The topic of insanity commonly arises on many occasions, particularly in the law. The term “insanity” is defined as the “unsoundness of mind sufficient in the judgment of a civil court to render a person unfit to maintain a contractual or other legal relationship or to warrant commitment to a mental health facility” (Document A). In terms of the law, there exists an insanity defense, which is a plea that defendants are not guilty because they lack the mental capacity to realize that they committed a crime (Document C). This concept arises in several of Shakespeare's plays as well. In Hamlet, many readers claim that Prince Hamlet was actually mad, his actions guided by the grief he experienced when his father was murdered by his uncle King Claudius.
The definition of insanity is the state of being seriously mentally ill. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character Hamlet is the epitome of insanity. Hamlet shows no remorse or emotion for killing an innocent Polonius, and his two friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, or while he forces a dying Claudius to drink the poisonous wine as Claudius screams for help. His relationship and actions towards his lover, Ophelia, become violent after she withdraws her affections. He is both verbally and physically abusive to Ophelia; until after her death when he claims that he loves her more than her own brother.
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.
It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? I’m not saying Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” I don 't think Hamlet had a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway.
Since the early times, people have discussed whether those among them are truly sane or not. During the Shakespearian Era, nobody actually understood who was insane and those who were merely more eccentric than most. One of the most debated plays of all time is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Many professors and scholars have analyzed and questioned Hamlet’s sanity. Hamlet displays the characteristics of sanity throughout the play.
Hamlet's Insanity The human mind is an extremely sensitive and frail thing. Sometimes when you act like you are something you actually do become it. Insanity is an inky endless hole to fall into. In the play "Hamlet" the lead character Hamlet is in a very terrible situation.
This quote is from the play-within-a-play and doesn’t suggest his insanity. Though his actions throughout the play may lead to it. His obsessive focus with the play in order to trap and accuse his uncle Claudius as the murderer, to his verbal attacks on Ophelia. The play-within-a-play might have deeper meaning and with the unhealthy obsessiveness he has with it, it could be a leading reason why he became truly insane. Hamlet interrogates Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and in Act 2, Scene 2, Line 246 he laughs.
Madness can arise for a variety of reasons, many of which relate to severe psychological trauma, and in Hamlet’s case, the young Prince of Denmark suffers from the loss of his father. Not only does Hamlet suffer from sadness over his father’s death, he suffers from the blinding reality that his uncle, Claudius, both murdered his father and married his mother. Readers may believe the Hamlet’s insanity arises from these critical events in his life, but literary scholars pose the theory that Hamlet merely acts insane in order to enact revenge on Claudius. Literary critic Edward Foster claims, however, that due to Hamlet’s religious beliefs, “the thought of deliberate murder is revolting to him” (Foster 1), causing Hamlet to devise a plan in which
I don't think you fully understood what I was trying to point out with my quote so let me explain it to you a little simpler. I meant that the sheer thought of Claudius and him mom led his mind toward the thought of his father. Whether he was daydreaming or not it still shifted his attention towards his father. Also the quote you used was Hamlet saying he will never see his father again. So if you use that quote claiming he will never see his father again how would you explain the scenes with the ghost, who looks exactly like his father.
William Shakespeare tells the tale of a troubled man in his masterpiece, Hamlet. Imagine your beloved father dying and your mother marrying his brother shortly after. You’re left to grieve on your own. Instead of consoling you, your mother and uncle have a wedding and begin to share the same bed. This is what Hamlet suffers through in the play.
When the play first began Hamlet did not seem crazy but more depressed and suicidal after his father’s death, he did not begin to act crazy until learning about his father’s murder. ”How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, to put an antic disposition on...”, here Hamlet tells Horatio that he will start to act crazy but for them to just ignore it. After this when Hamlet only acts mad around thoses who he does not trust but when
In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare relays the consequences of mental and emotional instability through the life of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Throughout the story, each of Hamlet’s increasingly reckless actions leads to the ultimate tragedy of his death, along with the deaths of those close to him. When outside forces, like the untimely murder of his father and remarriage of his mother to his uncle, trigger a psychological response from Hamlet, Hamlet’s mind starts waging an inward battle that progresses throughout the play. Through this hamartia of maintaining a suicidal mindset throughout the story, Hamlet pens the fate of the play. Every rash decision Hamlet enacts catapults himself and his loved ones towards Hamlet’s ultimate goal for himself:
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the doings of its complex protagonist may appear as mental instability, but when further examined, an intention to portray insanity can be seen. Following the death of Hamlet’s father, his uncle Claudius seizes the throne. A ghost resembling Hamlet’s father reveals to Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for his death. Taken over by a great desire for revenge, Hamlet decides to portray madness. Throughout the play, Hamlet’s madness becomes very convincing, leading to the question: is Hamlet’s madness feigned or is it real?
“Hamlet”: the development of insanity of the main character Hamlet is the protagonist of the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (or simply Hamlet) written by William Shakespeare. The man finds out his father was killed by own brother, who wanted to take the throne. Hamlet decided to take vengeance on for the former king. His actions led to the death of all main characters, including the prince himself. During the play readers can see changes in Hamlet’s behavior.
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.
