Preview

Yea for the Hamlet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1071 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Yea for the Hamlet
Manic: affected by violent madness . When one is affected by mania it becomes the dictator of his or her actions . This holds true in William Shakespeare's Hamlet . In the play, Hamlet is depressed to the point of mania. His entire existence is engulfed in his melancholia. Hamlet's words, thoughts, interactions and most tangibly his actions make his heavy-heartedness an undeniable reality. The degree of Hamlet 's depression is set by his ennui and his melancholy itself is revealed through his tenacity. Throughout the play Hamlet's actions are plagued by his overbearing depression. This depression in combination with Hamlet's mania is what makes his a bipolar disorder sufferer.

Psychologically, mania is described as a mood disorder characterized by euphoric states ,extreme physical activity ,excessive talkativeness, distractedness, and sometimes grandiosity. During manic periods a person becomes "high" extremely active , excessively talkative, and easily distracted. During these periods the affected person's self esteem is also often greatly inflated. These people often become aggressive and hostile to others as their self confidence becomes more and more inflated and exaggerated. In extreme cases like Hamlet's the manic person may become consistently wild or violent until he or she reaches the point of exhaustion. Manic depressives often function on little or no sleep during their episodes.

At the opening of the play Hamlet is portrayed as a stable individual . He expresses disappointment in his mother for her seeming disregard for his father's death. His feelings are justified and his actions are rational at this point, he describes himself as being genuine. As this scene progresses it is revealed that Hamlet views himself as being weak: "My father's brother, but no more like my father/ than I to Hercules" (1.2.153) The doubts that Hamlet has concerning his heroism become particularly evident in his actions as the story progresses.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Best Essays

    Freudian critics have located Hamlet’s motivation in the psychodynamic triad of the father-mother-son relationship. According to this view, Hamlet is disturbed and eventually deranged by his Oedipal jealousy of the uncle who has done what, Freud claimed, all sons long to do themselves. Other critics have taken the more conventional tack of identifying as Hamlet’s tragic flaw the lack of courage or moral resolution. In this view, Hamlet’s indecision is a sign of moral ambivalence that he overcomes too late.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is that a tragedy played about complicated protagonist; hamlet who is involved in the misfortune death of his father. Hamlet throughout the play pretends to be insane; hence, Hamlet acted to achieve his ambition of killing his father's assassin. Moreover, Hamlet shows his desires and feelings towards the unjustified death of his father and unfaithfulness of his mother by marrying her late husband’s brother. Therefore, Hamlet’s soliloquy, “now I am alone. O, what a rogue and peasant slave am,” portrayed him as a coward because he feels he has done nothing to take revenge on his uncle. Throughout the play, hamlet’s persona, broke down into an emotional roller coaster while he equivocates on avenge…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Psy 270 Depression Paper

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages

    An episode of mania is one that lasts for at least one week. The person may feel an exaggerated sense of self esteem or importance and experience severe changes in mood, usually making them euphoric or angry. These changes do not coincide with the person’s normal nature. They may become overly talkative, easily distracted, and/or feel as if their mind is racing. Risky activities, such as spending, promiscuous sex, or investments are not well thought out. Some have trouble staying connected with…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shakespeare Major Paper

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Throughout many of Shakespeare’s plays, one of the central themes with which he provides his readers is the topic of madness and insanity. In Karin S. Coddon’s, “Such Strange Desygns”: Madness, Subjectivity, and Treason in Hamlet and Elizabethan Culture, the author depicts the reasons behind the psychosis of Shakespeare’s characters and what led to their insanity. The author expresses insight for not only the themes of madness in Hamlet but also helps explain the aspect of madness in one Shakespeare’s other plays, Macbeth. Through her analysis, Coddon successfully offers her readers a deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s choice to portray his characters in this way and provides the causes and effects of insanity within his plays.…

    • 2842 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet - Textual Integrity

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlet's character does not conform to a typical tragic hero in the fact that Hamlet's personal qualities lacks hubris or any form of excessive pride which is one of the fundamental causes of the fall of any traditional tragic hero. For Hamlet, rather it's his hamartia or tragic flaw of vasolation and indecisiveness "thou art a scholar," that leads to Hamlet's downfall. Because of this, it can be argued that Hamlet was not suited to the task that was set out before him, as seen in Hamlet's first silioquy in which is formed by the question, "who's there?". This foreshadows Hamlet's continual comtemplative state throughout the entirety of play and therefore emphasises Hamlet's inability to act as a result of his indecisiveness between what is morally right and morally wrong. This interpretation contributes to the enigmatic qualities of the dramatic piece in which have been speculated for more than three centuries as a result of the playwright's texual integrity.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet's mood Cycles from depression to manic frequently occurs, supporting his diagnosis of bipolar disorder or manic depression. Example 1 Act 1 scene 2 “Cast thy knighted colour off” ends with “these but the trapping and suits of woe”…

