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Is Hamlet Insane Essay

773 Words4 Pages

In America today, there are 3.2 million people that are diagnosed with insanity. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character of the play is known for having some questionable behaviors and actions, which makes him look insane. Hamlet is insane due to him being able to kill without remorse, him being severely depressed, and being able to speak to a ghost that no one else can hear. The first reason Hamlet can be considered insane is because he is able to take the lives of others and treat others poorly without feeling guilty. In the third act, Hamlet treated his mother very poorly as a result of knowing what she had done in her past. “Nevertheless, all the rage that Hamlet takes out on Ophelia and Gertrude is often interpreted as being symptomatic …show more content…

Hamlet was originally somewhat anxious to speak with the ghost, but when he started to converse with it, it all vanished. “However, once Hamlet begins conversing with the Ghost a few scenes later, there is no real sense of him being terrified. Rather, he engages with the Ghost in a full exchange of dialogue” (Murphy 119). Hamlet could have gone insane and that is why he is not nervous to speak with the ghost. Before Hamlet went to speak with it, Horatio mentioned how speaking to the ghost will drive you to insanity. The reason one knows that Hamlet is the only one capable of speaking with the spirit is because Horatio, along with Marcellus, are only able to see it. Whenever they try speaking to the spirit, it simply disappears, and the first time it stayed is when it directed Hamlet to follow it. “It beckons you to go away with it,/As if it some impartment did desire/To you alone” (Shakespeare I.iv.60-63). The only reason that the ghost is speaking is because Hamlet allowed it to separate him from the rest of the group. The second that Hamlet finished speaking with the spirit, his behavior changed, and Horatio was able to notice quickly. Hamlet being able to communicate with the spirit while no one else can is another reason as to why Hamlet can be deemed

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