ipl-logo

Hamlet's Insanity

1137 Words5 Pages

In some literary works a character’s apparent madness is significant. Analyze the elements and causes of this delusional behavior, and discuss how this character’s condition contributes to the meaning of the work. One of the significant concerns of the play is Hamlet’s madness. Hamlet states that he is in fact not insane, however, his performance is so convincing that it is difficult to tell. Hamlet is asked to avenge his father's death, by the ghost of old King Hamlet. To accomplish this task in a less outward manner, Hamlet decides to put on an act to confuse everyone. Therefore, his behavior after is frequently baffling. The writer of the play, William Shakespeare, leaves the audience to decide whether Hamlet is truly mad or not. Throughout …show more content…

The ghost does not give him much time to think about how he feels, whether he is content, enraged, or somber. Hamlet is pushed into a state of action immediately with bottled up emotions. Hamlet is still unsure how to feel about the death of his father, his mother marrying Claudius and stealing the throne; this drives him over the edge and pushes him to insanity. However, this madness is what makes Hamlet so determined to acquire the truth about his father's death and kill …show more content…

As Hamlet guessed Ophelia told her father Polonius and he told the king, “Come, go with me. I will go seek the king.” Hamlet’s madness also causes the death of Ophelia, by killing her father and treating her like filth he pushes her into madness and ultimately her suicide. Ophelia's suicide directly stems from the murder of her father, Polonius. Ophelia comes in singing after her father's death and then states, "I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died.” This clearly proves that Ophelia's father was her world and without him everything that was beautiful to her is now gone. Hamlet was the one that killed her father and she still loved him, causing her to go insane. Hamlet pushed her to insanity and suicide with his madness, contributing to the meaning of the play. This is heavily shown with the murder of Polonius, Hamlet acts on suspicion alone that it sounds like Claudius and goes to kill him “How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!” Hamlet acts rash and with suspicion alone that it may be Claudius. This murder by Hamlet leads to deaths of Ophelia and Laertes, Hamlet’s madness further contributes to the meaning of the

Show More
Related

Examples Of Insanity In Hamlet

1154 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

What Is The Connection Between The Texts And Your Response?

1434 Words | 6 Pages

The character of Ophelia is well known for her tragic ending in Hamlet. She was driven mad by her love for Hamlet and her father’s death; she tragically drowned and died because of the separation from the men she loved most. Ophelia was instructed by her father, Polonius, to break off her relationship with

Read More

How Does Ophelia Commit Suicide In Hamlet

778 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet went mad when he found out his father was murdered by his uncle and Ophelia went mad from neglect and rejection. Ophelia, as the play goes on, gets worse and worse starting with Hamlet denying that he ever loved her and berating her for being dishonest. Hamlet has not confided in her about his anger with his mother and the murder of his father, therefore she is confused by how easily it was for him to crush her faith in love. The rest of Ophelia’s downfall comes when her father, Polonius, is murdered by Hamlet. This unbearable loss and rejection leads to an unendurable extent of anxiety and ultimately leads to her death.

Read More

Insanity In Hamlet Research Paper

807 Words | 4 Pages

Madness can arise for a variety of reasons, many of which relate to severe psychological trauma, and in Hamlet’s case, the young Prince of Denmark suffers from the loss of his father. Not only does Hamlet suffer from sadness over his father’s death, he suffers from the blinding reality that his uncle, Claudius, both murdered his father and married his mother. Readers may believe the Hamlet’s insanity arises from these critical events in his life, but literary scholars pose the theory that Hamlet merely acts insane in order to enact revenge on Claudius. Literary critic Edward Foster claims, however, that due to Hamlet’s religious beliefs, “the thought of deliberate murder is revolting to him” (Foster 1), causing Hamlet to devise a plan in which

Read More

Was Hamlet Truly Mad, Or Was He Merely Feigning It?

1148 Words | 5 Pages

Madness, a concept as old as human history, remains elusive to diagnosis. This enigma is vividly portrayed in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a work that has ignited a century-long debate being: “Was Hamlet truly mad, or was he merely feigning it?” Madness weaves a complex web in the narrative of Hamlet. Initially, it serves as a tool for Hamlet to cloak his knowledge of his father's fate. Yet, as the play unfolds, the boundary between Hamlet's feigned madness and potential genuine psychological turmoil blurs.

