Madness within: Bipolar William Shakespeare had the uncanny ability to read people then put into words how individuals reacted with one another. His most known playwright is “Hamlet”. Hamlet leads the opening of the play with grandeur; but, when his father’s ghost of comes to visit him telling of Hamlet’s uncle Claudius killed him. Hamlet schemes a plan pursuing revenge. Hamlet demonstrates depression exceptionally, in the presence of his mother and Uncle Claudius. Shakespeare’s character likely labeled a “mad man” when the playwright first drew in crowds. Today, the bipolar diagnosis would fit Hamlet’s characteristics. On page one hundred sixty-seven of Susan Krauss Whitbourne and Richard P. Halgin’s book “Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders” bipolar is termed as, “A mood disorder involving manic episodes-intense and very disruptive experience of heightened mood, possibly alternating with major depressive episodes (Witbourn & Halgin, 2014)”. Through the lens of humanity, the last fifty years, mental health clients find respect. Although, there is not much information on Bipolar, we are able not understand more on its prevalence. Bipolar Disorder is manageable by medication and/or lifestyle changes. The Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch estimated the rate of positive screens in 2000, for bipolar disorders across the United State using the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). The sample of
Quintessentially speaking, revenge is a thing that many have sought in response to a tragic event unfolding. Typically, as a result, vengeance is contemplated upon by the victim as a means of retribution, a way of making things right and seeking justice on the behest of the victim, if the law will not grant justice through due process due to corrupt forces stemmed deep within it- corrupt seeds of a corrupt plant. Therefore, revenge become an apparent option for those willing to walk that path [of no return]. However, instances of revenge not being attained in the “clear cut” way it is ordinarily acquired have occurred from time to time throughout history. One of the most prominent examples of unconventional revenge attainment can be found within the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, entailing the revenge path walked by its eponymously named main character, Prince Hamlet. Specifically, his intentful delay in attaining his revenge against his uncle Claudius for his direct role in the death of his father, King Hamlet. This literary conundrum has dumbfounded literary critics for over 400 years and counting- due to the fact that a universally accepted consensus amongst them as well as the general public as to why Hamlet delayed his revenge has not yet been reached.
Hamlet is a complex story that uses many literary devices to help develop the characters in Hamlet. One dominant device is irony. The main plot of the story revolves around irony. Hamlet is a witty character and loves to use irony. Hamlet’s use of irony displays how he insults people, discovers useful information, and reveals his true character. The use of irony in this story helps to add depth to each character, which is why Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex stories.
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental disorder, but unfortunately our collective knowledge of this mental illness is not extensive. Unlike depression, where patients are strictly sullen and deeply blue, the bipolar patient experiences that same depression only flanked by extreme highs—a hyperactivity and increase in serotonin. It is this inconsistency in mood—a clinical mood swinging, that makes bipolar disorder so difficult to diagnose. Difficulty, as will be discussed in the paper, comes from patients inability to recognize these highs as potentially troublesome, and instead opt to focus only on the depressed moods that follow. Conventional thought, after all,
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, it is clearly evident Prince Hamlet is overcome with “madness” due to his father’s murder and other malicious actions taken against him. Throughout the play, there are many examples of how Hamlet displays his insanity due to certain situations he experiences and how he handles them. Hamlet shows his madness through the killing of Polonius, his treatment of Ophelia, his thoughts of suicide, and the treatment of his mother Gertrude.
Hamlet displays his understanding of existentialism in the soliloquy “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (3.1.63) and yet his other words and actions lead us to believe he is still unaware of his own truth. Hamlet says "Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggars ' shadows" (2.2.263-264) and says that we are all beggars, all lowly men, and we only have any greatness because others think we do. This is in direct conflict with his hubris, showing that he can come up with insights that are emotionally valid and yet he does not entirely accept them as he also has the opposite characteristic. He still cares about the hierarchy and wishes to be above people and is, but only because he and others
Seeking revenge can cause a person to turn insane and blindly seek retaliation. Shakespeare’s Hamlet contemplates revenge throughout the story. Madness and revenge are similar themes in the movie, The Lion King, where the main character, Simba, is faced with the death of his father, leading him to do whatever it takes to seek revenge. This is where madness usually is introduced as a problem within a character, and this problem leads to the character doing things that they don’t usually do, sometimes dangerous things. The fathers of both Hamlet and Simba die, and the only one to blame is someone trusted amongst them. They seek revenge for their father’s unjust deaths. Betrayal, love and loss drive both characters to seek revenge. The death of their fathers leads them to go mad, and this mental state leads to them questioning the motives of close people in their lives.
Hamlet is considered to be Shakespeare’s greatest work, and the soliloquy to be or not to be is equally as famous. Hamlet is one of the greatest dramatic characters of all time and the role of Hamlet is one that many actors strive to play. Shakespeare wrote the character Hamlet in a very specific manner and it is because of this that few have found success in performing this role. Moreover the soliloquy to be or not to be has been one that has defined the level of success of an actors role of Hamlet. Famous actors like Lawrence Olivier, John Gielgud, Jude Law, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, David Tennant, etc. have stepped into the shoes of hamlet and into the world of Shakespeare. However, only Tennant, Gibson, and Branagh have
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is a unique character due to his unpredictability. He is attempting to discover the truth in a way that no other character of Shakespeare’s has done. We find Hamlet in a state of deep melancholy due to the death of his father, as well as the very sudden and lewd marriage of his uncle and his mother. Hamlet is inspired by the player giving the speech about Hecuba witnessing the massacre of her husband, Priam. He goes off on his own, and he is bewildered at how this player can show an enormous amount of passion to something that doesn’t exist. Hamlet contemplates on the reason of how he has not been able to act yet, and he feels like he has stalled for far too long. Hamlet’s main issue isn’t that he is a coward, but a truth seeker. He is skeptical about what is true, and that is what plagues him with his duty to avenge his father.
