Ophelia's Madness

Hamlet is a smart character in the play, because for someone who just recently lost his father, acting crazy would seem normal, and no one will think he is actually preparing to seek revenge on the king. When Hamlet is talking to his mother, he says “I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft”, Hamlet admits to his mother that he is pretending to be mad (3.4.189-190). He also tells Gertrude not to tell King Claudius because then there is no point of his “antic disposition” act if Claudius knows this is all for show. Hamlet is only pretending to be crazy, but when it comes down to it he knows that is right and what is going on.

His madness was argued to be an act to confuse Claudius. He acted crazy to cover his plans of seeking revenge on Claudius, when talking to Polonius he acted completely mad, “For in the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”(Hamlet 2.2.95) Hamlet used much blabber, such as this, when talking to anyone close to Claudius. As the play went on his madness was more and more liable. He started becoming very irrational and distracted by his plans. When Ophelia gives Hamlets letters back he goes into a rage, yelling “Get thee to a nunnery.”(Hamlet (3.1.131) The most well known action Hamlet committed was when he stabbed Polonius in a rash decision, hoping it was Claudius, “O, what a rash and bloody deed is this!“(Hamlet 3.4.171) One thing that brought him one step closer to going mad was Ophelia’s death. Hamlet may have been acting in the beginning but by the end of his devious plan to avenge his father, he lost himself and actually caused himself to go mad.

158-161). Claudius believes that whatever the reason for Hamlet’s madness, the end result or outcome will be dangerous. Polonius, however, believes that the reason Hamlet is acting so strangely is because he is madly in love with Ophelia. Because of Claudius’ fear of what Hamlet could do he decides that “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go” (3.1. 182-183) and sends Hamlet to England. Hamlet admits to others that he is mad, which would seem like something that someone who was actually mad would be unlikely to do because they wouldn’t want to bring attention to it. Hamlet wants to bring attention to the idea that he is mad because he wants it to be spread around so that it becomes a known fact. Hamlet says “How strange or odd some'er I bear myself / as I perchance hereafter shall think meet / to put an antic disposition on.” (1.5. 170-172) to show the reader that his madness isn’t real.

Admittedly, in act III scene four the interaction between the ghost and Hamlet makes it appear as if he were mad. Hamlet speaks to the ghost of King Hamlet for why he has visited him and his future actions against Claudius in which the Queen responds with, “Alas, he’s mad” (I.iv.121). She say this as when hamlet asks her about the presence of the ghost she sees “Nothing at all” (I.iv.151). This demonstrates that Hamlet is in grief over the death of his father and is believing that the presence of the ghost is real, even though through the eyes of others, he is not real. Although the presence of the ghost allows for Hamlet to have justification for his actions towards Claudius.

Hamlet is far too on top of things to be mad. Hamlet’s intellectual brilliance is first brought out in Act I, scene V when he plans on acting mad to confuse his enemies. Hamlet is also quick to figure out who his enemies and who are his real friends. “I know the good King and Queen have sent for you” (I.iv.37). Hamlet instantly knows that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are not paying a social visit to Hamlet, but were in fact sent as spies for the former King of Denmark to find out the cause of his sudden madness. Hamlet immediately knows that he cannot trust his former school friends, and that he must take caution in what he says when is around the both of them. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern talk with Hamlet, but "with a crafty madness [Hamlet] keeps aloof" (I.iv.37), and they are unable to find the cause for his odd behavior. Hamlet’s true intellect is brought out in Act III, scene II when he plans on putting on a play. "If his occulted guilt do not itself unkennel in one speech, / it is a damned ghost that we have seen, and my /imaginations are as foul as Vulcan’s stithy" (III.ii.84). When Hamlet comes up with a brilliant plan to put on a play about someone killing a King, he determines whether or not Claudius is guilty of murder, or if the ghost is really his dead father or an evil spirit whose setting him up to kill an innocent man. Hamlet coming up with a successful plan to prove

Hamlet’s absurd actions began when he got a visit from his father’s ghost. As he was conversing matters with the ghost, he acknowledged that he may need to disguise himself with strange behavior (antic disposition) in order to not give himself away. He wanted to ensure that he wouldn’t make it conspicuous that he was planning to kill Claudius in order to achieve his own equanimity. Hamlet mentioned to Horatio, Marcellus, and the Ghost, “How strange or odd some’er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on)... ” (Pg. Act I Scene V Lines 175-177). He needed to surreptitiously act in a strange manner in order to convey the idea to the culpable King that he didn’t have a plan, although he did. Hamlet would not have given them the caveat that he would act mad if he actually was crazy. One who is mad will most likely not admit it, but Hamlet certainly admitted that he would be acting this way to communicate a certain impression. At the climax of the play, the queen claimed that Hamlet was mad when he interacted with his father’s ghost after he murdered Polonius. She vehemently claimed, “Alas, he’s mad” (Pg. 177 Act III Scene IV Line 109). She declared

