Madness and Insanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Has Hamlet Gone Mad?

Has Hamlet Gone Mad?

Hamlet was the prince of Denmark, son of the assassi-nated King Hamlet and

Queen Gertrude, and nephew to Claudius. Hamlet, (during the play) goes through

some very troubling situations in which he seems to act in an insane manner.

But I am convinced that he was "…not in madness, but mad in craft." I also

believe that he was a man of high moral standards, in fact higher than most of

the people in Denmark at that time.

Hamlet was bombarded by many situations at the start of the play which

his psyche had to deal with. He was very up-set (as any other person would be)

with his father's murder and, at the same time, his mother's hurried remarriage.

HAMLET: "Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing

in her galled eyes, she married. O, most wicked speed, to post with suck

dexterity to incestuous sheets!" He then heard from his good friend Horatio

that they had seen a ghost during the night watch. Hamlet was shocked at the

description of the ghost and he said to him-self "My father's spirit-in arms?

All is not well. I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!" Hamlet's

per-sonality underwent severe stresses due to the situations en-countered and

consequently, he had to find a way to solve the apparent problems.

In Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet while talking to his father's ghost was urged

to avenge the foul murder, but to leave his mother out of it as her guilt would

be punishment enough. GHOST: "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. …

Leave her to heaven, and to those thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and

sting her." The ghost of the previous king gave Hamlet the solution that he

needed. The ghost also be-seeched Hamlet to "…Let not the royal bed of Denmark

be a couch for luxury and damned incest…". This showed that Ham-let was

required to not only restore his honor, but to re-store the honor of all of

Denmark as well! The added burden upon his shoulders caused him to clear from

his mind all but what was necessary to solve his dilemma. This would have

allowed him to think in a rational and sane manner. It also explains why later

he is unable to pursue his relationship with his true love Ophelia, and instead

tries to make her disinterested in him so that again, he may concentrate on the

tasks athand. Hamlet used his cunning when he devised a plan to see if his