What knowledge is there that I can be guiltless of? Innocent, the eyes of an individual who witnesses the dead body of a King, effortlessly hacked at like a piece of meat (gesture towards floor). With knowledge that it was those eyes, my eyes (point to self) that observed this treacherous act. How can these hands ever be rid of guilt, whilst they are covered in the blood they smeared, still warm, upon the resting innocents? ( pause and look at hands) I held the very dagger that ripped life to shreds, daggers of which now harvest their vengeance in the stabbing of my beloved king’s soul. (point to self)How am I to prevent this shame, the fowl contrary of purity, from steadily possessing our sanity and having control over our actions? I should have suspected that a man so full of milk of human kindness would sense guilt at the deed of stripping nature’s King from his throne and taking the deceased man’s bloodied robes before he was cold in his grave (walk to chair and sit down. I would have done the deed myself had he not looked so strangely similar to my father. (pause)
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet the main character Hamlet uses several soliloquies throughout throughout the play. But there is one soliloquy; “To be, or not to be” that can arguably the most well-known soliloquy in theatre history. Even to this very day, four hundred years after the play was written, several people are vaguely aware with the soliloquy, even though they may have never heard of the play. Most people misinterpret those well-known words of Hamlet’s, not knowing the background behind the words. Hamlet anticipates whether he should take it upon himself to act appropriately to his new step-father’s/uncle’s crime against his own father or not. However, later on, Hamlet understands Fortinbras’ resolve and his pursuit for success. After observing Fortinbras and his actions, Hamlet comes to realize that he must avenge his father’s murder and bring inner peace with himself.
Hamlet’s personal growth is easy to see when you read his famous soliloquies; however, it is also evident in his conversations with his confidant, Horatio. Analyze the growth of Hamlet’s character using two interactions with Horatio as evidence. Paraphrase, insert, and examine at least two exchanges of dialogue between Horatio and Hamlet that demonstrate how he changes from the beginning to the end of the play.
Hamlet has captivated audiences, as well as readers for many years, and the initial thing to take note of is the fact that he is mysterious. There are continuously more mysteries when it comes to him when weighed against the additional characters within the performance that people are able to figure out. In addition, even the utmost vigilant and clever readers finish the play with the sense that they do not make out everything that entails to Hamlet as a character. He in reality tells other characters within the play that there is a lot more to know about him than what meets the eye, notably, Guildenstern, his mother, as well as Rosencrantz, however, his captivation takes in a lot more than what is seen. The minute Hamlet speaks, he
When it comes to the play Hamlet, there is a thrill seeking question to be asked; Is the plot of the play driven by revenge or corruption? The answer is debatably corruption; When one reflects back to what happens right before the play begins, when Claudius kills his brother, an individual would most likely lean more towards corruption driving the plot and, therefore, being the answer to the previous question. However, since the details of the incident are not completely revealed and there being no information on the brothers relationship prior to the incident, corruption can not be a concrete answer and revenge can not be completely ruled out. Claudius could have indeed been seeking revenge by killing his brother and marrying his wife, and there is more supportive evidence that leans towards revenge driving the plot due to what is actually being stated and clearly represented in the play. Therefore the plot of Hamlet is more likely to be presented as being revenge driven. Because of all the events that went on and the reasoning behind these events it is easy to see that revenge strongly drives the plot of Hamlet, in a way that the characters act on emotion rather than thought.
William Shakespeare is a historic writer that is well known and wrote many plays in his lifetime. In most of his plays, if not all, he has incorporated hidden meanings and messages. The majority of his hidden meanings are controversial topics of his time period. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the controversial topic that is throughout the play is religion and the afterlife. Afterlife plays a big role in Hamlet and is discussed throughout the play. Multiple authors have written on the topic of afterlife and religion in Shakespeare’s play, especially Hamlet. One author that has written on the topic is Paul Dean. In his paper, “The Afterlife of Hamlet”, he includes quotes from Stephen Greenblatt, Roy Battenhouse, William Empson, and many
Shakespeare 's, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is a tragic play about the revenge Prince Hamlet is told to take on his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet 's father, King Hamlet. According to the ghost of King Hamlet, Claudius had murdered his own brother by pouring poison into his ear while he was sleeping. Claudius also seized the throne and married his deceased brother 's widow, Prince Hamlet 's mother. Finding out the real reason of his becoming an orphan, from his ghost father, Hamlet sets out to take revenge of his father 's murder. In acting with all the passion of an avenging son, Hamlet is thought to be insane by all those around him. All of this is just a presentation of lunacy, by Hamlet, and it becomes predictable, making it a sure sign that it is simulated and not real insanity. All his thoughts, words, and actions, are explained as being a part of his feigned madness, for the achievement of a specific goal.