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Mental illness in Hamlet
Insanity in tragedy shakespeare
Mental illness in Hamlet
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One of the most complex characters in literature is Prince Hamlet from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Hamlet was one of the first characters that appeared to be three-dimensional. There always seemed to be more than what was being said. The most intriguing aspect about Hamlet is the state of his sanity. Hamlet’s state of sanity may be questioned, however Shakespeare brilliantly uses dialogue and speech pattern to imply that Hamlet is in fact sane. Although the murder of Polonius and his encounter with the ghost in his mothers’ chamber are two prime examples of his madness, there are also moments in which Hamlet seemed completely in his senses. His ability to devise a plan in he will act insane in order discover the truth and execute a brilliant …show more content…
The first example is in Act I scene v when the ghost reveals that Claudius murdered the king to Hamlet. Upon learning this information Hamlet created a brilliant plan in which he acts insane in order to discover the truth. This exemplifies Hamlet inhibits the ability to make elaborate plans that will be advantageous to him. It is evident that Hamlet is in fact in control of his thoughts and actions. Another example of where Hamlet’s sanity is apparent is when he makes Horatio and Marcellus swear to keep his acting a secret and to never speak of the ghost. “How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself…That you at such times seeing me, never shall… such ambiguous giving out-to note that you know aught of me…”(I, v, 171-181) The fact that Hamlet questions the ghost’s motives and refuses to take any rash actions before finding evidence proves that he is sane. Another example is when Polonius and Claudius discuss Hamlet’s behavior “And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose/Will be some danger”(III, I, 165-166). Claudius admits that Hamlet’s behavior is strange but it doesn’t seem like it’s due to madness. In act III scene iv Hamlet reveals to his mother that he only pretending to be mad. Instead he says that he is “mad in craft”(III, iv, 188-189) showing once again that he is completely aware of what he is doing. The final example is that Hamlet devises a plan to recreate his fathers’ death in a play in order to “catch the conscience of the king (II, ii, 581-582). Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius until he finds out if he truly is guilty for the murder of his father. This plan can only stem from a man who is clever, intelligent and calculative. This play serves two purposes for Hamlet. The first was to test Claudius and to see if he reacts. The second was to learn the intentions of the ghost. Hamlet was never certain if the ghost had good or bad intentions. It was only after
“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.
death when his mother and the king enter the room and question him on his
Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet undergoes a transformation from sane to insane while fighting madness to avenge his father’s death. The material that Shakespeare appropriated in writing Hamlet is the story of a Danish prince whose uncle murders the prince’s father, marries his mother, and claims the throne. The prince pretends to be feeble-minded to throw his uncle off guard, then manages to kill his uncle in revenge. Shakespeare changed the emphasis of this story entirely, making Hamlet a philosophically minded prince who delays taking action because his knowledge of his uncle’s crime is so uncertain. To begin with, Hamlet portrays himself as sane.
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.
Riddled with ambiguity by its very nature, the text of William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been a commonly debated subject in literary circles since its first performance. The character Hamlet undergoes intense physical and emotional hardship in his quest for revenge against his despicable uncle. This hardship, some argue, leads to an emotional breakdown and, ultimately, Hamlet's insanity. While this assessment may be suitable in some cases, it falls short in others. Since Hamlet is a play, the ultimate motivation of each of the characters borrows not only from the text, but also from the motivations of the actors playing the parts. In most respects, these motivations are more apt at discerning the emotional condition of a character than their dialogue ever could. Thus, the question is derived: In Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of Hamlet, does the character Hamlet suffer from insanity? Giving halt to the response, this paper will first endeavor to establish what insanity is and will then provide sufficient examples both from the text, film, and Branagh's own musings on his motivations as proof that Hamlet's character, at least in Branagh's version of the play, is not insane.
Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, must seek revenge for the murder of his father. Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to murder Claudius. Throughout the play, Hamlet becomes more and more believable in his act, even convincing his mother that he is crazy. However, through his thoughts, and actions, the reader can see that he is in fact putting up an act, he is simply simulating insanity to help fulfil his fathers duty of revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet shows that he understands real from fake, right from wrong and his enemies from his friends. Even in his madness, he retorts and is clever in his speech and has full understanding of what if going on around him. Most importantly, Hamlet does not think like that of a person who is mad. Hamlet decides to portray an act of insanity, as part of his plan to seek revenge for his fathers murder.
