The Insanity Of Ophelia In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

      When one refers to madness in Hamlet, most would think of Hamlet's madness, or at least that that he was pretending to possess. Although Ophelia does go insane and ultimately commits suicide, the central lunacy of the play revolves around Hamlet himself. Hamlet's plan to act mad is completely unexplained. It is safe to

Eventually Ophelia goes insane, after being treated so poorly by the man that she loves, and commits suicide. When Hamlet

Ophelia is painted as a weak character by Shakespeare and doesn't know what to believe. Hamlet killed her father which causes a larger rift between Hamlet and Ophelia. She spirals downward and eventually goes insane and kills herself. Ophelia's words are not listened to and believed which helps to pave the way for her eventual mental health breakdown.

Ophelia’s insanity was directly caused by the death of her father. Hamlet was so concentrated on avenging his father that he became reckless and accidentally killed Polonius. In doing so, Ophelia became insane, singing songs about her dead father. Ophelia was

When someone who acts normally suddenly goes mad, there must be a reason for it. After reading the tragedy of Hamlet by Shakespeare, reasons are left to wonder who and what caused Ophelia’s madness. Is it Hamlet or her father, Polonius, that causes Ophelia’s madness? Many might argue that her madness arises as a result of Hamlet being sent away to England, but after thorough research, it is also made clear that Ophelia's madness is linked to the actions that Hamlet took. Ophelia’s madness cannot be pinned to one point in the play, factors play a role in why Ophelia lost her sense.

In William Shakespeare’s book Hamlet, the main character, Ophelia, struggles with her insanity, which leads her to her death. Ophelia, Hamlet's lover, is forced to reject Hamlet because of her father’s wishes; however, later on, it is established to drive her additionally mad. The decline of Ophelia's mental health is due to the reality of losing her father, her brother leaving the country, and Hamlet’s inappropriate behavior towards her. Moreover, Ophelia's craziness appears to be genuine due to how she responds to Hamlet's improper behavior towards her.

    Ophelia's downfall continues throughout the play, and her final plunge into the waters of madness and suicide culminate around her father's death. Hamlet, while talking threateningly to his mother, accidentally slays Polonius who was hiding behind the curtain in his mother's room. Hamlet thought it was Claudius he heard coming to his mother's aid when she cried for help and lunged at the curtain with his sword, killing Polonius. "O, I am slain!" were his final words. After Ophelia learns of her father's death at the hands of her estranged lover, she goes

“Hamlet represents the mid period of the growth of Shakespeare 's genius, when comedy and history ceased to be adequate for the expression of his deeper thoughts and sadder feelings about life, and when he was entering upon his great series of tragic writings” (The World 's Best Essays from the Earliest Period to the Present Time). Hamlet’s actions are entirely too extreme for him to be faking his insanity. Hamlet is constantly on the brink of insanity, or so it seems like. All this stress is put upon Hamlet and it’s difficult to tell if he’s faking his insanity or not due to multiple portions of the play. He lost control of his actions, which led to many other issues to arise in the play, and others uphold his ability of dramatic art. Hamlet’s behavior, especially toward Ophelia is inconsistent. Throughout the story, Hamlet’s sanity slowly deteriorates. Then again, Hamlet is a story of vengeance and lust, with a mix of insanity.

There are two different types of madness display in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet . Hamlet's madness was the result of Claudius killing his father and then Hamlet pretended to be mad to fool Claudius. Ophelia's madness was due to Hamlet killing her father, which caused her to be driven into a depressed state later leading to her death. Although Hamlet and Ophelia's madnesses are both extremely similar by the way came about. It is how the two characters deal with their madness that leads to the differences between them.

However, Hamlet proceeds to murder and hide the body of Polonius, which leads to Ophelia’s insanity and the scene where everyone dies, as well as the completely senseless murders of minor characters Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Speaking of Ophelia’s madness, it becomes apparent to the audience that she is well and truly insane, when she enters, singing, “They bore him barefaced on the bier;/Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nonny;/And in his grave rain'd many a tear:--/Fare you well, my dove!” which, even by the archaic standards of Shakespeare, is complete and utter nonsense. Ophelia, apparently, due to rejection by Hamlet, her boyfriend, and the death of her father, had become hysterical, possibly having PTSD. PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a mental disease commonly found among soldiers, but can be caused by the murders of close family members, and does result in delusions. Whatever the case may have been, Ophelia later commits suicide by drowning herself in the river, possibly due to delusions, or out of depression over her father’s death. Whatever the case may be, both Hamlet and Ophelia are prime examples of insanity and madness within Shakespeare’s writings.

     Hamlet's madness drove him to seek revenge on anyone who seemed to be trying to trick him or get in his way. His madness and need for revenge led Hamlet to the accidental killing of Ophelia's [sic] father. He also wanted to make his stepfather pay for killing his father and convince his mother that she should be mourning her first husband's death. Ophelia's madness was directed at herself.  Without her father she was left with nothing. She felt that her chances with Hamlet were gone. A women without a man did not have many options to find fulfillment and satisfaction in life - as a result, Ophelia fell into a brook and drowned. Again, that they both took a life to rid themselves of the madness is another similarity.

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.

By his cockle hat and staff and his sandal shoon.” (V. IV. 23-26) This shows how Ophelia has became crazy over Hamlet’s inability to show affection towards her and him rejecting her. Ophelia’s madness soon spirals into her commuting suicide by drowning herself in the river. This can be linked to Nietzche’s statement that there is some madness in love, as Ophelia’s love for Hamlet caused her to become crazy. Hamlet also shows signs of madness due to his relationship with Ophelia. Throughout the play it is unknown to the audience if Hamlet truly has feelings for Ophelia. It is not until Act V that the audience becomes aware of Hamlet’s true feelings when he finds out about Ophelia’s death, Hamlet states, “ I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?” (V.I. 255-257) This shows how Hamlet become mad with rage and sorrow as he hears of her death, finally revealing his true feelings. This relates to Nietzche’s statement that there is some madness in love, as Hamlet has not been able to show his true feeling for Ophelia, and once he become aware of her death he is filled with sorrow. This madness is shown when Hamlet develops a plan to fool everyone to thinking he is crazy.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character Hamlet is believed to have gone insane after the death of his father. There is much evidence in the play that causes one to believe that Hamlet is in fact crazy. However, there are also indications to the contrary, Hamlet only feigns madness for the purpose of carrying out his mission. He rehearses his pretend madness first with Ophelia for even if he fails to convince her , that failure would not cause him any harm. The language he uses is clearly not that of an insane person, he is lucid and succinct when he speaks proving that he knows exactly what he is doing. .

Incorporated into several characters, madness is a common theme throughout the course of the play. Madness is not only obvious in Hamlet; after her father is murdered, Ophelia loses her mind and dies shortly after. According to some art historians, Ophelia is depicted as a “dutiful daughter” turned “madwoman” due to her “extreme melancholy, vulgar songs, disheveled appearance, and accidental/suicidal death” (Fitzgerald). In one portion of her songs, Ophelia sings: