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Why Is Hamlet Gone Crazy

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When a person dies, it can show the worst of people. They might be heartbroken for a couple days, but it could get worse. A person might act a little crazy, especially if they were close to the person and they were killed by a family member. Well, this may have happened to Hamlet. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, ever since Hamlet’s dad gets killed by his uncle, Hamlet started to act creepy which makes people think that he has gone crazy, but he might be pretending that he is insane and gone mad in order to....
They are several different reasons why people think Hamlet has gone crazy. While Hamlet was speaking to himself, he states“Thus conscience does make us cowards of us all” (Shakespeare, III, i, 83). Hamlet is talking about if he does not kill …show more content…

In the beginning of the book, three of the guards could see the ghost and Bernardo exclaimed “In the same figure, like the king that’s dead” (Shakespeare, I, i, 41). The three guards that were there that night could see the dead king, and they are going to tell Hamlet what just happened. If Hamlet was the only one who could see the ghost when his mother could not, why can the guards see the ghost? Is Hamlet pretending to be crazy to make people feel upset for him that his father died? If Hamlet was pretending, he is pretending to make his mother feel upset for marrying his brother not that long after the king died. When Hamlet got to see the ghost, Horatio, one of the people who saw it that one night, said, “Look, my lord, it comes” (Shakespeare, I, iv, 38). Hamlet undoubtedly wanted to see what the ghost looked like since they told him, since it was his dad, so Horatio and Marcellus took him to the spot where they saw him and waited until the ghost came. This is another example about how Hamlet is not the only one seeing the ghost. Why are other people seeing the ghost, when his mother could not see the ghost. If people are telling him hear comes the ghost, is he trying to pretend to his mother that the ghost is in the room to make her feel mad about what she and his uncle have done? When Hamlet was talking to Horatio telling him certain things and when he was talking to him he said, “To put an antic …show more content…

A great deal of people would think the people who think Hamlet was pretending we're crazy because they think he was actually crazy. Since William Shakespeare never gave us clear answer, there is no right or wrong answer. It just depends of the reader and their point of

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Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane.

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A few soldiers on guard report to him that his father’s ghost has been seen, and he sees the ghost when he goes with them the next night. The ghost tells him that his uncle killed him to get his crown and his wife, and makes Hamlet swear to avenge his death. Hamlet decides to pretend to be

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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.

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What would one expect the personality of a man whose father was murdered by his uncle, who becomes his step-father? The personality in question points to Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark—who William Shakespeare depicts in his play “Hamlet.” A character analysis of Hamlet reveals that through his internal dialogue, his interpretation of his father 's murder, and his actions, his traits—bitterness, depression, and anger—emerge. Scholars have studied Hamlet for decades, and most have concluded that Hamlet 's personality indicated insanity. However, after observing Hamlet 's actions, his actions throughout the play do not resemble those of an insane person.

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“Man pleaded innocent by reason of insanity for the murder of his mother”(Gross). Although the case of the man murdering his mother is not entirely similar to what Hamlet does they do share some similarities. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet , Shakespeare uses the idea of a someone murdering one of their own family members in his play. In Hamlet the once ruler of Denmark ,king Hamlet, is long dead before the play begins with everyone thinking his cause of death was from the bite of a snake This is proven to be a lie however, when Ghost of king Hamlet visits his son Hamlet and reveals to him that his true killer is Hamlet’s uncle ,the new king of Denmark, Claudius. The play then follows Hamlet as he tries to take revenge for his father’s death.

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The ghost also tells him that he fell asleep in the garden and Claudius poured poison in his ear to kill him. Hamlets fear about his uncle was true after all. “O my prophetic soul!” he cries (1.5.40). After finding out all this information, Hamlet was in a dark spot that lead him to acting insane to investigate the accusations that his father had made.

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1153 Words | 5 Pages

He is depressed and suicidal as indicated in his infamous quote, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (3.1.57). However, while many may choose to carry on after the death of a loved one, Hamlet chose to hold on to his sorrow and pretended to be mad so he can know the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet’s tragic life is not the cause for his madness. Hamlet drives himself to the brink of insanity

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The ghost of Hamlet first appeared while the guards, Marcellus and Bernardo, were on guard late at night. Initially, they were unaware that the ghost was of King Hamlet, despite the similar appearance. From this point on, Hamlet’s mindset and motives would be altered for the remainder of the play. Hamlet stood on guard the following evening in hopes of seeing the ghost himself. Once the ghost appeared, Hamlet’s spiral into insanity began as he said “O, answer me!

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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

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Madness is often a symptom, and in the case of Hamlet this may be the reason behind his actions. The death of Hamlet’s father is the catalyst for Hamlet, causing him to see the ghost and ultimately become obsessed with the idea of revenge. A common theme for shakespeare is to explore a character’s mind and reasonings, and Hamlet’s character being mad was a perfect opportunity to continue this theme. Hamlet’s debatable madness, Ophelia being truly mad and the death of every character involved with Hamlet or his father is a prime example of tragedy, which Shakespeare is known for. While Hamlet’s madness is not certain, it is indisputable that the play Hamlet was built off of the idea of what is madness, and how does it affect one’s

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Hamlet talks to his father’s ghost in the play, he listens to his request to get revenge upon Polonius, and to make everything right. But aside from Hamlet no one seems to see the ghost. His mother didn’t see the ghost during the bedroom scene, but Hamlet did. Causing suspicion to arise, maybe after all he was in need of help. Maybe he wasn’t able to get over the death of his father so he imagined him there.

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In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there are a series of events that causes Hamlet to act abnormally. He has to deal with his father’s death, mother’s remarriage, and his lover Ophelia. However, it is often argued whether Hamlet’s madness is real or fake. Throughout the tragedy, he is over-exaggerating his madness for his plan of revenge.

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906 Words | 4 Pages

First, King Hamlet’s ghost affects action when he first appears in the play. When he first appears, he doesn’t even speak. When he finally does speak, he only talks to his son, Prince Hamlet. The ghost says, “I am thy father’s spirit… Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.9,25 Hamlet).

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1004 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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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.

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