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Is Hamlet Really Insane Essay

751 Words4 Pages

As the protagonist of one of the greatest plays in the English world, Hamlet’s personality has always been controversial. At the heart of debates around Hamlet lies the question of whether Hamlet is truly mad, or merely pretending to be insane to help himself get revenge. Hamlet’s experiences throughout the play are full of tragedy. His father who he looks up to was murdered, his friends betrayed him and his beloved lover committed suicide. Those tragic experiences are not bearable by normal people and could easily drive them mad. This is also one of the main reasons people believe Hamlet is insane. However, in fact, Hamlet incredibly kept his mind and precisely took his revenge as he planned after going through those catastrophic events.
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After being informed by the ghost of the truth about his father’s death, Hamlet immediately knows that there are fights and revenges he has to do. As Hamlet said “Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,How strange or odd soeer I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on), That you, at such times seeing me, never shall”(Shakespeare). It is clear that he intentionally pretended to be insane. Hamlet’s actions afterward also supported this point. With his label of being insane, Hamlet was able to ask Claudius pointed and provoking questions which reminded Claudius of his brutal guilt and eventually led Hamlet to confirm that Claudius is guilty without being suspected by Claudius. Moreover, another perspective of his actions that reveals his sanity is his purposeful conduct. Though Hamlet’s actions themselves seem psychotic in the play, there is always a purposeful reason behind his insanity. For example, when two of his old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern came to Hamlet, he used his insane actions to determine whether they were on his side or Claudis’s. Through his purposeful insane actions, Hamlet is able to get information easily and take advantage over his enemies by hiding his true intention. Not only does his purposeful actions reveal his sanity, but also, his keen observation and intelligent moves reflects his rationality. The action that reflects Hamlet’s sobriety and intelligence the most is his handling of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at the sea. When he discovered the letter of his execution, he used his intelligence to change the letter to an order of execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This move completely changed the game and his situation, he then got rid of two spies on him and moreover, he managed to survive and be able to get back

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