In contrast to Hamlet, Ophelia did in fact go crazy for many reasons, one being Hamlet’s madness. After “going mad,” Hamlet taunts Ophelia numerous times when he says things like, “I could interpret between you and your love,/ if I could see the puppets dallying” (Ⅲ.Ⅱ). It is Hamlet’s statements that leave Ophelia embarrassed and confused, which eventually lead her to madness. She becomes so distressed by the thought of Hamlet’s incapability to love her back. When Ophelia went mad, even a gentleman just passing by noticed how “she speaks things in doubt,/ that carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing” (Ⅳ.Ⅴ). When Ophelia loses it, she really goes insane. Her words only make sense “half” of the time as if she is only half there in her brain as well. Ophelia is pitied by most people who come into contact with her and when she dies, Gertrude justifies Ophelia’s death by saying that she was “incapable of her own distress” (Ⅳ.Ⅶ). The amount of pity that Ophelia received is so much that “Poor Ophelia” is mentioned twice in act four. While Ophelia’s madness becomes a pity party, Hamlet’s madness is seen as strange and unusual. Ophelia became mad because of her confusion inflicted by Hamlet.

1. Hamlet killed Polonius and Ophelia knows her farther’s death. Plus Hamlet broke up with Ophelia so she became so depressed and became mad. She fell in to the River and died. Overall, Ophelia goes mad because she has no position in society.

She acts very irrational because she was ordered by her father, Polonius, to stay away from Hamlet because he went "insane". Then, Ophelia grieves over her father's sudden death and discovers the numerous love letters from Hamlet. Clearly, she did not plan her madness; so therefore, her insanity was not a "method". Her "mad scene" occurs in Act IV when a gentleman describes her with this quote, "She is importunate, indeed distract. Her mood will needs be pitied" (162).

In conclusion, Hamlet is not mad; everything he does has a purpose. He is out to avenge his father’s murder. He proves this by telling Horatio that he is going to fake madness, and admitting to his mother that he is not crazy. He also only acts mad in front of Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. When Hamlet is with a trusted friend he is rational and symptom free, however when someone he wants to

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. In it, a young, Danish prince struggles with the death of his father and the betrayal of his mother. This struggle is so profound; it shakes its main character Hamlet to the core and brings him to the brink of sanity. Shakespeare uses madness to convey important information throughout the play especially through Hamlet and his love interest, Ophelia. Hamlet does not always appear to be mad, in fact throughout the play his sanity is questioned by the reader and other characters. Whether real or faked, Hamlet and Ophelia’s madness reveal to us more about their characters, opinions and secrets than their regular discourse.

Hamlet’s letter gives Polonius enough evidence to make the King and Queen believe that his madness is the result of lovesickness, and thus, give him a better image. Unfortunately, while ending in good standing with Claudius and Gertrude, Polonius dies to Hamlet’s madness. Hamlet’s madness fully descends when he is talking to Gertrude, and Polonius spies on their conversation. When Polonius interferes with his madness, he pays the price by being stabbed to

“There need he no doubt, then, that Hamlet's madness was really feigned. He saw much to be gained by it, and to this end, he did many things that the persons of the drama must construe as madness”(Crawford). He appeared to be mad for the main objective to throw everyone of suspicion off course while gaining evidence to build a case against Claudius. Upon Hamlet’s return from England, he is clearly in a different mindset, but there is by no means convincing evidence that Hamlet is done grieving over the murder of his

Ophelia is a very religious girl, and she is willing to kill herself when she knew that they don’t want her to be insane. She knew the consequences yet she still decides to do it. Love can be meaningless if a person leaves without telling the reason. It just happens, it’s just life. Then Ophelia’s death happens.

His father died and is upset with that, his mother just married right after his death and is married to Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. To top it all off, no one cares about King Hamlet but his son, and it seems that he has a right to be upset with this whole ordeal. Of course, when Hamlets finds out that Claudius has killed the former king, Hamlet's plans his revenge to kill Claudius in the most unnecessary way. Hamlet acts crazy for the remainder of the play and the only ones who know are a soldier and Horatio, “But now listen to me. No matter how strangely I act (since I may find it appropriate to act a little crazy in the near future), you must never, ever let on—with a gesture of your hands or a certain expression on your face—that you know anything about what happened to me here tonight.”