Hamlet's Insanity

In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare relays the consequences of mental and emotional instability through the life of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Throughout the story, each of Hamlet’s increasingly reckless actions leads to the ultimate tragedy of his death, along with the deaths of those close to him. When outside forces, like the untimely murder of his father and remarriage of his mother to his uncle, trigger a psychological response from Hamlet, Hamlet’s mind starts waging an inward battle that progresses throughout the play. Through this hamartia of maintaining a suicidal mindset throughout the story, Hamlet pens the fate of the play. Every rash decision Hamlet enacts catapults himself and his loved ones towards Hamlet’s ultimate goal for himself:

Though seemingly driven by his love for his father, previous soliloquies given by Hamlet reveal his true motivation. From his first appearance, Hamlet fixates on the rules of the Christian church, fretting, “that the Everlasting had not fix'd/ His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!” (Shakespeare, 1.2.131–132). Though Hamlet desires to kill himself and “shuffle[d] off the mortal coil” (Shakespeare, 3.1.68), the laws of his religion restrain him. Serendipitously, his father appears to him as a ghost, requesting vengeance for Claudius's actions against the throne of Denmark. With this revelation of his father’s murder, Hamlet discovers a way lose his life without killing himself. Impatient to join his father, Hamlet steps onto a path that ends with destruction. Soon after promising to kill Claudius, Hamlet utters the famous line, ““To be or not to be: that is the question” (Shakespeare, 3.1.57). As seen in Hamlet’s acceptance of his father’s demands, Hamlet already chose death as he speaks these words. Any avenue he takes, whether confronting Claudius or acting insane, Hamlet understands that his revenge requires his own life. Killing Claudius frames Hamlet as a dissident, while posing as crazy threatens the wrath of Claudius upon Hamlet’s head. When Hamlet steps onto the path of revenge, he realizes he must sacrifice his own life, but unknowingly seals the fate of his loved

Because of his impatience, Hamlet kills Polonius, who spied behind a curtain in Hamlet’s mother’s room. As he stabs Polonius, Hamlet exclaims, “How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead” ( Shakespeare, 3.4.24), revealing the emotionality responsible for Hamlet’s outburst. Unable to balance between his desire for his own death and his desire for Claudius’s death, Hamlet murders Polonius in a flighty attempt to avenge his father against Claudius. Blinded by the incentive of his own death, Hamlet abandons all other cares in return for his goal. Through his actions, he loses his one love, Ophelia. With every step he takes, Hamlet ensures that his death approaches faster. With Polonius murdered, the judgement of his king and his people come upon him, causing Claudius to send Hamlet away. Simultaneously, the loss of her father and the betrayal by Hamlet causes Ophelia to lose her sanity. When Ophelia drowns, “Pulled…. from her melodious lay / To muddy death” (Shakespeare, 4.7.179–180), Hamlet’s last incentive to live dies. Already suicidal, Hamlet’s choices after learning of Ophelia’s death guarantee his own burial will occur as soon as