ipl-logo

State Of Madness In Hamlet

1740 Words7 Pages

Hamlet Essay Throughout Shakespeare 's play, Hamlet, multiple characters descend into a state of madness. Many hindrances and traumatic experiences cause Hamlet to reach this state of unbalanced psyche. This inner turmoil drives Hamlet to action and lets him make sense of his emotions. No longer caring to maintain the social norms, Hamlet is able to follow his true desires and enact them. Therefore, he becomes progressively outspoken as the story continues. Emily Dickinson stated “Much madness is divinest Sense-/ To a discerning Eye-.” In this, Dickinson conveys her concept that those that are mad are just showing their purest selves and are revealing the truths of their surroundings that someone sane would not perceive. This means that in Hamlet’s state of madness he is able to overlook what the normal eye sees and think past normalities. Therefore this is a way that a state of madness can relate a sense of divinity or evangel intuition. Within Dickinson 's quote the …show more content…

Throughout the story Hamlet has conflicting views on death and the act of suicide. During the monologue in act three Hamlet is able to construct a relatable view on depression. Many would view Hamlet’s speech as delusional and melodramatic, but it hides a meaning that most can relate to. “To be, or not to be” (3.1.57) asks a greater question than “should i die or should i live.” Within Hamlet’s monologue he asks the question of “should I go forth with my actions or live with complacency.” This is an example of Hamlet realizing an important, deeper meaning of life through his delusional state while normal people would overlook the question because it is not the norm. Due to his madness Hamlet is able to visualize a deeper meaning of existence while regular people would not question anything and go along with the usual aspects of life. The reader is able to see a sort of “evangelical” sense from him because he is able to sum up on of the most frequently asked questions into a simple

Show More
Related

  • What Is Life Worth Amanda Ripley Analysis

    457 Words  | 2 Pages

    He has a choice to make, so he has to decide if living is worth living and if it is how he will deal with the situation that he has. Hamlet was conflicted he didn 't understand the value of his life in that exact moment. In Hamlets soliloquy the was thinking about the pro and cons of wether to end his life or deal with the problem that his dead father brought to him. He was starting to come to a decision when he’s thoughts were interrupted. This soliloquy brought to light the peoples that most people go through or think about.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Insanity In Hamlet

    1154 Words  | 5 Pages

    Polonius explains Hamlet 's madness to Claudius and Gertrude, “Mad call I it, for, to define true madness. What it 't but to be nothing else but mad? But let that go (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 93-94). Polonius then goes on to describe his ides of the stages of Hamlet 's madness and his inability to sleep, “And he, repelled-a short tale to make- Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, Thence to a lightness, and by this declension Into the madness wherein now he raves, And all we mourn for” (Act 2, Scene 2, lines 146-151).

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Hamlet's Madness

    801 Words  | 4 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet assumes the disguise of a man that has lost his mind. Hamlet uses this madness to masquerade around in such a way as to not draw attention to his true plan, to avenge his murdered father. Many readers debate as to whether Hamlet is truly mad, or whether he is fully aware of his actions and what he is doing. However, both sides of the debate can agree that Hamlet’s apparent madness is a key element of the play, Hamlet. There are many reasons as to why readers debate Hamlet’s madness.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Sanity And Insanity In Hamlet

    542 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many references to sanity and insanity. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes back and forth between sanity and insanity, whether pretending to be insane just to mess with those he does not like or to save himself from getting in trouble. Hamlet is actually one of the smartest characters in the play, which is why he can pull off acting crazy so well. Shakespeare uses this idea of sanity and insanity to help the plot change and take a different directions. One of the most discussed topics of the Hamlet is whether Hamlet is insane or if he was just pretending the whole time.

    Read More

  • Was Hamlet Truly Insane?

    1457 Words  | 6 Pages

    The question of whether or not Hamlet was insane is of a never-ending debate. Was he always crazy? Was he always faking it? Or was he somewhere in between? In this paper I will share three different views and provide my own interpretation of Hamlet’s sanity.

    Read More

  • Mental State In Hamlet

    1581 Words  | 7 Pages

    There are moments in this world where someone can be so depressed that they do not want to live any longer. Many teenagers experience the same stress as Hamlet did in the play from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The character Hamlet is under stressed due to the death of his father who he loved a lot, and the early remarriage of his mother with his uncle. In addition, Hamlet is even more stressed out when the ghost presented itself as Hamlet’s father and wanted Hamlet to revenge for his father’s death. Even though Hamlet is under stress he remained between the state of sane or temporarily insane throughout the play.

