Is Hamlet insane? That is the question. To answer this question, we must first get a better understanding of the word insane. Webster defines insane as exhibiting a severely disordered state of mind. A person can be affected with insanity or criminally insane. It is important to understand that insanity is a legal term, not a medical or psychological one. The law defines insanity as a mental illness of such a severe nature that a person could not tell right from wrong or could not control their behavior.
With this in consideration, let’s examine Hamlet's behavior. Does he know right from wrong? I think he does. He knows that Claudius killed his Father and that it was wrong to do so. Can he control is behavior? Yes. While Hamlet does act impulsively at times, he shows us that he is able to control his behavior when he wants to. An example of this is in act 3, scene 1, page 3 when he carefully weighs out the pros and cons to suicide. “To be or not to be: that is the question: whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or take to arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?” I believe it is more likely that Hamlet was a psychopath/sociopath
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This makes it difficult for them to have good relationships. Hamlet is critical and abusive of people, even those he claims to love. He was disrespectful and mean to his mother. His relationship with Ophelia was unstable and emotionally abusive. He tells her he loves her one moment and then cruelly accuses her of being unfaithful and calls her horrible names the next. An example of this can be seen in act 3, scene 1, page 5 “Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you
It causes me to wonder if he ever cared about them or was it just himself that he worried about. How he felt, what he wanted, things going his way, if I am thinking superficially yes I believe Hamlet was selfish and only cared about himself but if I am looking at the bigger picture I think not. The bigger picture is that back in the times of Hamlet there were no such findings like mental disorders. I pity Hamlet because anyone in their right mind would know he is sick. If he was a real person I would say he was suffering from Bipolar I (Manic Depressive disorder) and during the times of his mania he has symptoms like high energy, paranoia that he is being set up (which sometimes is right), impulsiveness, racing thoughts, and most importantly a loss of touch with reality, it’s also accompanied by episodes of depression where he has loss of motivation to get revenge and brooding thoughts of
Hamlet: Is He Insane? & nbsp; & nbsp ; The term insanity means a mental disorder, whether it is temporary or permanent. permanent, that is used to describe a person when they don't know the difference. between right or wrong. They don't consider the nature of their actions due to the mental defect of the person.
“I plead guilty by reason of insanity,” is Hamlet’s plea if he was sitting in a modern courtroom. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, it is evident that Hamlet himself is indeed out of his mind. The reader understands the reason for his anger and frustration, but how he “fixes” the situation is beyond a sane mind. To be fair, his madness deals more with emotional instability referred to as melancholy or madness than a person who is incoherent. Hamlet’s madness becomes clear in his actions and thoughts, in his erratic relationship with Ophelia, and in the murder of Polonius.
Mental Illnesses Impact Everything Mental illnesses and craziness are not always a bad thing, it is what mental illnesses and craziness can cause the people to do. Hamlet by William Shakespeare provides the reader with many different types of mental illness and madness. This play was written in the early 1600’s and times have changed a lot since then, but the examples of mental illnesses and craziness are still an issue in todays world. The majority of characters in this play have mental illness and/or are crazy, insane, or mad. In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, mental illness and craziness and madness play an important role in the development of the characters and the story.
In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet the main character Hamlet experiences many different and puzzling emotions. He toys with the idea of killing himself and then plays with the idea of murdering others. Many people ask themselves who or what is this man and what is going on inside his head. The most common question asked about him is whether or not he is sane or insane. Although the door seems to swing both ways many see him as a sane person with one thought on his mind, and that is revenge. The first point of his sanity is while speaking with Horatio in the beginning of the play, secondly is the fact of his wittiness with the other characters and finally, his soliloquy.
He was truly a victim of a fatal situation that led him to his insanity. People who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder are “considerably more likely to the victim of violence, including rape and other crimes,” (“What is BPD?”1). Although Hamlet is a casualty if the disorder, it is completely justified by the occurrences in his life. The traumatic event of losing his father really did affect the way he will live on throughout the play. In conclusion, Hamlet may not be completely psychotic, but he does suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, that he exhibits when interacting with other
‘ “To be or not to be” -- “that is the...” soliloquy. “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to...” agree, the question that no one knows. To think, to know, to know perchance to understand, the truth behind it all... ’ Was it, or was it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity, really suffering, or perhaps even both. First, this is what insanity is; insanity is acting peculiar, but not knowing that they are. Also, it is going through a lot of stresses at the same time causing you to not think straight. Hamlet was not completely suffering from insanity. It wouldn’t make sense.
