Hamlet is not Insane in Shakespeares Halmet Essay -- essays research

"Alas he's mad" (3:4:108) How far do you agree with the statement that Hamlet is mad? A great controversial talking point of the play Hamlet is whether he was mad or in fact making people think he was mad. I disagree with Gertrude's statement that Hamlet is mad. I ask you what the definition of madness, the relatively permanent disorder of the mind, a state of mind characterized by the inability to distinguish right from wrong. Indeed Hamlet only acts mad in front of certain people such as his mother, Polonius, Ophelia, Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who he knows are spying on him. I think Hamlet by using his mad faà §ade hides his real intentions and motivations from his enemies and people that will give away information, thus driving them to madness instead. Causing Ophelia to drown, Polonius stand behind that curtain, Gertrude to drink from the poisoned cup and Laertes to put poison on his blade. Shakespeare uses Hamlets fake madness as a catalyst for the surrounding characters demise. As Gertrude says when hamlet confronts her, about marrying his uncle. ?Oh Hamlet thou hast left my heart in twain.? (3:4:154) Ophelia certainly is driven mad, partly by her father?s emotional manipulation on her, but also I believe by hamlets, denying of their love, and taunting after he finds out she is used to spy on him. Claudius I believe does, have reluctance and sometimes portrays the characteristics of a mad man, when he finds out he has been tricked by Hamlet, after the Mousetrap he shows the manic tendencies. This could be equated to anyone in the same situation. Even Claudius and Polonius believe Hamlet is not insane,- ?Love? His affections do not that way. Nor what he spake, through it lacked a form a little. W... ...the end of the play Hamlet does being to become unstable, maybe like many characters in other Shakespearian plays (Macbeth) they become enwrapped in their plan and thus become what the have pretended to be, this is shown maybe in the way in how at the end Hamlet delays no more, he has had enough. Hamlet is such a complex character originally in the play its hard to determine his exact motives, even the audience in his monologues feel there are motives and emotions deep inside that he holds back. I think Hamlet is a character that Shakespeare had many emotional feelings about. The idea that his son was called Hamlet and whether there alone is a connection. In this play I think Hamlet is trying to get the message across of how the Elizabethans poorly treated mental illness patients by treating it as something more demonic and locking them up in poor professional care.