THE VILLAIN BEHIND THE MASK If a prince killed multiple people like a psychopath, would it be forgivable if he was doing it for vengeance? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the title character, Hamlet, commits multiple crimes as he tries to avenge his father’s death. Despite the claim that he is completely sane, his actions say otherwise: Hamlet commits multiple crimes in the play, such as the murder of Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, as well as his emotional connection to Ophelia’s alleged suicide. Moreover, Hamlet behaves in an emotionally turbulent manner as he says psychotic things to other characters in the play, which makes them not only question his sanity but also ponder over the truth and falsehood of the overarching reality of the …show more content…
In this scene, his behavior was so mysterious that the person he was acting impertinently towards is concerned about him.What we can deduce from this quote is that Hamlet doesn’t care about the consequences of what he does or how they affect others. He just walks into Ophelia's room and harrasses her without a care in the world except for his vengeance, demonstrating where his priorities are.Of course, everything was done to fulfill his desire to get revenge by doing justice to his uncle, his mother, his lover, his friends, and his sanity. In this play, his killings, ideology, and behavior toward everyone are, in my opinion, insane. No matter how you look at it, sure, he was a victim of losing his father, but in the process, he made innocent people part of his vengeance. Hamlet exemplifies insanity in Shakespeare's Hamlet as he let's his thirst for revenge overpower him. This is seen through his multiple killings, his psychotic ideology and his behavioral issues that he has with others. In Shakespeare's …show more content…
Although some of his actions can be justified, others cannot; in his own way and in some ways, he was a hero while also being the villain. The villain just wanted to make things right, but didn’t do it the right way. In Hamlet’s character, we see how complicated it is to determine whether his actions are mirroring his trauma or morals. Combined with his highly contemplative nature and his reckless temperament, rooted in the motive caused by the trauma, his personality is rather intense, but it also makes him one of the most human and inhuman characters in all of Shakespeare’s
Hamlet finds both Ophelia and Gertrude guilty of any wrongdoing they may have done. Hamlet also called his mother’s marriage incestuous even though no one else agrees with him, further proving that he was insane. Hamlet spent quite a bit of time trying to prove Claudius’ guilt and attempting to murder him. He stages a play with a plot very similar to the death of King Hamlet and Hamlet planned to watch Claudius’ reaction to see if he really was guilty. In all of that, Hamlet attempted to kill Claudius but ended up killing Polonius by accident.
Some may claim that he did feel “morally responsible for his actions” (D). Being morally responsible would be like not killing a brother because he is a family member. However, Hamlet did not feel upset at killing his father or his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, so he is not feeling morally responsible for his actions. Therefore, he must be insane. However, in the case of Hamlet, his uncle killed his own father, the one who raised him.
Madness is often a symptom, and in the case of Hamlet this may be the reason behind his actions. The death of Hamlet’s father is the catalyst for Hamlet, causing him to see the ghost and ultimately become obsessed with the idea of revenge. A common theme for shakespeare is to explore a character’s mind and reasonings, and Hamlet’s character being mad was a perfect opportunity to continue this theme. Hamlet’s debatable madness, Ophelia being truly mad and the death of every character involved with Hamlet or his father is a prime example of tragedy, which Shakespeare is known for. While Hamlet’s madness is not certain, it is indisputable that the play Hamlet was built off of the idea of what is madness, and how does it affect one’s
The big question is “Are Hamlet’s actions justified.” Well Hamlet was both justified and not justified. Some things he did were for a reason others were just possibly because he was pretending to have gone insane. Examples of this are the way Hamlet treated his own mother, Gertrude, and the way he treated his love Ophelia, one thing he is not justified in is delaying the murder of his uncle and his mother’s new husband Claudius. But the thing that is justified is actually killing Claudius.
Shakespeare has been known to create many gruesome and tragic plays throughout his career. This fact is no different in Hamlet, a story of insanity and betrayal. Unfortunately, the innocent are not left out of the contest. The loss of a poor girl's father and the one behind the killing are too much for her to handle. Some people would say her insanity is feigned while others describe it as a genuine descent into madness.
