Hamlet's Insanity
The play entitled The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is all about the life of Prince Hamlet, beginning with his father’s unexpected death and ending with his very own catastrophic death. One of the main themes of the play is Hamlet’s sanity. There is controversy about whether Hamlet eventually becomes insane towards the end of the play or he is simply pretending to be insane the entire time. Prince Hamlet is not crazy; however, the difficulties he is faced with cause him to appear crazy. As previously mentioned, Hamlet’s father dies unexpectedly in a garden from a snake bite one day. As a result, Hamlet is emotional and distraught. This is common behavior of anyone who losses a parent close to their heart. In addition to the death
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Although this information seems ridiculous and impossible, Hamlet later sees this ghost with his own eyes. Since there is proof that others saw the ghost toward the beginning of the play, it is accurate to say the ghost is not Hamlet’s imagination. After Hamlet sees the ghost, he follows it and has a conversation with it. The ghost begins to reveal the truth about King Hamlet’s death. He tells Hamlet that his father was murdered and then says “…The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown” (I, 5, 24). After hearing this horrific news, it is likely Hamlet feels afraid, betrayed, angry and stunned. Hamlet later tells the others who saw the ghost not to say a word about what they saw and that he may pretend to act crazy. Shortly after Hamlet makes this statement, he begins to act bizarrely and speaks nonsense around everyone he comes across. Hamlet does state that he is going to pretend to be crazy; however, some readers believe he is not pretending at all. Hamlet may be pretending to some extent, but he is also likely to be suffering from an anxiety disorder, a depression disorder, or even a stress disorder. This is due to the fact that he just went through multiple traumatic events. These disorders affect the nervous system and cause people to act differently. Although no one …show more content…
He has been holding onto the secret about his uncle for a long period of time and is struggling with knowing how to avenge his father’s death. The difficulties in Hamlet’s life continue to add up and cause him to become more on edge. Polonius, the King’s helper and Ophelia’s father, tries to convince the King and Queen that Hamlet is acting crazy simply because he is in love with Ophelia. A plan is then created where Ophelia stands and waits for Hamlet while Polonius, Claudius and Gertrude hide and observe Hamlet’s actions. Once Hamlet approaches Ophelia, he realizes that he has been set up and is furious. Although Hamlet is clearly irate because he is being spied on, it is implied that part of Hamlet’s frustration is due to the betrayal and dishonesty from Ophelia, the one he loves. Hamlet has little trust in anyone at this point, and now he cannot trust the one who holds his heart. Hamlet reproaches Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell” (III, 1, 54). This quote is proof that Hamlet is very upset with Ophelia and no longer wants to be associated with her because he does not trust her. It is likely that Hamlet feels alone because he is facing many problems on his own and cannot trust the people who are important to
Although this information seems ridiculous and impossible, Hamlet later sees this ghost with his own eyes. Since there is proof that others saw the ghost toward the beginning of the play, it is accurate to say the ghost is not Hamlet’s imagination. After Hamlet sees the ghost, he follows it and has a conversation with it. The ghost begins to reveal the truth about King Hamlet’s death. He tells Hamlet that his father was murdered and then says “…The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown” (I, 5, 24). After hearing this horrific news, it is likely Hamlet feels afraid, betrayed, angry and stunned. Hamlet later tells the others who saw the ghost not to say a word about what they saw and that he may pretend to act crazy. Shortly after Hamlet makes this statement, he begins to act bizarrely and speaks nonsense around everyone he comes across. Hamlet does state that he is going to pretend to be crazy; however, some readers believe he is not pretending at all. Hamlet may be pretending to some extent, but he is also likely to be suffering from an anxiety disorder, a depression disorder, or even a stress disorder. This is due to the fact that he just went through multiple traumatic events. These disorders affect the nervous system and cause people to act differently. Although no one …show more content…
He has been holding onto the secret about his uncle for a long period of time and is struggling with knowing how to avenge his father’s death. The difficulties in Hamlet’s life continue to add up and cause him to become more on edge. Polonius, the King’s helper and Ophelia’s father, tries to convince the King and Queen that Hamlet is acting crazy simply because he is in love with Ophelia. A plan is then created where Ophelia stands and waits for Hamlet while Polonius, Claudius and Gertrude hide and observe Hamlet’s actions. Once Hamlet approaches Ophelia, he realizes that he has been set up and is furious. Although Hamlet is clearly irate because he is being spied on, it is implied that part of Hamlet’s frustration is due to the betrayal and dishonesty from Ophelia, the one he loves. Hamlet has little trust in anyone at this point, and now he cannot trust the one who holds his heart. Hamlet reproaches Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell” (III, 1, 54). This quote is proof that Hamlet is very upset with Ophelia and no longer wants to be associated with her because he does not trust her. It is likely that Hamlet feels alone because he is facing many problems on his own and cannot trust the people who are important to