    Read More

  • Insanity And Madness In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    3024 Words  | 13 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, characters tread the line between sanity and madness. The eponymous character, Hamlet leaves the audience and his family stunned at whether he is merely performing madness or if he has truly lost his wits. This careful balancing act of sanity and madness is perpetuated across the text as characters grapple with what it means to be sane and what it means to be mad. Most notably, Hamlet is not the only character to suffer from a distracted mind. After Polonius’s death, Ophelia has been driven insane from grief from her father’s death.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness In Hamlet Essay

    1441 Words  | 6 Pages

    From Madness to Healing: The Journey of Hamlet’s Mental Improvement Since the dawn of time and until the end of time, humans have struggled with mental illness. Although this problem is not new, it has not been discussed openly until recently, as throughout history it was looked upon as a punishment or curse from God. This left people to struggle on their own, which leaves the question of how people handled mental illness throughout history. Hamlet mainly explores mental health and gives the audience a glimpse of what it was like to live with this condition and how people were treated throughout history. In the tragedy Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, the Prince of Denmark starts to exhibit madness, but gets mentally healthier as he stops

    Read More

  • The Progression Of Hamlet's Madness In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

    1084 Words  | 5 Pages

    Hamlet’s mental state will be examined through multiple actions and a soliloquy. Upon learning the truth about King Hamlet’s death, Hamlet has a hard time facing

    Read More

  • Sanity Vs Insanity In Hamlet

    1879 Words  | 8 Pages

    To add on to Hamlet’s stress is the possibility that something might lie “after death”(III.i.79). The fear that whatever comes after death is unknown is one of the many reasons Hamlet does not want to kill himself. Hamlet is sane because some people today still have a fear about how what comes after death is unknown. Hamlet’s behavior begins to change when they prepare to show the play that Hamlet wrote to everyone in the castle. Hamlet acts disrespectful towards his mother once again declining the seat she offered him and sitting next to Ophelia instead.

    Read More

  • Mental Illness In Hamlet

    1514 Words  | 7 Pages

    An overwhelming amount of evidence shows that Hamlet faked his insanity to confuse the king and his accomplices. Often revered for their emotional complexities, William Shakespeare’s tragic characters display various signs of mental illness. Sylvia Morris notes “Hamlet contains Shakespeare’s most fully-developed study of mental illness, and has always intrigued commentators on the play.” (“Shakespeare’s Minds Diseased: Mental Illness and its Treatment”). When looking at the play, one can infer that Shakespeare makes the relationship between sanity and insanity undistinguishable from one another.

    Read More

  • Madness Of Insanity In Hamlet

    1153 Words  | 5 Pages

    He is depressed and suicidal as indicated in his infamous quote, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (3.1.57). However, while many may choose to carry on after the death of a loved one, Hamlet chose to hold on to his sorrow and pretended to be mad so he can know the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet’s tragic life is not the cause for his madness. Hamlet drives himself to the brink of insanity

    Read More

  • His Father's Death And Death In Hamlet

    1156 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the beginning of the play Hamlet, the main character, is struggling with events that have taken place in his life. His Father has recently died and his Uncle has now married his Mother. With sorrow and pain, Hamlet tries to understand and unravel the aberrant events that have taken place with his family. The events have amended the way Hamlet views death. After his Father’s death, Hamlet questions the afterlife; whether it offers a “peaceful slumber” or an “everlasting nightmare”.

    Read More

  • Why Is Hamlet's Madness Real

    451 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there are a series of events that causes Hamlet to act abnormally. He has to deal with his father’s death, mother’s remarriage, and his lover Ophelia. However, it is often argued whether Hamlet’s madness is real or fake. Throughout the tragedy, he is over-exaggerating his madness for his plan of revenge.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Madness In Hamlet

    767 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is obvious that Hamlet had a troubled mind in the play because he was torn on what to do in order to avenge his father’s death. He was torn between whether he was following his father’s wish or the wish of the ghost that appeared to him. This made him insane because, he spent his time worrying about his father’s death revenge and this affected his state of mind. Hamlet became insane because

    Read More

More about State Of Madness In Hamlet

Open Document