Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet’s mental stability teeters on the edge of insanity, while remerging as sane during other periods. Some believe this indecisive mindset provides a front to befuddle his enemies and hide his vengeful intentions. On the other hand, some view Hamlet legitimately insane at times, a haunted character who faces his demons in the form of his father’s death, mother’s marriage, and finally call to action by the ghost. Take a solid stance of Hamlet’s mental state and defend your position with concrete examples from the play.
The confrontation with Ophelia (III.i), play scene (III.ii), and confrontation with his mother (III.iv) are some instances where insanity or sanity may be interpreted.
Created by Alexander, managed by Bracey and Anna Cait
Created by Alexander, managed by Bracey and Anna Cait
A common theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the idea of empty existence, leading to madness. Hamlet, driven by the murder of his father, begins to question every detail within his life and wonder what his purpose has been on this Earth. After his confrontation with his father’s ghost, Hamlet desires to avenge his patriarch and kill his uncle, Claudius, which ignites the main plot of the play. Hamlet’s madness begins to develop from this point on and only strengthens from his relationship with the other characters, specifically with Gertrude. Worry about her son’s mental state, Gertrude wishes to speak with him to comprehend the reason for his distress; however, Hamlet is strongly critical towards his mother, making her fear her life. He becomes so consumed in the thought of revenge for his father’s death that Hamlet is not even phased by the “bloody deed” (III. IV. 27) (aka murder of Polonius). Being “almost as bad…as kill a king and marry with his brother,” (III. IV. 27-28) Hamlet wishes to degrade Gertrude and force her to feel guilty for the death of her former husband. He accuses her of shamefully defiling true love and marriage because of her immediate marriage to Claudius after the death of King Hamlet. The protagonist’s madness continues as he berates his mother for failing to notices the differences between the good and bad man (King Hamlet vs. Claudius) and affronts her inability to control her sexual desires. After the ghost appears, wishing for Hamlet to be less critical of his mother, Hamlet wishes for Gertrude to repent, “Lay not that flattering unction to your soul, /That not your trespass but my madness speaks…” (III. IV. 146-147). The scene concludes as Hamlet threatens Gertrude to not speak a word of his insanity to Claudius, “Make you to ravel all the matter out, /That I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft” (III. IV. 187-189). The accumulation of King Hamlet’s death and the abrupt marriage of Gertrude to Claudius leads Hamlet into madness. Many events are being thrown into his life at once, exposing the confused nature of Hamlet’s character. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet is faced with the ideas of life versus death, which leads to his demise at the close of Hamlet.
ReplyDeleteMost can only hope to retain sanity after a parents death, and Hamlet not only has to try to keep his wit then but also through his mother remarrying to his uncle. Because of the rising actions before Hamlet encounters the ghost we can conclude that if any other person were in the same situation he or she would be struggling to get by during these times. We also view Hamlet continuing to struggle when he is talking to Ophelia and states, “how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within’s two hours.” (III. ii. 110-111) But, this is not true and Ophelia must correct him that his father died, “twice two months,” (III. ii. 112) ago. Hamlet is still personally distraught with his father’s death even four months later, but his mother is remarried only making the matters worse for Hamlet. Progressing on to confront his mother, Hamlet then becomes so distraught that he becomes almost insane. Insane enough for that time to insult his mother by stating that, “A bloody deed! almost as bad, god mother, As kill a king, and marry with his brother.” (III. iv. 29-30) Hamlet here is referencing accidentally killing Polonius who was behind the curtain, but he compares it to his mother’s remarrying his uncle, stating that she did a worse deed than he just did, when he stabbed Polonius. Hamlet clearly has no mental stability because of his father’s recent death and then his mother remarrying his uncle so quickly after Hamlet’s father was dead.
ReplyDeleteA distinct difference between animals and humans is that animals act based on instinct and they tend to be impulsive. In contrast with animals, humans are thought to be more rational and prudent before acting. Hamlet creates a gray line between these two and can be considered a madman.
