Madness And Irrational Behavior In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Murder and death are the driving forces to one character’s motives. In The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, a play about a young prince, Hamlet, whose father is murdered prior and the trials of confirming who the killer is, go wary after a play sparks the new King’s attention. Hamlet is in and out of a grievous time trying to understand his father’s death while not a single soul mourns the loss. Power is what consumes King Claudius as he plots for Hamlet’s death with unexpected deaths to follow. Hamlet is consistently perceived as insane for trying to grief his father and avenge him.

When you say your going to do something, you better do it. Words may indeed lie, but actions always tell the truth. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet the protagonist Hamlet goes through numerous tragedies that cause him depression. His father dies, and his mother marries his uncle. This stress put on him is what essentially created his tragic flaw.

Hamlet is madness is started by love but is infused with jealousy. Hamlet comes up with a plan to see if King Claudius really did kill his father, so he gets actors to re-enact how King Claudius killed his father. Hamlet turns out to be very jealous of the actors because they are showing fake emotions, when he is really is feeling depressed and very emotional. O, reform it altogether!/ And let those that play your clowns speak no more than is set down for them,/

This only serves to heighten the concerns of the king, so much so that he devises a plot to discern the cause of the prince’s madness for himself. Taken aback by the weirdness of Hamlet’s following actions, Claudius remarks, “Madness in great ones must not (unwatched) go” (3.2. 203) . It is in these words that Hamlet’s aim seems to be fulfilled. Masterfully crafting a false insanity, the young prince is in complete control, both of himself and of others’ perceptions of him.

Hamlet’s conditions and actions indicate that he is insane. His father dies in the beginning of the play, and such a significant loss is bound to have effects on one’s mental state. Furthermore, his mother remarries quickly and shows little grief for the death of her husband. Then, his father’s ghost visits him and tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his mother’s new husband. It is obvious, and reasonable, that these occurrences would drive Hamlet to insanity.

Hamlet is trapped due to certain situation. Hamlet finds that his father has died and is trapped when the Ghost commands him to kill Claudius and take revenge on his father 's death. This was not Hamlet’s fault and this scenario traps him in emotional attachment with his father where that 's his duty to get revenge on his father’s murderer. Hamlet tells himself, “ I 'll wipe away all trivial, fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past, that youth and observation copied there(Hamlet, 1.5.106-108). At this stage, he has to think because what if the Ghost is wrong and someone else is murderer.

Hamlet Hamlet is a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare. It is a play that involves numerous deaths. Hamlet is the main character in the play and he is depicted as an insane person. Hamlet faked his madness so as to confuse Claudius and his assistants in order to find the truth about the death of his father. He acted strange when he was around the king and his attendants and this is evident when he tells his friend Guildenstem that "his uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived" (Shakespeare).

Hamlet states “this is most brave, that he, the son of a dear father murder’d, prompted to his revenge by heaven and hell, must like a whore unpack his heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab, a scullion!” (Act 2 Scene 2, Lines 569-575) Hamlet is tormented by his inability to physically confront Claudius and that he resorts only to words. Hamlet shortly after contemplates whether or not it “‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings of arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.” (Act 3 Scene 1, Lines 57-60) Hamlet questions if his revenge is worth the agony of his sanity or if he should take a stand against Claudius. This question is manifested in the popular phrase: “to be or not to be, that is the question.” (Act 3 Scene 1, Line 56) How Hamlet’s revenge is affecting the interactions between individuals is clearly indicated by the conversations Polonius has with Claudius. Polonius spews all of his suspicions concerning Hamlet such as his stealing of Ophelia’s heart and his alleged “madness” to Claudius. Polonius falsely believes that “the origin and commencement of Hamlet’s grief sprung from neglected love.” (Act 3 Scene 1, Lines 177-178) Claudius believes the lies Polonius speaks which explains the varied perceptions each character has of Hamlet’s behaviour: Gertrude doesn’t want to believe that Hamlet is mad, Claudius is legitimately concerned for Hamlet, and Polonius is enraged by Hamlet’s advancements towards Ophelia.

In order for Hamlet to find out if his Uncle has really killed his father, he came up with a play called “The Mousetrap”, this play was popular during that time which is related to how his father was dead. He said to Horatio, “ Observe mine uncle. If his occulted guilt. Do not itself unkennel in one speech, It is a damnèd ghost that we have seen, And my imaginations are as foul.” Hamlet uses the play to find if his uncle really kills his dad before he takes any actions. It may appear to others that it’s just a play but the real meaning of the play is to watch king Claudius’s reactions towards it.

The play within a play in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Act III, Scene II is a literary device used to give a twist to the plot, and create suspense. However, in a closer examination it is also an early example of a metaplay employed by Shakespeare in order to engage the audience with more complex notions, such as the idea of reality and deception. Hamlet is determined to avenge for the death of his father and fulfill the request of his father’s Ghost. But uncertainty and indecision prevent Hamlet from acting spontaneously. In order to proceed to his mission, to take revenge, he has to find solid proof of Claudius’s guilt.