Read More

Essay On Insanity In Hamlet

1072 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet’s level of sanity drastically changes from the beginning to the end. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is not insane, just grief stricken. To try and get revenge for his father’s death, Hamlet begins to act like he is crazy. Pretending that he is insane slowly causes him to actually become insane. Hamlet drove himself crazy by pretending to be crazy.

Read More

Essay Of Insanity In Shakespeare's Hamlet

2049 Words | 9 Pages

The ghost tells Hamlet that he must avenge him. The book follows Hamlet’s quest to try and kill his uncle. All throughout the play Hamlet acts insane and many readers think he is just acting, but this is not the case. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet goes crazy and acts irrational due to his questioning

Read More

Why Is Hamlet Insane

967 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet, one of literature's most analyzed tragic heroes, on the surface can be perceived as an insane person with no motives. But doing some investigation the conclusion that Hamlet is a sane man just acting insane can be made. Any average person going through the passing of their father would go into some sort of depression or frantic state of mind. Along with this though Hamlet is expected to deal with the fact that his uncle murdered his father and is now marrying his widowed mom. Everyone with a brain would go into a frenzy and start acting insane in this circumstance; Hamlet will use this to his advantage.

Read More

Insanity In Hamlet

712 Words | 3 Pages

(1.5.172.), letting the audience know that he is going to fake his madness, but leaving the other characters in the dark. Hamlet pretends to have gone mad because he witnessed his father’s ghost and know what actually happened to him. He does not want his mother nor Claudius to know what he knows, so he act like he is going mad. It helps him mask what is going on and keeps Claudius out of his mind. He plans on assassinating the King, he has thought maybe his mother was in on it, since she moved on so quickly.

Read More

Hamlet's Insanity Essay

788 Words | 4 Pages

Much has been written about Hamlet's insanity. While some believe Hamlet is truly insane, others believe his act is simply a ruse to manipulate those around him. In this essay, I'll argue that Hamlet isn't insane, but rather uses his alleged insanity to achieve his pretensions. It's worth noting how numerous times Hamlet admits to pretending insanity. In Act I, Scene V, for illustration, Hamlet informs his mates that he plans to" put an antic disposition on" and appear to be insane to avoid dubitation and gain information about his father's death.

Read More

Hamlet Deception Essay

579 Words | 3 Pages

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet creates a plan to act as a madman in order to figure out who killed his father after being greeted by his ghost. Hamlet develops an obsession over his father's mysterious death leading Hamlet to form a plan to deceive the public as a madman, which leads to the ultimate demise of Hamlet and those around him. Through Hamlet’s deception, Shakespeare explores how deception impacts both the individual and society. After the death of his father, Hamlet is overwhelmed and conflicted with grief. Shakespear highlights this lingering grief through Hamlet's conversation between his uncle, King Claudius, and his mom, Gertrude, in which they urge Hamlet to move on.

Read More

Insanity In Hamlet In William Shakespeare's Tragic Play

220 Words | 1 Pages

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.

Read More

Exploring The Theme Of Insanity In Shakespeare's Hamlet

549 Words | 3 Pages

The tragedy of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark is one if not the uttermost famous of Shakespeare's plays. The play is full of tragedies and lots of characters with each character having faced anger, fear, madness. Madness was a recurring theme in this play, but there was one character that displayed it more than any other; it is none other than the plays protagonist Hamlet. While Hamlet’s “mad” behavior starts out as an “antic disposition” according to him, the readers can view how his mental state deteriorates over the course of the play so that he actually ends up becoming insane. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the author conveys Hamlets fake madness becomes real madness through Hamlet's way of speaking to Polonius, and the killing of Polonius.

Read More

Hamlet: The Cause Of Ophelia's Suicide

745 Words | 3 Pages

But Ophelia also had some madness of her own that caused her suicide. Ophelia was also grieving over her father's, Polonius, death. Ophelia's death results from Hamlet's madness and his telling Ophelia that she needs to go to a nunnery. The cause of Ophelia's suicide was mainly from Hamlet's madness.

Read More

Hamlet Tragic Hero Essay

1381 Words | 6 Pages

These actions also end in the death of Ophelia. Many disagree whether her death was suicide or not, but nonetheless there is a thought that this may be due to her distresses caused by the relationship difficulties between her, Hamlet, and her brother Laertes. He was also not at all open with his mother. There is an understanding that he was upset with his mother for the marriage to his uncle, but never one time until his meeting in her room does he ever tell her. He says, “A bloody deed!

Read More

More about Hamlet's Insanity

Open Document