Mental Illness In Hamlet

Hamlet has thrust upon him the dual responsibility of avenging his father and becoming a man. These new responsibilities push Hamlet’s already fragile sanity over the edge into madness. “Hamlet experiences anxiety both because of the dysfunction of previous masculine roles and because of his shames at their loss, a loss he holds himself accountable for” (Rosen, 63). Hamlet is instantly roused from a bout of depression at Horatio’s news of the ghost. Hamlet undoubtedly feels that this ghost might be able to put his mind at rest.

People have noticed Hamlet’s instability and are concerned. However, Polonius cleverly remarks that: "[t]hough this be madness, yet there is method in't" (Act II, Scene II).

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, we, as readers, increasingly question the sanity of the protagonist, Hamlet, as the play continues. His seemingly psychotic banter with the other characters of the play begins to convince us that Hamlet is, indeed, insane. Hamlet, however, states, “How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, as I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.171). He specifically tells Horatio and Marcellus that he will be acting mad, as a front. Hamlet has an exceptional grasp on mental philosophy and the uses and effects of logic, more so than the other characters of the play. Because of this, Hamlet appears insane to others, but in fact remains true to his

Hamlet’s sanity has made many people question him. “Hamlet certainly displays a high degree of mania and instability throughout much of the play, but his “madness” is perhaps too purposeful and pointed

It is known that Hamlet is not truly insane in the play by how he is able to mock and play with the feelings of others. When Hamlet first sees Polonius he says that Polonius is a “fishmonger”(Shakespeare 2.2.190) and acts as if he does not know who Polonius is. This, however, is him putting on an antic disposition because he would certainly know who Polonius is since he has had to see him around the castle, and was also in love with his daughter. Furthermore,

While Hamlet cleverly deceives others by appearing to be mad in order to conceal his inner thoughts, Polonius deceives others by giving supposedly “wise”advice that is countered by his actions, revealing that Hamlet and Polonius’ each separate themselves from their society. After late Hamlet’s ghost instructs Hamlet to avenge his murder, Hamlet declares that he will feign madness by acting “strange or odd some’er I bear myself” to create separation between his emotional state of a murderer to his own (Shakespeare 1.5 171). Hamlet’s plan of “an antic disposition” reveals Hamlet’s careful reasoning for concealing the murder for the crown, so that his soul remains unaffected by his revenge, characterizes Hamlet as thoughtful and cautious with his strategy (1.5 173). In doing so, Hamlet also provides a justification to the people of Denmark for acting irrationally, avoiding tainting his reputation, as the people perceive “mad Hamlet” as different from the prince Hamlet before Claudius’ rule. However, underneath Hamlet’s careful thinking and promise to himself for “holding his tongue,” Hamlet reflects upon his feelings of self disgust, in feeling “like a whore” or “a stallion,” that resulted as a consequence to his deception (2.2 547). Although Hamlet maintains an outward appearance of madness by deceiving

Polonius’ interactions with Hamlet are often the source of misinterpretations that Polonius is a bumbling fool. In every conversation, Polonius appears oblivious to the witty and cruel remarks Hamlet makes in response to his persistent questioning. Even when explicitly called a “fishmonger,” Polonius feigns surprised ignorance and suggests that Hamlet is insane rather than sarcastic (II.ii.187). He appears to continue ignoring Hamlet’s thinly veiled insults even when Hamlet compares Ophelia to “maggots in a dead dog,” assuming that Hamlet is “still harping on [his] daughter” (II.ii.669). However, Polonius is not the “tedious old fool” that he appears to be; just as Hamlet confessed to being “not in madness,/But mad in craft,” Polonius merely feigns stupidity (II.ii.224; III.iv.204-5). By pretending to be clueless, Polonius is able to question and study Hamlet further without

Did you ever notice there are many characters in Hamlet that have mental disorders? Hamlet has a few characters that could possibly be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. At the beginning of the story, Hamlets dad is possibly murdered and Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, takes over the king spot. Hamlet's father's ghost arrives in the castle, it causes suspicions with the whole remarrying right after the death. He becomes very confused on how and why his father passed away. Due to the confusion and questions Hamlet wants answered, he could have developed a mental health disorder in the process of trying to figure things out.

Shakespeare also exemplifies contrast of mental illness and wellness between characters in the play Hamlet. As the characters, Ophelia and Hamlet both endure the stress of a father's death their actions begin to change. This makes it easy for a reader to perceive the difference between Hamlet, Ophelia, and the other characters in the play. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters, his insanity is often a subject of debate. The article “Mechanics of Madness in Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear” states that “he is an apt example of the complexities of the human psyche which are often beyond comprehension” (Ebsco). To find out the answer to the ultimate question of whether Hamlet is insane, comparing his actions to those of other characters would be helpful. At the beginning of the play both Hamlet and Horatio are trusted when the ghost appears to the guards. However, soon after Hamlet begins to spiral into insanity. In Act Two, Scene Two Hamlet talks with Polonius and this is the first time a reader can see Hamlet start to act unstable. Hamlet begins with “You are a fish monger” (190), and after Polonius corrects he continues to act deranged, by the end of their conversation Polonius is convinced “though this be madness” (223), meaning that he believes Hamlet is mad. However, Hamlet seems to be able to control his madness, which is why people often think that he is just acting. But by the end of the play Hamlet, similar to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, has hallucinations. He sees his father’s ghost again, but this time no one else can see it. Hamlet asks his mother, “Do you see nothing here?” (3.4, 150), and she answers with “Nothing at all” (3.4, 151). Comparing Hamlet’s actions to his Mother’s in this scene creates a sense that Hamlet’s acting mad and need for revenge has caused his to change his mental state. Ophelia, also driven mad by her father's death, plus Hamlet's twisted love for her can also be compared to Hamlet throughout the play to see that she is sane at the beginning, but just as mad as Hamlet, if not more, by the end. Ophelia at the start of the play is trying to help the King and her father to catch Hamlet, what she thought was to help him. However, after her lover, Hamlet,

