Dichotomy Of Madness In Hamlet

When Emily Dickinson wrote “Much madness is divinest Sense-/to a discerning Eye,” she was making a point about one of the greatest arguments in literature. Dickinson argues that what others would call “madness” is actually an individual who does not conform to normal standards and it gives “mad” people an advantage over ordinary people. Similarly, in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet’s sanity is questioned often throughout the play. But Hamlet’s madness comes from the knowledge he holds that others are not privy to, which blocks Hamlet from acting normally. While some may call it madness, having more knowledge than others and being unable to conform to typical standards gives you what Dickinson would call a “divinest Sense.” One of the moments in Hamlet that demonstrates these opposing perspectives is when Hamlet calls out Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for trying to “play him,” though he makes his point through a metaphor about a pipe. Hamlet is aware that his old friends are being told what to do by the King and Queen and he eventually accuses them of working for the throne. To the onlookers, they see Hamlet comparing himself to an instrument in an outburst that others would perceive

When Hamlet murders Polonius mistakenly, he hides the body from everyone. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, questions Hamlet about the location of the body, which Hamlet answers initially with riddles. While his riddles seemed like the ramblings of an insane man to bystanders, they reveal Hamlet’s extensive understanding of life and death. He talks about how every person end up as worm food eventually, royalty or not. Hamlet has extensive knowledge of life and death, but superficially, he seems quite mad to everyone else because he fails to act like the rest of them. A failure to conform to normal standards doesn’t make you insane, it gives you a “divinest Sense,” just like Hamlet