness in Hamlet, Macbeth

comedy, tragedy, and histories. One of his famous tragedies play is Hamlet, which based on Prince Hamlet’s revengeful plan against his uncle, King Claudius. However, some critics question Hamlet’s insanity and they believe Hamlet is actually pretending to be insane. The purpose of this essay is to examine the extent to which the character, Hamlet, is insane. Despite different critics’ opinions regarding Hamlet’s insanity, it seems Hamlet is not insane at the beginning

Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare in which the character of Prince Hamlet is able to avoid suspicion while trying to obtain revenge on his father’s murderer by pretending to be insane. This insanity is justified as alright because of the recent, traumatic experiences that Hamlet has had to manage such as his father’s death, his mother’s hasty wedding with her brother-in-law, and his ending relationship with Ophelia. There were numerous baseis that arose to explain why Prince Hamlet had gone

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a series of tragic events unfolds as the main character, Hamlet, quickly slips into a state of insanity due to the murder of his father Hamlet, the King of Denmark. From the beginning of the play Hamlet is portrayed as undoubtedly shaken and depressed by the death of his father as well as crazed by it. As the play goes on though, Hamlet sees the ghost of his recently deceased father and plummets into a deep insanity. After this point Hamlet informs a few close friends and

Insanity could be considered the worst human trait. As for Hamlet, insanity doesn’t even begin to describe his character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This embarrassing trait forces Hamlet to disguise his madness with actual madness. Hamlet can be analyzed as character gone mad. He endures the difficulties with the death and reappearance of his father, the remarriage of his mother, and the murders of Claudius and Laertes. The reappearance of King Hamlet is the first glimpse of Hamlet’s madness; he doesn’t

The question of whether or not Hamlet in Shakespeare's play by the same name is one that causes controversy amongst critics. In most instances, Hamlet plays a madman, speaking unintelligible gibberish and chasing nonexistent ghosts. Most of his speeches constructively dissuade the king and his mother as well as their aides that Hamlet is mad eventually warranting that he be sent out of the kingdom. Similarly, he seems so crazy that at the behest of his uncle the king, he is to be sent off to be a