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Is Hamlet Crazy Research Paper

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Hamlet’s craziness has been debated ever since William Shakespeare wrote the play in approximately 1600. Many have said that he is crazy because of this, or he is not crazy because of this. But, Hamlet is not crazy because he flat out says that he will act demented in front of pretty much everyone, he makes fun of people without them even realizing it, and he does a 180 on his behavior in the same scene. Hamlet says that he is going to act crazy. He states in act 1 scene 5 that he is going to act mad in front of people. “How strange or odd soe'er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on),” (Shakespeare I. v. 170-172). He says this to Marcellus and Horatio after talking with the ghost. He tells …show more content…

He speaks in prose for the majority of the play when he is around people. In Act 2 scene 2 he says, “You are welcome, masters, welcome, all!—I am glad to see thee well.—Welcome, good friends.—O old friend? Why, thy face is valenced since I saw thee last. Comest thou to beard me in Denmark?—What, my young lady and mistress! By 'r Lady, your ladyship is nearer to heaven than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine. Pray God, your voice, like a piece of uncurrent gold, be not cracked within the ring.—Masters, you are all welcome. We’ll e'en to ’t like French falconers, fly at any thing we see. We’ll have a speech straight. Come, give us a taste of your quality. Come, a passionate speech,”(Shakespeare II. ii. 385-396) in prose. Hamlet speaks like this because he knows that if he reveals that he knows what he is doing, his recent actions will be put into questioning. His mission given to him by the ghost would be much more difficult to achieve if everyone is watching him all the time. A few pages later he says, “Now I am alone. Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (Shakespeare II. ii. 508-509) in poetry. This goes to show that Hamlet knows when he is acting crazy and when he is not. This also shows that Hamlet has the ability to speak in poetry all the time, he just chooses not

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