ReplyDeleteUpon finding out that the “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life” (I, V, 39) is his uncle, Hamlet's only goal now is to seek revenge for his father’s death. Hamlet believes that if he acts as if he is mad, then he can successfully seek revenge from his uncle. However, as time keeps moving, his desire for revenge is so deep that he truly begins to become insane because he has suicidal thoughts in his “to be or not to be” soliloquy and he feels that he has an empty existence. His insanity is clearly depicted in Act IV, Scene 5 when Hamlet is having a conversation with his mother. He feels orphaned after his father’s death and the fact that Gertrude is now her “husband’s brother’s wife” (III, IV, 15) consistently perturbs him. Hamlet sits his mother down and says she cannot leave until she sees the “inmost part” of herself. Listening to Hamlet’s frenzy comments, Gertrude fears for her life and she calls for “help, help; help” (III, IV, 22) because she sees the change in her son. Hamlet suddenly feels a rat is making noise and screams, “Dead, for a ducat, dead!” (III, IV, 23) and instantaneously thinks he is killing his uncle without even checking who it is. Polonius shrieks, “O, I am slain” (III, IV, 25). Clearly, Hamlet has made an impulsive decision because he did not even attempt to see who he was slaying before he took his dagger. Upon figuring out that he killed Polonius, Hamlet seems indifferent towards the situation. He continues to quarrel with his mother of all of the malicious acts she performed and completely ignores the fact that he is now a murderer. This situation depicts Hamlet’s insanity because his thirst for revenge has made him impulsive and irrational, which are not qualities of humans,but of a madman.
Everyone's minds operate differently with each reacting to situations in completely unique and individualistic manners. Within the scene in which Hamlet confronts Ophelia, Hamlet's so far hidden and concealed emotions concerning his situation begin to shed a little light. The loss of a parent is already unwaveringly hard on one. The fact that Hamlet knows who his father's killer was and, additionally, is forced to live with this person adds a totally new, sadistic twist to Hamlet's situation. While Hamlet is initially succesful in concealing these emotions and detaching himself from the rest of society, these resurface during this scene with Ophelia. While Ophelia is obviously not the deserving target of this onslaught of verbal abuses, one can not blame Hamlet for unleashing his emotions on such an easy subject as Ophelia. Her undying, passionate love for Hamlet makes her a simple target for his ignorant yet understandable feelings. Nevertheless, to state that Hamlet is mentally insane is blowing the situation out of proportion. The fact that Hamlet did not make such an outburst before this point is actually admirable. The loss of a parent can be very hard on oneself, according to the aforementioned difference of human emotions and thought processes. Though Ophelia is not the correct target, it is commendable that Hamlet was able to restrain himself from yelling at everyone he saw before. The emotions Hamlet expresses are normal. Ophelia was only an innocent bystander. However, Hamlet is not mentally insane as his plan to kill Claudius remains formulated and calculated. One must admit that the reason behind the outburst towards Ophelia is not of insanity, but one of normality.
ReplyDeleteTragic events arise, and the consequences that ensue are often even more tragic. This is seen in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet where the young Hamlet loses his father to an untimely death which he later discovers is a murder committed by his own uncle, Claudius. Hamlet becomes so involved in uncovering the heinous actions of his uncle that he is driven to madness and acts irrational and crazy when he talks with his mother. Hamlet loves his mother very much and would never hurt her. However, after consuming himself with revenge, he speaks harshly to her and asks her if “[she] question[s] with a wicked tongue” (III. iv. 13). Gertrude is taken aback by her son’s odd behavior and questions “Have you forgot me?” (III. iv. 16). Hamlet’s “rude” behavior continues throughout much of the scene as he continues to belittle her claiming she has “no shame”. Gertrude, who loves Hamlet very much and is concerned for his sanity, asks Hamlet to stop hurting her for his “words like daggers enter in [her] ears” (III. iv. 107). Hamlet’s rude, harsh words against his loving mother just prove how mad he has become. Gertrude was the one person who he had after his father died, and he promised his father’s spirit that he would never hurt his sweet mother, yet during this scene his madness comes alive. Hamlet commits an unusual act of madness when he speaks harsh words that hurt his loving mother because he is driven to madness from his father’s sickening death and revenge for his father’s name.