    • 586 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Merriam-Webster 's Dictionary defines insanity as "a deranged state of mind, commonly exhibiting behavior considered abnormal in society," and depression "a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies."₁ Although Shakespeare 's character Hamlet shows classic signs of depression, this does not necessarily mean that he has gone insane. Many signs show that he acts insane intentionally. Despite the fact that depression can lead to insanity, it does not mean every person experiencing depression also goes through insanity as well. Sources from the…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Anomie In Hamlet

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In act 3 scene 4, Hamlet’s mother says to him, “Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended.” (9) And he replies with a snarky remark claiming that Claudius is not his father at all, and that the one doing the real offending is her (Gertrude) to his father (Old Hamlet). “Mother, you have my father much offended.” 
(3.4.10) This quote proves to us how betrayed he feels by his uncle. Three scenes before these quotes, Hamlet presents his “to be, or not to be” soliloquy about suicide. “To be, or not to be: that is the question:
 Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
 The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, 
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles.” (3.1.57) He, again, is debating whether or not he should kill himself. This validates the theory that he is losing his mind due to his uncle’s actions, and essentially the robbing of his uncle entirely as a person that he once put his trust into. It affects Hamlet’s sense of values and rules of conduct- leaving him in a state of normlessness, pushing him even more off of the edge towards…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One common debate of scholars for hundreds of years has been whether Hamlet in William Shakespeare's Hamlet was insane or just pretending to be mad. As with many things in the play, the interpretation of this lies in the eye of the beholder (Pressely). To answer this question though we must know what insanity is. Webster's dictionary defines insanity as “a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder”. After reading and researching Hamlet thoroughly, we can come to the conclusion that Hamlet was not in a crazed state of mind but simply playing a role to fool others.…

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ghost In Hamlet

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hamlet was considered to be wallowing in self-pity over everything that had recently transpired. His father’s death, his mother’s marriage to his uncle as well as he had been stripped of his rightful place as King of Denmark. Hamlet was of high morals and religious background. He was raised within the Lutheran Christian Faith and was appalled by everyone’s behavior. Resentment now raised its ugly head towards his mother in her “incestuous” union when Hamlet during his soliloquy, proclaims “Frailty, thy name is Woman!” to reflect his disgust of her weakness. But due to the love for his mother Hamlet keeps his resentment and disappointment to himself at this time. Faced with the realization of the murder of his father, who he had idolized and compared to a Greek sun-god and whose ghost has demanded revenge in order to leave purgatory, Hamlet is further torn between his moral values and his Christian faith, as his faith does not allow murder (“Thou shall not…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The behavior labeled "Mania" is created by a change in perspective. The manic feels grandiose, able to conquer the world, flush with new and intriguing ideas and inexhaustible. To others the manic appears more talkative than usual, and their thought process…

    • 1346 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Father and Sons

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Prince Hamlet changed after the death of his father. He is grief stricken certainly, but also he pretends to be getting increasingly insane to divert suspicion from his real purpose of avenging his father's death by killing his murderous uncle. He appears melancholy, and wore dark clothes to fit the mood. He had a wild strange behavior. Because he was intelligent he was able to fool all.…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Persuasive Paper

    • 2251 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Mania. A symptom of bipolar disorder, mania is a period of intense happiness, irritability, or recklessness. It is so extreme that it interferes with a person…

    • 2251 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    An Unquiet Mind

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “I did not wake up one day, to find myself mad. Life should be so simple.” says Kay Redfield Jamison author of an unquiet Mind- a memoir of moods and madness. This quote embodies Jamison’s view of her life with manic depression. She knew at a young age that she was different, having higher highs, and lower lows than other people. Through the years, her illness became more and more dangerous, to her and others around her. Jamison’s memoir details the highs and lows of manic depressive illness. Manic depressive illness, commonly referred to as bipolar disorder is the mental disorder that occurs when a person undergoes mania and depression. Manic phases are described as being hyperactive, such as periods of inability to sleep, delusions of grandeur, and their often highly productive, and sometimes even aggressive. Manic phases are followed by the depressive phases. Like a pendulum swing, the higher the mania, the lower the depression. Depressive phase are the opposite of mania, more than being sad, it’s a state of being in a numb despair. Despite the challenges of living with a psychiatric disorder Jamison has accomplished great things.…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mood Disorders

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Bipolar disorder or manic depressive disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and major depression. Most of those who suffer from this condition (60 to 80 percent) initially manifest a manic phase, followed by depression. Manic symptoms consist of feelings of inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, a decreased need for sleep, unusual loquacity, and an unconnected flow of ideas, distractibility, or…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics