Polonius explains Hamlet 's madness to Claudius and Gertrude, “Mad call I it, for, to define true madness. What it 't but to be nothing else but mad? But let that go (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 93-94). Polonius then goes on to describe his ides of the stages of Hamlet 's madness and his inability to sleep, “And he, repelled-a short tale to make- Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, Thence to a lightness, and by this declension Into the madness wherein now he raves, And all we mourn for” (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 146-151).
Hamlet then goes on to say later in that scene that, “I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft” (3.4.193-194). Hamlet reveals to only his mother that he is faking his madness. In the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no idea about Hamlet faking his madness. Bevington stated that, “Not knowing the true cause can only interpret Hamlet’s behavior as dangerous madness” (299).
The question of whether or not Hamlet was insane is of a never-ending debate. Was he always crazy? Was he always faking it? Or was he somewhere in between? In this paper I will share three different views and provide my own interpretation of Hamlet’s sanity.
He begins not only to act insane but to be insane himself. Hamlet says things in his normal speech which would be considered insane no matter how you look at it. Hamlet is insane and he does not even realize it. Hamlet, however, is not the only insane person in the world. Several of the other characters from the play are not very sane.
Hamlet has been debated by various highly regarded literary scholars over whether he was acting mad or whether he was genuinely mad throughout the play. However, there is one passage that stands out, which can clear him of any accusations that he is indeed insane. Hamlet reveals to his friends his plans to act mad when he says, “How strange or odd some’er I bear myself/(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/To put an antic disposition on) (1.5.190-192). Once Hamlet said this, it is concluded that Hamlet’s actions and statements towards others in the play— which made him seem insane— were only utilized as a ploy to prevent Claudius and other’s from finding of his recent interaction with the ghost and the information he provided Hamlet regarding his father’s death.
Deciding whether or not Hamlet is a man seeking proper vengeance, or a man with little mental stability, has been a great debate for quite some time. I believe Hamlet was depressed, angry, and delusional, which resulted in the degradation of his morals and, ultimately, led him to insanity.
In the play, the only people who believe hamlet was genuinely insane were the king and his henchmen, and even then there were considerable doubts about his madness. Polonius is the first person in the play to declare hamlet insane, and he only believes that because Ophelia has rejected his love. Polonius reports to the king that “Your
Hamlet says that he “essentially [is] not in madness, but mad in craft” in order to deceive everyone and draw attention away from his suspicious activities as he tries to gather evidence against Claudius (3.4.191-2). In this passage, Hamlet tells Horatio that he will be acting mad in the near future. Indeed Hamlet begins to act mad and this is obvious to others by his responses. This shows that Hamlet is not truly mad he is just trying to deceive everyone so that he can eventually kill claudius without others being suspicious of the murder, he wants them to simply blame the murder on the madness. Hamlet stages the Murder of Gonzago which is an elaborate attempt to
He leaves Ophelia, his significant other, and designs a play to reveal the truth. “A bloody deed-- almost as bad good mother, as kill a king and marry his brother!”(ACT III; SC. 4). Within this quote, in the the same scene where the first death by Hamlet occurs, demonstrates the hate and anger within Hamlet. A switch occurs between the act and identifying as true madness in this exact scene. Hamlet speaks to his mother normally, but his sanity lasts only until his
Understanding what Hamlet is experiencing lets us conclude that Hamlet is not insane just an intelligent and cunning person on a quest,
In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many references to sanity and insanity. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes back and forth between sanity and insanity, whether pretending to be insane just to mess with those he does not like or to save himself from getting in trouble. Hamlet is actually one of the smartest characters in the play, which is why he can pull off acting crazy so well. Shakespeare uses this idea of sanity and insanity to help the plot change and take a different directions. One of the most discussed topics of the Hamlet is whether Hamlet is insane or if he was just pretending the whole time.
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.
Although, later Polonius questions Hamlet’s true insanity. “Though this be madness, yet there is method / in’t.” (II.ii.216-217) He begins to think about it and realizes that it could be madness but there is some kind of a pattern involved in
A select few scholars believe that Hamlet is not pretending to be mad, but in reality is insane. Hamlet reveals his insanity through his strange behavior toward others. Dr. Simon A. Blackmore claims, “The Real or Assumed Madness of Hamlet” in Shakespearean Online that Hamlet is insane because of the fact that he is able to see a ghost while others cannot (215). Dr. Blackmore in The Real or Assumed... also asserts that in Act III, scene IV, the instance when Hamlet is in Gertrude chamber and Hamlet states to Gertrude that he see a ghost.
Throughout the play, Hamlet claims to be feigning madness, but his portrayal of a madman is so intense and so convincing that many readers believe that Hamlet actually slips into insanity at certain moments in the play. Do you think this is true, or is Hamlet merely playacting insanity? What evidence can you cite for either claim? In William Shakespeare’s classic, Hamlet, the question concerning Hamlet’s underlying sanity is a major element in the interpretation of the text.
