Madness And Madness In Hamlet

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Madness plays a very vital role in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet in the way that the play is essentially founded upon on it and it occurs throughout the whole play. Madness was a very popular theme during this time and he portrays it in such a way it is hard to figure out if Hamlet is actually mad or not. There are so many questions to be asked during the play such as, is Hamlet truly mad or is he putting on antic disposition? Is Hamlet culpable for the death of Polonius? What drives Ophelia to madness? Does she die accidentally or is it suicide? Shakespeare leaves it to the reader and audience to answer these questions themselves which ultimately makes Hamlet a play that will be intriguing for an infinite amount of time. Madness is what keeps the play moving a long and it has a profound impact on how we view the play.
Madness is first seen in Act 1, Scene 5 as Hamlet prepares himself for his “act of madness” throughout the remainder of the play by telling Horatio, “As I perhance hereafter shall think to meet to put an antic disposition on.” (I. IV, II. 171-172) Hamlet is telling Horatio here that he is going to pretend to be mad to hide his true intentions of avenging his father’s death so no one will find out, but then brings about the question, is Hamlet truly mad or just putting on an act of “antic disposition” as he specified to Horatio? It all depends on the view of the reader or audience. Some view him as just acting mad while others think he truly was insane and it was not an act at all. Other characters in Hamlet believe him to be mad, such as Ophelia, Polonius, and Gertrude. Ophelia is terrified and surprised when Hamlet appears in her chamber saying to her father, “My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, with ...

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...eath is not described as a suicide, but just as Ophelia neglecting from saving herself from drowning. Gertrude says that Ophelia’s garments “pull” her down as if they had a mind of their own and she describes her as being “mermaid-like,” which implies that her death was natural. It seems as if Ophelia’s madness is what causes her to not save herself from drowning. She does not have anyone left, her father and brother are dead, and the man who “loved” her actually did not love her, so she ultimately had nothing else to live for.
Madness is the vital component in Hamlet and it is what keeps the play moving along. It impacts the play in the way that it controls and governs the characters and even turns some of them mad. Hamlet and Ophelia are driven to death by it, and it in turn results in the death of many other characters, just because of their madness.

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