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Has Hamlet Gone Mad While In His Act?

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Has Hamlet gone mad while in his Act? Throughout Acts I through III of “Hamlet” written by William Shakespeare, it becomes apparent that Hamlet has gone mad while in his act. His erratic behaviour and irrational thoughts are evident in his interactions with other characters, especially those close to him. It can also be seen that his father's death has left a deep impression on his mental health leaving him to make irrational decisions leading him further into madness. Hamlet’s interactions with his ghost father could also be seen as madness as no one else in the play has yet to speak with the ghost apart from Hamlet. Although some may argue that his actions are well thought out and intentional. His erratic behaviour is seen as inconsistent …show more content…

The play within a play scene is a pivotal moment in which Hamlet's actions suggest his descent into madness. During this scene, Hamlet directs the players to perform a play that mirrors the murder of his father by his uncle. As the play progresses, Hamlet becomes increasingly agitated and erratic, shouting at the actors and making inappropriate comments. One quote that hints at Hamlet's madness during this scene is when he says, "I have heard / That guilty creatures sitting at a play / Have by the very cunning of the scene / Been struck so to the soul that presently / They have proclaimed their malefactions" (II, ii). This quote suggests that Hamlet himself may be feeling guilty about his own inaction regarding avenging his father's death which may be …show more content…

Although others can see the ghost proving the fact that the ghost is in fact real, Hamlet seems to be the only one that can hear it which may allude to Hamlet hallucinating and thinking he hears his but in reality, it was the start of his descent into madness. A quote that can further prove that Hamlet relies on the ghost to lead his actions is when he tells Horatio, "I'll take the ghost's word for a thousand pounds" (III, ii). This statement shows how deeply affected Hamlet is by his father's ghostly visitation and suggests that he may be losing touch with

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In the beginning of the play ‘Hamlet’, the lead character Hamlet is approached by a ghost; something that people in the Elizabethan Era believed, due to underdeveloped scientific understanding, to be in the realm of reality. (“British Library” par. 3) The ghost in the play claims to be Hamlet's father and informs Hamlet of a great injustice and instructs him to take revenge. (Hamlet 1.5.45)

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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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Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane.

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There are many examples of times where Hamlet seems truly insane. We have the time when he is talking with Polonius in the castle, after the King, the Queen, and Polonius were discussing the love letter that Hamlet wrote to Ophelia. Hamlet walks in reading a book, and Polonius asks “What do you read, my lord?” Hamlet replies with “Words, words, words.” “What is the matter, my lord” “Between who?”

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To find out if the ghost is trustworthy of his accusations, Hamlet fabricates two plans. He first decides to act “mad” for others to start to ignore his ways and how he acts “To put an antic disposition on” (Shakespeare I.v. 192). He then decides to add a few more lines to an upcoming play that is performed in the kingdom. He makes Horatio watch to see if there was any reaction from King Claudius. After Hamlet executes his scene of the possible murder, Claudius reacts in an unmannered way letting Hamlet confirm the Ghosts' acquisitions.

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Throughout the play Hamlet most of the conflict comes from Hamlet's internal struggle of deciding whether he should trust the words and appearance of the ghost of his father. Just like a student trying to finish an essay, his procrastination has made him more eager to carry out the act but that dire obligation he so badly wants to fulfill can't be done without any sound proof that he strives to find. This comes to show Hamlet's inability to trust the Ghost because he didn't believe that the existence of the ghost of his father would be possible, he believed that the apparition might be a devil trying to lure him in to committing an unjustified act, and he needed to rely on Claudius’s reaction to the play to validate his trust with the Ghost. At the start of the play, Hamlet is awestruck and dubious about the Ghost because during his first meeting with the apparition, he was so stunned of the supernatural sighting that he felt skeptical if it was even possible for such an episode to happen.

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Hamlet at firsts doesn’t believe the ghosts story and to cover it up he pretends he is mad. His idea is that the idea has to be proven to be true. Hamlet needs confirmation that his uncle had really murdered his father, and he does this by staging a play, with actors playing the act of the murder of his father as described by the ghost “Sleeping within my orchard/ My custom was always in the afternoon/ Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole/ With juice of cursed hebona in a vial, And in the porches of my ears di pour/The lecherous distilment” (1.5) The thing about Hamlet seeing the ghost is that one cannot be certain he sees a ghost as there isn’t similarity between seeing the same ghost. Just because someone sees a ghost doesn’t mean it is true, because our senses deceive us.

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In the midst of Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother, the ghost appears and stares at him. Hamlet breaks down and tells the ghost not to look at him that way unless he wants him to cry instead of being powerful enough to get his revenge. While this happens, Gertrude holds to the belief that her son has gone mad as she watches him talk to himself. Gertrude can not see or hear the

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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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First, King Hamlet’s ghost affects action when he first appears in the play. When he first appears, he doesn’t even speak. When he finally does speak, he only talks to his son, Prince Hamlet. The ghost says, “I am thy father’s spirit… Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.9,25 Hamlet).

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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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Hamlet is one of the most memorable Shakespearean plays due to the focus on a young prince`s struggle with obeying the ghostly figure that we witness briefly on stage. The ghost is certainly an important figure in shaping the outcome of this revenge tragedy. Thus, we must ponder what is the ghost and how it can be interpreted in a plethora of ways. It is arguably seen as the spirit of Hamlet`s father, a figment of his imagination and being Shakespeare himself. Therefore, this essay will examine these potential answers to the question.

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The ghost of King Hamlet helps to develop his son’s character by setting him on a path, he doesn’t tell Hamlet exactly what to do, but he tells him enough of the story to make Young Hamlet rageful and hate filled. First, King Hamlet’s ghost affects action when he first appears in the play. When he first appears, he doesn’t even speak. When he

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What is the ghost in Hamlet? Hamlet is one of the most memorable Shakespearean plays as it delves into several themes such as death, power and madness. The ghost is an important character within the themes that shape the outcome of this revenge tragedy. Thus, we must ponder what is the ghost and how it can be interpreted in a plethora of ways. This essay will examine three possible answers to the question discussing how the ghost is either Hamlet`s father: the king of Denmark, a figment of his imagination or Shakespeare himself.

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