ReplyDeleteDue to the burden of stresses thrust upon Hamlet after the murder of his father and re-marriage of his mother to his uncle, Hamlet’s mental struggles manifest themselves in his actions towards others. Hamlet does indeed lose himself as the play continues. When Hamlet is speaking with Horatio in Act III scene II, Hamlet begins speaking in a melodical rhyme, then abruptly stop rhyming which startles Horatio leading to his response, “You might have rhymed”(III,ii,267). Hamlet’s mind is so muddled with right vs. wrong that he starts speaking with broken sentences, showing the broken stream of consciousness he is experiencing. When Hamlet is speaking with Gertrude, he becomes enraged yelling insults at her regarding her re-marriage so soon after the death of his father. Hamlet then sees the ghost of his father, which his mother is unable to see. Hamlet declares, Why, look you there! Look at how it steals away-My father in his habit, like he lived”(III,iv,137-138). Hamlet sees the ghost as his mental state deteriorates. The ghost is a physical manifestation, to Hamlet, about the mental battle he is facing.
ReplyDeleteThe specter of the King of Denmark’s late night visit to Hamlet altered the progression of the plot of the play. As the specter told Hamlet of the story of his father’s death, feelings of anguish and fear arose in Hamlet’s mind. He was soon faced with the daunting question of whether or not he should listen to the specter’s wishing of avenging his death. Hamlet, a perplexed individual, was forced to take on King Claudius and avenge his father. He faces powerful opposition, so obviously Hamlet needed a strategy to enact his revenge. He doesn’t possess the power to take Claudius head on, so he opts for a different route: Hamlet claims that he is insane so that his abnormal behavior can be attributed to his perceived “illness” but in essence, he is truly using madness as a façade to conceal his plot. Hamlet proclaims his madness; “Ay, so, God bye to you.—Now I am alone/O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (II.ii.498-499). Although Hamlet claims he is mad to his enemies (he believes he is not actually mad), he has many emotional insecurities that point towards the contrary. The confliction of his revenge for his father, his feelings for Ophelia, and his hatred for Polonius morph into an emotional beast that dwells within his mind. He even contemplates suicide, an act that inherently points toward emotional issues and essentially, madness.
ReplyDeleteMadness. A huge theme in Hamlet, but I don't believe that Hamlet is indeed insane. Although he does have his moments, especially in the scene whith Ophelia (III.i.1-170) where he continually tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery, it all adds up to some sort of pretense since Hamlet knows that Ophelia has lied to him and he is being watched. Their whole conversation is play-like, Hamlet acts how Claudius and Polonius want him to act, he acts like a mad person to possibly lure them both into false security.Then the scene with Rosecrantz and Guildernstern when they first arrive. Hamlet realizes they have been sent for and tries to get them to admit it, "Were you not sent for? Is it your own inclining? Is it a free visitation? Come, deal justly with me. Come, come! Nay, speak"(II.ii.290-292). When they refuse such a motive exists he pressures them again until they admit the truth. Hamelt then launhes into a speech which, again, could be taken as a sigh of inner madness but I believe that it is indeed a clever distraction, one of Hamlets many, throughout the play. In turn proving my point that Hamlet is not mad, merely a genius disguised as a mad mad to throw the hounds off his trail.
ReplyDeleteto switch it up,
ReplyDeleteAnalyze the mental state of Ophelia. Delve into her thoughts that Shakspeare leaves unrevealed.
Since no one has commented after Anna Cait, I will be delivering final comments.
ReplyDelete@Caroline - an excellent analysis of the mother-son relationship and good use of textual evidence to back up your claims.
@Lauren - I liked the way you built off Caroline's thesis and additionally inserted the fact of Hamlet's madness derived from his father's death
@Prutha - Great hook and a very interesting inclusion of the comparison between men and animal.
@McLeod - a thorough analysis, but textual evidence would have helped your argument
@Tasha - I enjoyed your argument defending Gertrude's actions, normally seen as selfish
@Cassie - excellent linking of the ghost and Hamlet's madness!
@Tyler - good insight into how Hamlet's emotions display his insanity
@Sydney - Way to go! A nice argument defending Hamlet's actions and a good change of pace.