Nicholas Theilig Mr. Simmons English CP-A lV 3 April 2023 Hamlet’s Emotions Leading Him to Madness William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a tragedy that explores the connection between human emotions and motivations, particularly the destructive power of uncontrolled anger and the desire for revenge. The play's main character, Hamlet, serves as an example of how these emotions can lead to madness and bring about tragic consequences, not only for himself but for the other people around him. Hamlet’s descent into madness is a central theme in the play and is a result of his uncontrolled anger and his desire for revenge against his Uncle, Claudius, for the murder of his father. Throughout the play, Hamlet gets consumed by his anger and obsession …show more content…
After hearing what the ghost had to say about the murder of his father Hamlet lets his emotions control him. His emotions take over and Hamlet is on the path to madness. Hamlet initially pretends to be mad in order to investigate his fathers murder. Polonius catches on when he is speaking with Hamlet. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t.—Will you walk out of the air, my lord?” (Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2) Polonius is understanding what Hamlets is doing. He is saying that there is a method to his madness. However later on in the play it becomes more difficult to distinguish between whether he is pretending or if he actually is mad. The other two examples from Hamlet's anger also fit here as well. When he is confronting his mother about her remarriage to his father’s killer, his madness can be easily identified. When he starts yelling and berating his mother, Gertrude, that is when he goes mad. He calls her a whore and threatens her physically. That's when his madness can be seen. He could not control himself any longer and lashed out. This is when his anger turned into madness. In the next example with Ophelia his madness stars right away. When he begins accusing Ophelia of being unloyal is when the madness starts. He starts verbally abusing her to the point of her breaking. She cries but he continues his onslaught of harsh words and insults. He lost control and the madness took over. Madness is the central theme of the whole play. Whether this madness is real or he is just pretending his actions are simply