Hamlet Paper In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the main character Hamlet is gutted by his father’s death, however, once Hamlet’s father’s ghost appears to him and tells him that he must avenge his father’s murder, Hamlet realizes that if he is going to kill King Claudius without arousing suspicion about his involvement he will need to fool everyone into thinking he is truly mad. By having to pretend insanity and distance himself from everyone while enduring immense grief and stress in his own life, Hamlet’s psyche starts to break down in Act 3. The speech pattern change in Hamlet’s Act 3 soliloquy “to be or not to be” makes it clear he has moved from natural grieving to an abnormal psychosis. Hamlet’s contemplation of suicide