How Does Hamlet Brink Of Insanity
On the Brink of Insanity
The main character, Hamlet, in William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Hamlet is possible the most complex and controversial character in any playwright. Hamlet, the main character offers a puzzling and ambiguous persona and is often contradicting himself leaving readers to question who the real Hamlet is. Hamlet’s erratic behavior ultimately poses the question: Is he being rational in his acts and sacrificing his life for the greater good, or has he simple gone mad? Throughout the play, we watch Hamlet go through several different stages of his life, constantly being stuck in a somewhat torturous mental state caught between grief, love, and vengeance. These different states of mind relate the idea that Hamel is teetering on the brink of insanity induced by his actions and the actions of those around him. At …show more content…
We begin to see Hamlet’s sane side by reading statements and understanding the feelings that are expressed within Hamlet’s dialogue. When Gertrude asks Hamlet about his depressed state and demeanor, Hamlet replies “Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” (1,ii,76) This statement clarifies the idea that Hamlet truly is what he appears to be. Later on, Hamlet makes a statement about his mental health when he claims to avenge his father’s murder. We begin to allow ourselves to follow Hamlet’s spastic train of though in regards to his role as a student, mourning-son, revenge seeker, and prince to the thrown. “I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, all saws of books, all forms, all preasures past that youth and observation copied there, and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain.” (3,ii, 100) Hamlet is stating his utmost commitment to nothing short of revenge of his father’s death. At this point in the play, there is very little doubt about his state of mind or intentions. The next act, however, takes a turn for the
The main character, Hamlet, in William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Hamlet is possible the most complex and controversial character in any playwright. Hamlet, the main character offers a puzzling and ambiguous persona and is often contradicting himself leaving readers to question who the real Hamlet is. Hamlet’s erratic behavior ultimately poses the question: Is he being rational in his acts and sacrificing his life for the greater good, or has he simple gone mad? Throughout the play, we watch Hamlet go through several different stages of his life, constantly being stuck in a somewhat torturous mental state caught between grief, love, and vengeance. These different states of mind relate the idea that Hamel is teetering on the brink of insanity induced by his actions and the actions of those around him. At …show more content…
We begin to see Hamlet’s sane side by reading statements and understanding the feelings that are expressed within Hamlet’s dialogue. When Gertrude asks Hamlet about his depressed state and demeanor, Hamlet replies “Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” (1,ii,76) This statement clarifies the idea that Hamlet truly is what he appears to be. Later on, Hamlet makes a statement about his mental health when he claims to avenge his father’s murder. We begin to allow ourselves to follow Hamlet’s spastic train of though in regards to his role as a student, mourning-son, revenge seeker, and prince to the thrown. “I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, all saws of books, all forms, all preasures past that youth and observation copied there, and thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain.” (3,ii, 100) Hamlet is stating his utmost commitment to nothing short of revenge of his father’s death. At this point in the play, there is very little doubt about his state of mind or intentions. The next act, however, takes a turn for the