Madness In Shakespeares Hamlet - 948 Words

Madness is a condition in which is difficult to identify whether it is true or not. As in the encounter of the ghost of Hamlet s father and Hamlet, Hamlet is asked to avenge his father s death. To accomplish this task in a less apparent manner, Hamlet decides to put an antic disposition on. Consequently, his behavior thereafter is frequently baffling. William Shakespeare, the writer of the tragic play Hamlet leaves the audience to decide whether Hamlet is truly mad or not. Throughout Shakespeare s Hamlet, Hamlet s questionable madness is explored through his real madness, feigned actions, and the reactions of others towards his madness. In some instances, Hamlet s madness can be seen as real. For example, Hamlet states as he makes a†¦show more content†¦Hamlet uses his feigned madness to his advantage to insult Polonius indirectly by cleverly crafting the subject of his book towards the explicit description of Polonius. Clearly, Hamlet s wit shows that he has not lost his reason and is not mad. Another example of Hamlet s feigned madness is Hamlet s communication with the ghost of his father while Gertrude is present. Gertrude, who cannot see the ghost, tells Hamlet, No, nothing but ourselves...this the very coinage of your brain./ This bodiless creation ecstasy/ Is very cunning in... (3.4, 134-139). Gertrude thinks Hamlet is mad, because she sees him talking to nothing. She thinks he is talking to himself. The audience knows that Hamlet is not in fact mad, since the audience sees in the play that he is actually talking to the ghost of his father. Because of Hamlet s madness, there are the reactions of others. After Polonius is informed by his daughter, Ophelia, of Hamlet s madness, Polonius immediately goes to King Claudius and tells him he has the reason for Hamlet s madness. Gertrude responds, I doubt it no other but the main,/ His father s death and our o erhasty marriage (56-57). As Hamlet s mother, Hamlet s father s wife, and Hamlet s father s brother s wife, Gertrude only sees the reasons for Hamlet s madness are his father s death and her quick marriage to his father s brother. However, Polonius believes differently. He tells Claudius how Ophelia obeyed his advice toShow MoreRelatedMadness, Betrayal, And Madness In William Shakespeares Hamlet2009 Words   |  9 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic tale filled with madness, betrayal, and revenge. The treacherous death of King Hamlet leads to a series of events that causes Hamlet to present an â€Å"antic disposition† to deceive the people around him and avenge his father’s death. However, beneath his methodical and logical mind, there is an underlying current of mental instability. 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