Madness In Hamlet Essay

Hamlet is a very confusing character in the story Hamlet. In this story Hamlet is acting as an insane person towards typical people. This is very debatable because, Hamlet is a person who switches on and off being an insane or sane person. There is many evidence that proves that Hamlet is not actually an insane person. Hamlet is a sane person because of the actions he takes.

Throughout the play, Hamlet claims to be feigning madness, but his portrayal of a madman is so intense and so convincing that many readers believe that Hamlet actually slips into insanity at certain moments in the play. Do you think this is true, or is Hamlet merely playacting insanity? What evidence can you cite for either claim? In William Shakespeare’s classic, Hamlet, the question concerning Hamlet’s underlying sanity is a major element in the interpretation of the text. In the play, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as a dynamic character to cause a mental state conundrum among the audience and explore the themes of suicide, spying, friendship, madness, providence, love, hate and humour.

Insanity is described as a, “Severe mental illness” that clouds the brain with a false reality(MeriamWebsterDictionary). In order to effectively illustrate an insane character an author must use detail and figurative language. Author of “A Tale Tell Heart”, Edgar Allen Poe reflects insanity by using a variety of literary devices. Emily Dickinson also uses figurative language and literary devices to show insanity in her piece “I Felt a Funeral, in my brain”. Although, both authors use similar ways to show insanity, Poe most effectively displays insanity within the narrator of the story.

The question of Hamlet's "antic disposition"(1.5.192) has long since been a point of scrutiny when discussing Shakespeare's Hamlet. Is his madness true or feigned? In the beginning of the story, Hamlet makes it clear that he plans to fake going insane in order to complete his mission in killing Claudius. The aspect of madness is often revealed through the madness of the characters throughout the story. Hamlet and Ophelia both are afflicted by madness.

Appearance versus reality is a common theme found among Shakespeare's plays, as seen in “Othello”. It becomes apparent that this deception can lead to the ultimate destruction of a character in Shakespeare's plays. Othello is manipulated by the jealous villain Iago as he encourages him to misinterpret what he sees, steering Othello away from the truth. Othello is susceptible to Iago's ploys due to the fact that he himself is so honest and straightforward, “For when my outward action doth demonstrate the

Crawford states that Shakespeare includes Hamlet’s fits of madness were deliberately used to make Claudius and his attendants confused and for them to think Hamlet’s mental health is deteriorating. Crawford analyzes, “The fact that he [Hamlet] has made it appear like real madness to many critics today only goes to show the wideness of his knowledge and the greatness of his dramatic skill” (Crawford. 1916. p 1.). Crawford states that Hamlet is merely acting insane and he is extremely clever for doing this. He says that because there is such a big debate over Hamlet’s sanity goes to show how clever Hamlet was in his approach to revenge.

In William Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, Shakespeare uses the adjective “honest” several times throughout the tragedy to create a sense of irony using the antagonist, Iago, who is constantly dishonest and deceitful to everyone despite claiming he is of honest reputation. Iago is perceived as a very honest man whom Othello, the protagonist, trusts. However, it can be repeatedly seen by the audience that Iago is not honest or trustworthy at all. He lies to create issues for Othello out of jealousy and revenge, yet continues to conceal his true nature through boasting that he is honest and playing victim. An example of how Shakespeare uses the word “honest” with irony is when Othello referred to Iago as “Honest Iago”(1.3.290) or when Othello claims “Iago is most honest”(2.3.17).

Peolpe sometimes go through some hard times. When this happens they usually go into a state of depression and have other negative symptoms that lead to negative effects. Some people get depressed while other just go into some form of madness.Imagine that a person were claiming to be insane. Then people would think that this person is actually crazy. But what if acting insane for them was like acting normal.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist acts insane, but there is evidence that it is nothing more than a sham. Hamlet, the protagonist, acts insane to a selected group of people, specifically nobles. Some of the nobles see through this act and have a hunch that he

Hamlet tries to blame his sanity, but what he doesn’t even realize is that he has created on his own sanity. He uses sanity in a similar way a villain puts on a mask. Hamlet is sane, but at the same time has had his mind warped to darker thoughts until he starts thinking of irrational things. A good example would be when he was