Throughout Shakespeare?s play, Hamlet, the main character, young Hamlet, is faced with the responsibility of attaining vengeance for his father?s murder. He decides to feign madness as part of his plan to gain the opportunity to kill Claudius. As the play progresses, his depiction of a madman becomes increasingly believable, and the characters around him react accordingly. However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfill his duty to his father.
Shakespeare's tragic hero, Hamlet, and his sanity can arguably be discussed. Many portions of the play supports his loss of control in his actions, while other parts uphold his ability of dramatic art. The issue can be discussed both ways and altogether provide significant support to either theory. There are indications from Hamlet throughout the play of his mind's well being.
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, there is much debate over whether Prince Hamlet is truly mad or feigning madness. Based on his actions and context clues, one can see that Hamlet is perfectly sane, if not a prodigy. His intellect, philosophical ideas, quick wit, and clever strategies makes it clear to readers that his "madness" is merely a masquerade.
Considered to be one of the most famous playwrights written in the history of English literature, Hamlet is no doubt a complex play and far from being easy to decipher. The protagonist finds himself entangled within a slew of different predicaments ranging from love, incest, death, murder, and even touches upon the spiritual world when his father’s apparition presents himself with the task of avenging his death. How he goes about handling all of these difficulties has been a debate for decades and continues to baffle even the greatest minds today. However, in order for Hamlet to uncover the truth and fulfill the task he is given, he must put on an act of madness in which the other characters mistake him to have truly lost his mind. While he
Hamlet's public persona is a facade he has created to carry out his ulterior motives. The outside world's perception of him as being mad is of his own design. Hamlet is deciding what he wants others to think about him. Polonius, a close confidant of the King, is the leading person responsible for the public's knowledge of Hamlet's madness. The idea that Hamlet is mad centers around the fact that he talks to the ghost of his dead father. He communicates with his dead father's ghost twice, in the presence of his friends and again in the presence of his mother. By being in public when talking to the ghost, the rumor of his madness is given substance.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the main character, Hamlet, is often perceived by the other characters in the play as being mentally unbalanced because he acts in ways that drive them to think he is mad. Hamlet may very well be psychotic; however, there are times when he “feigns insanity” in order to unearth the truth surrounding his father's death. This plan seems to be going well until Hamlet's mental state slowly begins to deteriorate. What began as an act of insanity or antic disposition transitions from an act to a tragic reality. After studying Hamlet's actions, one will notice that as the play progresses, his feigned insanity becomes less and less intentional and devolves into true mental illness.
The tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is about Hamlet going insane and reveals his madness through his actions and dialogue. Hamlet remains one of the most discussed literary characters of all time. This is most likely due to the complex nature of Hamlet as a character. In one scene, Hamlet appears happy, and then he is angry in another and melancholy in the next. Hamlet’s madness is a result of his father’s death which was supposedly by the hands of his uncle, Claudius. He has also discovered that this same uncle is marrying his mom. It is expected that Hamlet would be suffering from some emotional issues as result of these catastrophes. Shakespeare uses vivid language, metaphors, and imagery to highlight how Hamlet’s madness influences several important aspects of his life including his relationships and the way he presents himself.
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the reader is introduced to the main character, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, who has returned home after hearing of the death of his father. However, once he arrives, Hamlet finds that his mother has married his uncle not long after his father’s death. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and his mother’s new groom. Now the question stands, is Hamlet sane or is he simply mad? I believe Hamlet is in fact sane. Yes, he is distraught over the loss of his father and enraged but the betrayal of his uncle but instead of acting on anger Hamlet creates a façade of insanity to hide under. Hamlet even makes Horatio and Marcellus swear not to tell anyone that they saw the ghost or give any indication that they know of Hamlet’s seeming madness. Hamlet tells his friends that there might come a time where his act of insanity might come in handy, but not to mention what they know of the ghost. To me, this scene shows that Hamlet is devising a plan to act insane order to expose Claudius as the murderer. Another example that shows Hamlet’s sanity is when Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude watch a play that Hamlet has rewritten the end to. Hamlet writes the ending of the play to mirror the murder of his father and watches Claudius, looking for a reaction. Personally, I believe that this shows Hamlet’s sanity because of the thought and planning this