A mental illness is described as the alteration in one's behaviour or actions according to their mental stability. For many people around the world, this so called illness, has taken over a part of their lives. It can be argued that Hamlet was accustomed to such illness throughout the play. While portraying confused mindset and thoughts, becoming increasingly more violent and developing suicidal thoughts, the strongest symptoms of his illness become evident. As a result of Hamlet’s constant desire to seek revenge on behalf of his father, he has acquired this mental illness.To begin, the symptoms of his mental illness become evident through his confused thoughts and feelings regarding the revenge of his father. The first instant he shows

When a clever man is on a mission, it is best not to get in the way of said man. Especially if the said man is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, who possesses a sharp tongue and is quick-witted. One brave soul who spoke to the seemingly mad Hamlet was the ever oblivious Polonius. Hamlet’s grand scheme is to make himself appear mad to those in the court as a way to get his revenge on the murder of his beloved father. Polonius, unknowing the plans of Hamlet, theorizes that the Lord Hamlet is mad for the love for his daughter Ophelia.

Hamlet is a young man who has become crazy from his trials and tribulations in life. He lost his father due to his uncle murdering them and then had to watch his mother marry the killer. Hamlets insanity can be demonstrated by his crude language and disregard for the well being of his mother. It can also be shown by his depression, which causes him to second guess everything including his life and finally his love, Ophelia helps to justify his absurdness by acting as a mirror. His foolish behavior worries many in the kingdom and creates a hostile and paranoid environment for those around. While some in the castle may believe that Hamlet is putting on an act, he proves that he is mad through his violet actions, his mental health and Ophelia.

This seemingly unjustified attack on both Polonius and his character leave Hamlet’s motives open-ended with room to suspect his control of his faculties is dwindling. J. Christopher Hall expresses that reality is also created by the perceptions of society through social interactions, power and control (Hall 11). By this understanding, it is to reason that in determining Hamlet’s madness, he is looked at relative to the other characters and their perceptions. When the ghost appears to Hamlet for the second time, Gertrude is horrified by Hamlet’s seemingly sudden fit. He asks, “did you hear nothing?” to which she responds, “no, nothing but ourselves” (Shakespeare III, iv, 152-153).

Two months have elapsed since Hamlet swore to avenge his father; but he has not yet moved “with wings as swift/as meditation or the thoughts of love”(I, v, 29-30). Hamlet is very emotional because Claudius is still alive. This emotional balance has become risky, is shown when he encounter’s with Ophelia. When Hamlet enter Ophelia closet while she is sewing. She is very frightened, and rushes to her father to tell him what happened. She says, “Lord Hamlet with his doublet all unbraced; no hat upon his head; his stockings foul’d, ungarter’d and down- gyved to his ancle; pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other; and with a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosed out to hell to speak of horrors, (II, i, 78-83). She describes Hamlet’s strange behavior to her father Polonius. Polonius begins to wonder that there may be an explanation to his strange behaviors, and this led Polonius to believe: “This is very ecstasy of love; whose violent property fordoes itself and leads the will to desperate undertakings, as oft as any passion under heaven that does afflict our natures” (II, i, 102-106). Polonius is certain that Hamlet is having these behaviors due to the fact that he loves Ophelia. This is due to the fact that Ophelia has followed her father’s instruction to stay away from Hamlet, causing him to be mad. Polonius hopes are strengthened when he reads the note that Hamlet has

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet tells the story of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, who attempts to avenge his late father. Prince Hamlet designs several elaborate schemes, such as pretending to be crazy, to help him achieve his goal. Over the course of the play, two distinct “Hamlets” emerge: “crazy” Hamlet and “sane” Hamlet. The two personas eventually overlap, creating the illusion that Hamlet has actually become insane; thus, resulting in a change in his character. However, upon closer analysis of Hamlet’s character, it is evident that he does not change over the course the play. In the beginning of the play, Shakespeare emphasizes two central aspects of Hamlet: his reluctance to take action and his fascination with Gertrude, his mother, and sex. Those characteristics contribute to his individuality and are key components of his character. While Hamlet’s character can seem underdeveloped and even inconsistent, those two attributes crucial to the reader’s understanding of him remain present--indicating that he has not changed and ultimately prompting the reader to question if people can truly change.