Hamlet Mad Essay Research Paper Critics often

Hamlet Mad? Essay, Research Paper

Critics often call William Shakespeare s Hamlet the greatest of all his tragedies. The main character, Hamlet is, without a doubt, a prominent factor to the play s greatness. This witty young prince exhibits a confusing, duplicitous nature throughout the play. The beginning of the play portrays Hamlet s melancholy mood. He is in a weak mental state as he becomes caught in between love, grief, and vengeance. When Hamlet sees his father s ghost, he admits that he is not emotionally ready to fulfill his father s request:

The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,

That ever I was born to set it right! (Ham 1.5.188-189)

It is probable that his internal dilemmas and psychological depression has plunged him into emotional insanity (Taylor 531). Throughout the course of the play, Hamlet s state of mind changes. He can be seen, to be or not to be mad by different characters at different stages. His actions towards Ophelia and Gertude, the two women in his life, prove to be inconsistent. He often acts madly and becomes calm and rational an instant later. The controversial theme of Hamlet s sanity can be arguably discussed. Many portions of the play support his uncontrollable actions, while other parts uphold his ability to role-play. Moreover, Hamlet s hardships in his life justify his madness or feigned madness. This issue can be discussed both ways and overall, provide a significant support to either theory.

Regardless of Hamlet s mental state, he was undoubtedly stressed and under a great deal of emotional trauma, which is the cause of his antic disposition (Ham 1.5.179). In the first act, Hamlet appears to be very straightforward in his actions and inner state. When Gertude questions his melancholy mood, Hamlet replies: Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not seems (Ham 1.2.76). His depression even causes him to contemplate suicide in the famous to be or not to be soliloquy. Despite of Hamlet s misery, he fears the afterlife and the consequences of suicide. Along with his mother s incestuous marriage with his uncle, Hamlet later learns that his father s death was the result of a murder. This causes another dilemma of vengeance that he may not be psychologically prepared for. He is already in a weak emotional state and makes numerous inquiries on life. His inability to cope with reality because of his philosophical beliefs causes Hamlet s state of mind to constantly change. By Ophelia s words, it is evident that Hamlet was seen as the Renaissance man:

O, what a noble mind is here o erthrown!

The courtier s, soldier s, scholar s, eye, tongue, sword; (Ham 3.1.152-153)

Hamlet is a scholar and he always makes informed decisions based on reasoning and careful analyzing. Now he is caught between his passion, for immediate vengeance and his born-traits of reasoning and moral judgement. Hamlet is trapped in between two worlds: the ideal world he has created in his head (vengeance) and the existing reality (Hazlit 73). He even realizes that the weakness of his mind prevents him from taking action:

Why, then, tis none of you: for there is nothing

either good or bad but thinking makes it so (Ham 2.2.249-250)

His weak psychological state is the primary cause of Hamlet s madness or feigned madness.

Hamlet appears to act mad when he first hears of his father s murder. At this time, he speaks wild and whirling words:

Why, right; you are I the right:

And so, without more circumstance at all,

I hold it fit that we shake hands and part; (Ham 1.5.127-129)

From then, his moods change abruptly throughout the course of the play. His personality alters from an intelligent prince who will not commit suicide because it is morally wrong, to a barbaric prince who slays Polonius with no feeling or remorse. Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! (Ham 3.4.33). To be even more ruthless, Hamlet hides Polonius body to deny him a proper Christian burial. This murderous, cruel personality was never present in Hamlet. Hamlet even admits to Laertes that he killed Polonius in a fit of madness (Ham 5.2.236-250). His severe punishment for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is also unreasonable and not in the prince s character. He sends them to their deaths even though they were not part of his revenge-against- his-father s-murder-plan.

Hamlet s erratic behaviour can also support his madness. He is especially inconsistent in his behaviour towards Ophelia. During the fight with Laertes in Ophelia s grave, he professes to be the only one that truly loves her:

I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers

Could not, with all their quantity of love,

Make up my sum (Ham 5.1.263-265)

But when Ophelia returns his gifts, he swears to have never loved her. Hamlet s erratic behaviour towards his mother also upholds his insanity. He has violent outbursts towards her and even lashes out at her until she is in tears. In this famous bedchamber scene, Hamlet finally reveals his madness. He is the only one who sees his father s ghost. Every other time the ghost has appeared, another character has seen it. Here, Gertude no longer doubts his madness.

Throughout the play, there are also supporting factors to argue Hamlet s sanity. Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to feign madness and if he acts strangely, it is

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