Many critics offer the idea that in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet may be mad. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare madness can be seen as the domino effect. The reader sees Shakespeare has written characters whose madness leads to their inevitable death. Although due to Hamlet 's actions throughout the play, it is clear that he, in fact, is not mad, but aware of his actions and what he is doing. For instance, madness is defined as the quality or condition of mental illness or derangement.This is something in which the reader sees in others characters of the play, but not particularly in Hamlet himself. In Shakespeare 's, Hamlet the viewer sees Hamlet 's first interaction with the ghost as a bit skeptical.Hamlet showed nothing but loyalty and admiration towards his father. “Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,/…...That can denote me truly.” (I.II.78-83). In these words, the reader is shown that Hamlet has all admiration and loyalty to his father. So at the ghost existence, he is eager for it to be real but is also skeptical about it. And though at this point Hamlet has already shown signs of depression, he is fully aware of the communication he has with the ghost. “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder./…...As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.31-37). Though Hamlet holds such a high respect for his father, Hamlet still chooses to go after the truth rather than to going to commit his revenge right away. As Coming Apart At