In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, many times the sanity of Hamlet, the protagonist, comes into question. This question has been debated by both lay-readers and scholars alike for hundreds of years. Although this topic could be strongly debated either way, the evidence leans more towards the idea that Hamlet was simply feigning insanity, and portrayed the role of a madman only in front of those whom he thought to be his enemies. This faking of craziness can be seen most in his conversations with friends, his conversations with those he distrusts, and through the stark difference of his craziness and the truly demented mind of Ophelia.
From the beginning of the story, it can be seen that Hamlet is under a lot of stress. His father is dead, his mother is quickly getting remarried to his uncle, and he had to leave his schooling to come home and take care of
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Ophelia’s madness stems from the broken relationship with her father, as well as the breaking of her heart by Hamlet. After her insanity sets in, she begins to hum and sing as she’s speaking and she 's makes very little sense when she speaks and her words can be quite vulgar. Ophelia’s insanity also appears to be the cause that drove her to drowning herself, whether intentionally or not. In stark contrast, Hamlet’s show of madness is not anywhere close to Ophelia’s. He still makes sense when he speaks, and there is a method to his dementia. Even Polonius says, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t”(II.ii.206-207). Later Claudius also confesses that Hamlets actions do not appear to stem from madness saying,”Nor what he spake, though it lack 'd form a little,/Was not like madness”(III.i.163-64). It is very possible to infer that Shakespeare intended for this stark contrast of madness between Hamlet and Ophelia was to show that Hamlet’s hysteria was pale in comparison to Ophelia’s true