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Hamlet: What Causes Someone To Go Mad?

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Has one wondered what causes someone to go mad? Throughout the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, characters Hamlet and Ophelia experiences contribute to their madness. Hamlet's character has experiences of the death of his father, his uncle remarrying his mom, and finding out that his uncle killed his father. Ophelia's character finds out her boyfriend does not love her and her father is stabbed to his death. Hamlet and Ophelia's experiences hurt them emotionally and mentally. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, madness creates an escape from a corrupted society. Hamlet's experience of the death of his father and a ghost telling him that his uncle killed his father left Hamlet very distraught. Hamlet pretends to go mad to find out information …show more content…

Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep; And, as the sleeping soldiers in the alarm, Your bedded hair, like life in excrements, Starts up, and stands on end. O gentle son, Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look? (Shakespeare Act III Scene 4).
Gertrude is frightened because she can not see the ghost that Hamlet is looking at. This leads the audience to believe that Hamlet is not faking his madness, but has truly gone mad. When Hamlet begins talking to the ghost the Queen questions his sanity. Hamlet's madness distracts him from the effects of his fathers death on his life. Throughout the play Ophelia experiences many hardships. The death of her father and the rejection of Hamlets love take a toll on Ophelia mentally and emotionally. In the play Hamlet kills Polonius by stabbing him in the chest. When Ophelia found out about the death of her father she slipped into a depressive madness state of mind. The audience can see Ophelia singing about her fathers death: Ophelia: He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and

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As the innocent victim of Hamlet’s feigned madness, Ophelia’s insanity is a product of her inability to cope with Hamlet and her father’s death. Her songs show hidden grief and sorrow; her flowers represent the fact that beneath the innocent exterior, there is a weakness or flaw in everyone. Hamlet was able to look past his grief for his father’s death, but he caused someone he loves to be in pain. Whether it is the frailty of women, sorrow, or death, anything, including love, can appear to be pleasant, but can be the ultimate cause of a person’s

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Hamlet has come to see his mother, Queen Gertrude, and ends up stabbing Lord Polonius, which ultimately leads to his death. Lord Polonius’ final words include “O, I am slain!” Even though this provides a slight amount of comic relief to the reader, it has a reverse effect on Ophelia’s mental state. Her father’s death seems to be the potent punch in this fight because she officially goes mad after this final event. This is apparent in Scene IV Act I, when Laertes has come back to visit his sister and check on her well being.

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One definition of madness is “mental delusion of the eccentric behavior arising from it.” However, as Emily Dickinson once wrote, “Much madness is divinest Sense/ To a discerning Eye.” In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet, shows apparent madness which proves to serve an important role throughout the story. This erratic behavior consists of his seemingly senseless dialogues, his loss of care for Ophelia, and his increasingly aggressive nature. Such behavior often proves justified by the play’s audience due to its convincing nature despite Hamlet’s predisposition towards insanity.

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When Ophelia returns all his letters and gifts he tells her that he has never loved her and that she should “get thyself to a nunnery.” This is one example how his mood changes throughout the play. Then after all this her father, Polinous, is murdered by Hamlet. The Hamlet is sent away to England All of these actions result in her feeling such stress that she becomes insane in the end.

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Ophelia goes mad throughout the story. She is overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the rejection of Hamlet. Her character is seen spiraling down a dark path that also ends in death. Ophelia is depicted as not having control over her actions; speaking and acting erratically. While Hamlet is speaking erratically and behaving oddly, he still maintains control over his actions and movement throughout the story.

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The ghost also tells him that he fell asleep in the garden and Claudius poured poison in his ear to kill him. Hamlets fear about his uncle was true after all. “O my prophetic soul!” he cries (1.5.40). After finding out all this information, Hamlet was in a dark spot that lead him to acting insane to investigate the accusations that his father had made.

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Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep, And, as the sleeping soldiers in th ' alarm, Your bedded hair, like life in excrements, Starts up and stands on end. O gentle son, Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper Sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look? HAMLET: On him, on him!

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In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Hamlet, the minds of most characters are overcome by apparent insanity. Certain characters suffer from genuine madness, which dictate the actions the character will make. Yet, for others, it is quite simply an act and tactic necessary in order to achieve goals, as shown by the play’s witty and clever characters. The story’s astute protagonist in the end attains his goal of avenging his father’s death by murdering his own uncle, Claudius. Although Hamlet died shortly after murdering Claudius, many argue that he dies as a hero and the extermination of the royal family benefits the greater good for Denmark and its citizens.

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In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet assumes the disguise of a man that has lost his mind. Hamlet uses this madness to masquerade around in such a way as to not draw attention to his true plan, to avenge his murdered father. Many readers debate as to whether Hamlet is truly mad, or whether he is fully aware of his actions and what he is doing. However, both sides of the debate can agree that Hamlet’s apparent madness is a key element of the play, Hamlet. There are many reasons as to why readers debate Hamlet’s madness.

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In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there are a series of events that causes Hamlet to act abnormally. He has to deal with his father’s death, mother’s remarriage, and his lover Ophelia. However, it is often argued whether Hamlet’s madness is real or fake. Throughout the tragedy, he is over-exaggerating his madness for his plan of revenge.

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Ophelia is grieving the loss of her father after Hamlet kills him. Ophelia doesn't know that Hamlet killed her father. But Ophelia has gone mad from learning about her father's death. Also, after Hamlet telling Ophelia that she needs to go to a nunnery, Ophelia is a little bit discouraged. She is discouraged because Hamlet had told her before that if Ophelia would sleep with him that they would get married.

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Even though the audience doesn’t get to participate in the scene firsthand, we hear Ophelia explain to her father Polonius that Hamlet might be “mad for thy love (85). This is a perfect example of Hamlet rehearsing his insanity when he comes into her room “as if he had been loosèd out of hell/ to speak of horrors—he comes before me (83-84). You brought up an interesting question about 3.4 which was why Queen Gertrude can’t see the ghost of her dead husband, Hamlet Sr. My theory to this question is that Hamlet has not yet come to terms with his fathers’ death but Gertrude has. By Hamlet being able to see his dead father, it’s a sign that he is still mourning for him and that he can’t let go

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Insanity is an idea that has been examined for a long time in numerous mediums such as films, music, plays, and even works of literature. William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is no exception to that rule. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters, and many scholars have been debating for centuries whether or not Hamlet is truly insane, or whether there is a particular reason for his odd behavior. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet merely pretends to be mad but in reality is sane.

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In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, it can be seen that Hamlet intends to feign madness as a means to kill the king, Claudius. However, readers have argued about the legitimacy of Hamlet’s madness and whether or not it is truly an act. There have been instances in the play where it is apparent that Hamlet is faking his madness and there have been scenes in different parts of the play where the madness seems to be too convincing to be considered an act. The fact that readers are arguing about whether Hamlet is truly mad or not shows how convincing Hamlet’s acting is. To answer the question, Hamlet is not actually crazy and all of his actions are part of a bigger plan to convince Claudius that he is crazy.

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One of the most reoccurring questions in Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet has been: Is Hamlet's madness feigned or real? There are many themes that are shown within Hamlet's story such as death, obsession and betrayal, which all contribute to encourage his madness. When he is associated with other characters, it is shown through the way his character is being portrayed. Hamlet went through hard experiences not just with his mental state but with the murder of his father, King Claudius and the constant spying that occurs. Hamlet suffers from paranoia, and the way he responded to some of those situations was extreme.

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