Is Hamlet a madman or a revenge-seeking genius? This essay is divided into three analytic sections beginning with Hamlet’s madness, and a possibility of why it occurred. Then, an analysis of Hamlet procrastination avenging his father¹s death. Then, Hamlet¹s incestuous acts with his mother are explained, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In act one, Hamlet comes off as if he is perfectly sane throughout all five of the scenes. In the second scene, Hamlet starts to have a change in character. Ophelia and her father Polonius meet to discuss the last meeting she had with Hamlet. Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet arrived with a broken state of mind.(A2 S2 line 94). Polonius instantly believes that Hamlet is Mad for love (A2 S2 line 95). Ophelia answers a question asked by her father, she says she told Hamlet that she couldn 't see him anymore. Polonius refers to Hamlet¹s madness again by claiming that what his daughter has done, has made Hamlet mad.(A2 S2 line 123).
The theory about if Hamlet is going insane over his love with Ophelia is questioned often, but a more confusing situation is Hamlet’s struggle with his own mind. Hamlet’s struggle is shown to the audience in act three scene one. This is the scene that Hamlet recites the famous quote in a speech“To be or not to be”(A3 S1 line 64). This is where the audience realizes that
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Hamlet at first seems to have gone mad over how he isn 't allowed to see or talk to Ophelia anymore. Then afterward, it seems he is shocked over the topic of his father¹s death and begins to have the inner conflict with himself about committing suicide. Hamlet is then on his mission to avenge his father and tortures Claudius in a systematic manner that is genius. Finally, Hamlet is obsessed with a love for his own mother that takes him back to the state of insanity. In conclusion, Hamlet’s mental state is split into two different entities, sane and
When Ophelia returns all his letters and gifts he tells her that he has never loved her and that she should “get thyself to a nunnery.” This is one example how his mood changes throughout the play. Then after all this her father, Polinous, is murdered by Hamlet. The Hamlet is sent away to England All of these actions result in her feeling such stress that she becomes insane in the end.
All of Hamlet’s comments towards Ophelia suggest that he feels betrayed. Hamlet and Ophelia showed each other true love but both were mad after their fathers’ deaths. Hamlet was acting mad to have revenge while Ophelia was truly mad. During Ophelia’s funeral, Hamlet stated “I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum”, expressing his true feelings towards her. Ophelia’s betrayal and lies to Hamlet in Act 3 deeply hurt his feelings causing Hamlet to hate
Madness is often a symptom, and in the case of Hamlet this may be the reason behind his actions. The death of Hamlet’s father is the catalyst for Hamlet, causing him to see the ghost and ultimately become obsessed with the idea of revenge. A common theme for shakespeare is to explore a character’s mind and reasonings, and Hamlet’s character being mad was a perfect opportunity to continue this theme. Hamlet’s debatable madness, Ophelia being truly mad and the death of every character involved with Hamlet or his father is a prime example of tragedy, which Shakespeare is known for. While Hamlet’s madness is not certain, it is indisputable that the play Hamlet was built off of the idea of what is madness, and how does it affect one’s
In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many references to sanity and insanity. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes back and forth between sanity and insanity, whether pretending to be insane just to mess with those he does not like or to save himself from getting in trouble. Hamlet is actually one of the smartest characters in the play, which is why he can pull off acting crazy so well. Shakespeare uses this idea of sanity and insanity to help the plot change and take a different directions. One of the most discussed topics of the Hamlet is whether Hamlet is insane or if he was just pretending the whole time.
There are many examples of times where Hamlet seems truly insane. We have the time when he is talking with Polonius in the castle, after the King, the Queen, and Polonius were discussing the love letter that Hamlet wrote to Ophelia. Hamlet walks in reading a book, and Polonius asks “What do you read, my lord?” Hamlet replies with “Words, words, words.” “What is the matter, my lord” “Between who?”
The story of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story of betrayal, revenge, and intrigue. Hamlet, the title character discovers that his uncle killed his father and married his mother effectively stealing the throne. Hamlet decides he must kill his uncle Claudius as revenge for what he had done. However, as the new king, Hamlet isn't sure how to get to him, so he decides to fake madness, but his plan backfires as Claudius doesn't trust him and makes sure he is always watched. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself.
To add on to Hamlet’s stress is the possibility that something might lie “after death”(III.i.79). The fear that whatever comes after death is unknown is one of the many reasons Hamlet does not want to kill himself. Hamlet is sane because some people today still have a fear about how what comes after death is unknown. Hamlet’s behavior begins to change when they prepare to show the play that Hamlet wrote to everyone in the castle. Hamlet acts disrespectful towards his mother once again declining the seat she offered him and sitting next to Ophelia instead.
What would one expect the personality of a man whose father was murdered by his uncle, who becomes his step-father? The personality in question points to Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark—who William Shakespeare depicts in his play “Hamlet.” A character analysis of Hamlet reveals that through his internal dialogue, his interpretation of his father 's murder, and his actions, his traits—bitterness, depression, and anger—emerge. Scholars have studied Hamlet for decades, and most have concluded that Hamlet 's personality indicated insanity. However, after observing Hamlet 's actions, his actions throughout the play do not resemble those of an insane person.
Throughout the play, Hamlet is forced to make difficult decisions; as he is conflicted with almost every decision he makes, his uncertainty and unsophisticated thoughts will eventually lead to his downfall. Man vs. Self is a common theme in Shakespeare’s work, and Hamlet is no exception. The most distinct example of this sophisticated concept is Hamlet himself. When analyzed thoroughly, Hamlet is his greatest obstacle and enemy. The earliest of his internal conflicts is when his mother married his uncle, Claudius, in such a short window of time after his father’s death.
Virtuous Angel “... never doubt that I love” (2.2.119). In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, tragedy strikes in the innocence of the beautiful Ophelia. However, her purity is manipulated throughout the play. The innocence of Ophelia leads to a pernicious outcome. Throughout the play, every character is exposed to the poison that has spread in the castle.
In Act III, scene i of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, readers will come upon Ophelia’s soliloquy. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have failed to find a reason as to why Hamlet is acting in a peculiar and mad way, Claudius is persuaded by Polonius that the reason for Hamlet’s madness is the broken romance between Hamlet and Ophelia. To prove this, Claudius and Polonius plan to spy on Ophelia’s meeting with Hamlet. During their conversation, Hamlet denies ever having loved her and curses her. Ophelia is left fretting over his sanity.
Hamlet is sane because he only acts mad in front of certain people, he told his friends of his plan of revenge, and the fact that many people continuously doubted his insanity. Hamlet only acted insane in front of the king and his chairmen. In other times, he acted completely normal. This is because to get revenge for the death of his father, he needs to buy time distracting King Claudius so that he can kill him. He admits to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he is “but mad north-north-west.
There are many reasons for Hamlet to truly go mad including the death of his father, his mother’s remarriage and the relationship he holds with Ophelia, leading many away from the fact that he is “not
Soon after Hamlet discovers his father 's death was not of natural causes, but in fact he was poisoned by his own brother, Claudius; he begins to act as if he has been taken by insanity. During this time, his insanity was nearly indistinguishable. During his "acting" he even claimed he wasn 't in love with Ophelia, he told her, "Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once.
This is an important quote as he is trying to express to Polonius that Hamlet knows what he is doing with Ophelia and that he should be a better father to Ophelia. Yet as the readers know Polonius ignores this which eventually leads him to his own