The acts of violence throughout the play comes in three different forms; murder, suicide, and combat. Polonius is unexpectedly murdered, Ophelia goes mad and commits suicide, and Hamlet provokes a battle with Laertes that ends poorly for both men. All three of these violent acts can be traced back to clouded judgements, indecisiveness, anger, revenge, and heartbreak. Shakespeare created such acts of violence to keep the readers on their toes and informed, but also to invoke questions. Is Hamlet Insane?
Insanity is an idea that has been examined for a long time in numerous mediums such as films, music, plays, and even works of literature. William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is no exception to that rule. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters, and many scholars have been debating for centuries whether or not Hamlet is truly insane, or whether there is a particular reason for his odd behavior. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet merely pretends to be mad but in reality is sane.
William Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights of all time, is known for his complex and impressive characters. Out of all the characters, Hamlet stands out for being one of the most complex and unreadable characters in Shakespeare's plays. While Hamlet is often remembered to be a tragic hero, it can be debated, since many of his actions puts him on the list of Shakespeare's greatest villains. I will explain how Hamlet shows villainous attributes, analyze his actions and aims, and compare him to other Shakespearean villains. Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's most renowned plays, and it revolves around the titular character's desire for revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who not only murdered his father but also married his mother.
Hamlet does not value Ophelia 's feelings he belittles her. In Hamlets defense this is the way he was brought up to treat women, during that time this was a common way to treat a women. Even though in today 's society it is not at all ok to treat women with such disrespect. He also likes for everything to go as planned and this may result in why he can not have a stable relationship with a woman. This also causes him to have many stumbling blocks in his life that causes some emotional pain
Hamlets Insanity in Shakespeare's Tragedy Hamlet is a story of existentialism and obligation ethics, which is an anomaly in tragedy plays such as these, in a small nutshell; one element, however, proves how deep a play can go. In Shakespeare's tragedy play Hamlet, prince Hamlet, the protagonist, pretends to be crippled by insanity after his father, King Hamlet, mysteriously dies. Because of this, prince Hamlet decides to feign madness to prove his father was coldly murdered by his uncle, now stepfather. Through the play we get a glimpse into both sides of the great Hamlet. The side who is, presumably, his real self, and the facade of the insane man he shows everyone.
Hamlet represents the indecisiveness in all of us, and his philosophical thinking allows him to be more rounded as he considers varying sides. Brian Pearce writes, “It is as if the character itself is a contradiction” (Pearce 4). While in one sense, Hamlet is adamant to avenge his father’s death and plans to murder his uncle Claudius, he also thinks that murder is wrong because he is horrified at what Claudius did. And then there is the fact that he also expresses a shockingly little amount of remorse when he kills Polonius.
Pilot ID: 19206 Basia Gelner Dr.Clarke Block 7 5/1/23 In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, the overbearing desire that Hamlet takes on, to avenge the murder of his father, causes Hamlet to act irrational and lead him to a life of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays acts of selfishness and neglect, as his intense desire to avenge his father’s death prevents him from seeing other perspectives along with the consequences of his actions. Hamlet’s immense fixation to kill Claudius and bring his father’s spirit to peace, leads him to view his once loved ones, as obstacles in the way of his life mission. As his obsession grows into insanity, the result of his actions ultimately leads to the tragic repercussions for himself and those around him.
254-256) During this scene, he jumped into Ophelia’s grave and fought with her brother over who loved her more, expressing how he is stricken with grief from her death and angry at his decisions that led her to this. Hamlet’s love for Ophelia clouded his judgment on what would be a better way to protect her from danger and interact with the people around
Hamlet quotes he is “revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck” (III.i.126-127) when talking to Ophelia. He acknowledges his own ambition for revenge and is even able to admit to to, claiming that King Hamlet’s passing was constantly on his thoughts. His actions and intentions in the play all lead up to one thing: getting revenge on Claudius. Not only did Claudius murder him, he also stole Hamlet’s rightful position as king. Another example is during Hamlet confrontation with the ghost when he says “wings as swift, As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge” (I.iv.35-37).
He felt betrayed by his mother who married his uncle, shortly after King Hamlet’s death. Prince Hamlet promised revenge to avenge his death thus he looked for a plan. He decided to feign madness as he spoke with Polonius so that Claudius questions him. The rest of the play questions Hamlet’s motives and whether he is, indeed, mad or acting. He’s convinced Claudius of his madness, although he knows not of his fate he delays the King’s murder.