Was Hamlet Insane Essay

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

Additional proof that Hamlet must be sane is that even in his ?madness? he is clever in his retorts and speech, and has a full understanding of the situations around him. He plays his madman character almost too well, and each phrase he utters appears to be an attempt towards conveying his

While it is true that Hamlet was merely playing the role of someone who had gone mad, many people may say that Hamlet’s madness was brought upon himself simply by the fact that he was trying to fulfill the orders from his dead father yet couldn’t because of his lack of acting upon a plan. It is strongly possible that Hamlet became extremely frustrated because every chance he got to expose Claudius and capture him in this enormous secret, he failed to do so. Therefore, Hamlet’s madness could be judged as reasonable but most likely for different reasons than one may think. Rather than going mad over the concrete facts that his father died and his mother remarried his uncle less than two months afterwards, he drove himself mad over his own flaws. Hamlet’s tragic flaw absolutely led to his tragic downfall as a

One of William Shakespeare's most well- known characters is Hamlet. This story has a great plot and entices the reader throughout the entire play. A controversial part of the play is whether the main character Hamlet is sane or insane. Readers may argue that Hamlet is insane, but, due to his cunning remarks and decisive plans, Hamlet is not mad, but instead completely sane.

In the story of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s sanity is questioned because of the relationships he had with other characters in the story. Hamlet’s relationship with the other characters did not all start off bad. Gertrude was his mother, Ophelia is the woman that he loved, and Claudius was his stepfather. Eventually over time all of them started a conflict. Hamlet didn’t just have problems with them, he had problems with himself. The problems were internally and externally with him and his Mother, Lover, and Stepfather.

In Shakespeare's play Hamlet the main character Hamlet experiences many different and puzzling emotions. He toys with the idea of killing himself and then plays with the idea of murdering others. Many people ask themselves who or what is this man and what is going on inside his head. The most common question asked about him is whether or not he is sane or insane. Although the door seems to swing both ways many see him as a sane person with one thought on his mind, and that is revenge. The first point of his sanity is while speaking with Horatio in the beginning of the play, secondly is the fact of his wittiness with the other characters and finally, his soliloquy.

Throughout the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, the main character is given the overwhelming responsibility of avenging his father’s "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.iv.36). Such a burden can slowly drive a man off the deep end psychologically. Because of this, Hamlet’s disposition is extremely inconsistent and erratic throughout the play. At times he shows signs of uncontrollable insanity. Whenever he interacts with the characters he is wild, crazy, and plays a fool. At other times, he exemplifies intelligence and method in his madness. In instances when he is alone or with Horatio, he is civilized and sane. Hamlet goes through different stages of insanity throughout the story, but his neurotic and skeptical personality amplifies his

   Shakespeare's Hamlet is a master of deception. Hamlet decides to make Claudius believe that he is insane, but the scheme backfires when everyone, except Claudius, falls for it. Ophelia is one of those who believes Hamlet lost his mind, and when he does not return her love, she is so brokenhearted that she commits suicide. Near the end of the tragedy, Hamlet plays the part so well, that he convinces himself he is insane. Clearly, Hamlet's plan to put on an antic disposition is a tragic error.

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?

In Act 2, Scene 1, Ophelia says to Polonius “My lord, as i was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stocking foul’d, Ungarter’d and down-gyved to his ancle; Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other; And with a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosed out of hell…”. Hamlet showed up to Ophelia's door in a rough looking manor. His clothes looked dirty and disheveled. He was was pale looking and tired. Hamlet was depressed over his father's death and his mother's marriage, and also Ophelia's love for him. A sane person would not be seem like that in front of somebody.

Insanity is a mental illness characterized as; excessive anger or hostility, violence towards others, feelings of sadness, and suicidal thinking. In the play Hamlet, as a result of his father’s murder, Hamlet resorts to behavior that can only be described as insanity. He becomes angered, suicidal, and violent towards others.

Insanity, the idea that one’s mental health is weak and questionable. This concept of a low level of mental stability seems to have a concrete definition, which means it should be easy to discern. And yet, the criteria needed to be of sound mind is less tangible. Dr. Frederic S Lee writes, “The actual degree of insanity from which any one of us suffers is a matter of difficult of determination, since it can be made known only through the verdict of one’s peer, who themselves in turn are demented” (823). Lee’s explanation on the degrees of insanity is illustrated in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where the mental health of the title character is under constant scrutiny. The uncertainty surrounding Hamlet’s mental wellbeing has fascinated psychiatrists for about two hundred years. His behavior has caused him to be diagnosed with a range of did psychoses such as melancholic, manic, bipolar, neurotic to name a few. However, there are those that also call him sane (Bynum and Neve 391). Hamlet’s true nature is unclear throughout the play since he appears to have lost his mind in the presence of a select few, whereas, around others he is completely lucid. Add in the entrance of his father’s ghost requesting revenge and it is no wonder that those around Hamlet find themselves unsure of him. Nevertheless, it is the ghost that gives Hamlet the mission that drives him, while the appearance of the slain king’s spirit serves a representative for Hamlet’s varying degree of sanity

He is also unhappy with his uncle because he married Hamlet’s mother, as soon as she became a widow. This

Hamlet went through a lot of things. His dad was murdered by his uncle, who married his mother. That alone would make many people go insane. Hamlet is insane because he gets confused, sees ghosts, and admits to being mentally ill. That is the just the surface. His actions and dialogue provide concrete evidence. It is a very controversial question.

In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the audience is introduced to a variety of characters of different backgrounds. The characters within the play face different circumstances, which help distinguish their roles throughout the play. Shakespeare writing gives reader’s the chance to form their own opinion and decide if the main character Hamlet is actually mad or making it up. From a reader’s viewpoint, it’s very hard to decide whether or not Hamlet is a madman, Shakespeare provides evidence which per trades Hamlet as ill in the mind and not mentally stable. Readers should ask themselves, was it all just an act? Could Hamlet act ill and get away with his troubled actions? Throughout this essay, readers will be provided with