In act three, he even admits that his actions are insane, horrible and evil. He says, “I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft” (3.4.191). For Hamlet to admit that his actions are mad or insane, is the most insane trait of Hamlet. For him to openly admit that he is fully aware that his actions are mad, only ignites the flame of his insanity. This quote seals the deal for the reader that Hamlets mind is a wasteland of madness, but also of planned insanity and horrible actions.
Hamlet is without a doubt one of the most complex pieces to interpret for many different scholars and people. The question of the truth behind his madness has become a debate among anyone who lays eyes on the play. In fact, madness becomes a large role within the play that will cause many situations as well as effect them. I believe Hamlet unintentionally went mad attempting to act as a mad man.
Is Hamlet truly insane? While the play is not extremely clear on the matter and often contradicts itself, many of Hamlet’s wild ramblings and words of nonsense seem to be not the true words of a madman. Hamlet says himself that he is merely “putting on an antic disposition” (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 181). He admits very early on in the play that his insanity will be nothing more than a ruse to fool those around him. This is further proven by the fact that when he is around Horatio he shows no signs of mental illness. He speaks calmly and everything he says makes sense.
Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who faces adversity and is destined to murder the individual who killed his father. Hamlet is a character who although his actions and emotions may be one of an insane person, in the beginning of the book it is clear that Hamlet decides to fake madness in order for his plan to succeed in killing Claudius. Hamlet is sane because throughout the play he only acts crazy in front of certain people, to others he acts properly and displays proper prince like behavior who is able to cope with them without sounding crazy, and even after everything that has been going on in his life he is able to take revenge by killing his father's murderer. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet is sane but acts insane to fulfill his destiny of getting vengeance on his father's murderer.
Through Hamlet's judgement and intellect, brilliant schemes, shrewdness, and profound notions, the reader can discern that Hamlet was not unhinged, but simply putting on a facade of madness. If Hamlet was insane, the great William Shakespeare would not have been able to lucidly get his points across to his audience. Hamlet should be displayed as a genius or a virtuoso with his acting ability, not a loon. Hamlet's exceptional wits is enough to prove his sanity. But in the long run, what is truly considered to be madness? And what is genius, if it is not madness? As the renowned Greek philosopher, Aristotle, once said, "No great mind has ever existed without some touch of madness."
Is Hamlet sane or insane that is the question. There are many sections in the play which show portray him as being insane but there are such as the when he hears of his fathers death. On the other hand Shakespeare illustrates Hamlet as a sane person when ever he is with a non guilty party. Hamlet is clearly sane though because he acknowledges that he is putting on an act whenever he is acting crazy.
Throughout the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, the main character is given the overwhelming responsibility of avenging his father’s "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.iv.36). Such a burden can slowly drive a man off the deep end psychologically. Because of this, Hamlet’s disposition is extremely inconsistent and erratic throughout the play. At times he shows signs of uncontrollable insanity. Whenever he interacts with the characters he is wild, crazy, and plays a fool. At other times, he exemplifies intelligence and method in his madness. In instances when he is alone or with Horatio, he is civilized and sane. Hamlet goes through different stages of insanity throughout the story, but his neurotic and skeptical personality amplifies his persona of seeming insane to the other characters. Hamlet comes up with the idea to fake madness in the beginning of the play in order to confuse his enemies. However, for Hamlet to fulfill his duty of getting revenge, he must be totally sane. Hamlet’s intellectual brilliance make it seem too impossible for him to actually be mad, for to be insane means that one is irrational and without any sense. When one is irrational, one is not governed by or according to reason. So, Hamlet is only acting mad in order to plan his revenge on Claudius.
Hamlet is a victim of himself in this play. Throughout the entire play Hamlet is very confused, indecisive, and blinded by his mission for vengeance. It also seems that while he is angry about the murder of his father he tries to maintain certain relationships, for example the relationship with his mother, to a fault of allowing himself to be deceived. It is clear many times during the play that Hamlet is confused as to how to proceed in certain situations. These are actions of a person that does not have the clear thought of a mature man.