Hamlet Essay

Sanity is in the mind of the beholder. Whether Hamlet truly goes insane in Hamlet, or if he is just acting mad to achieve his goal in avenging his father’s death depends on each reader’s interpretation of the play. There are often inconsistencies in Hamlet’s behavior, sometimes it seems his clarity of thought is amazing, while other times it seems understandable to believe he is really insane. However, to continue and reverse his personalities to the point of convincing the audience that maybe he is actually insane, is undoubtedly the talent of only a very sensible person.

Hamlet meets with his father’s ghost and is told that Claudius murdered him, and that he is to take revenge for this evil act. Had the guards and Horatio not also witnessed the ghost then we may really have reason to believe Hamlet is insane. For as Horatio states, “Before my God, I might not this believe, without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes.”(I.i.56-58) After this encounter with the ghost Hamlet speaks joyfully with his friends thereby acting as if the news is positive rather than tragic. Here we see Hamlet’s ability to manipulate his behavior to attain the effect he would like. Obviously Hamlet is not cheerful at this point; neverthe

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Othylia, right before her death, says discourteous remarks to everyone while floating down the river. Hamlet is able to make sagacious remarks when he speaks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, comparing them to sponges “when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again. Hamlet must suspect that they are listening somehow and therefore acts with the intentions of leading them to believe he is mad. As he says to Hamlet,

Tis sweet and commendable in your nature,

Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to

your father: But, you must know, your father

lost a father; That father lost, lost his; and

the survivor bound in filial obligation for

some term to do obsequious sorrow; but to

persevere in obstinate condolement is a

course. Hamlet later states how lowly a king can be: “a man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. The ghost could very well be Hamlet’s own conscience telling him that he is venting all his anger on Gertrude instead of fulfilling the ghost's original commandments. Hamlet even tells Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” (I.

He does not know whether the ghost is telling the truth. His mother married the enemy shortly after her husband died, and Ophelia follows her father who is also on the enemy’s side. It could be a hallucination and it certainly behaves very differently wearing normal clothing instead of armor, and using the door rather than disappearing. This sanity does not allow him to ever fully lose control or become truly mad.

Hamlet disguised his true intentions through madness in order to achieve his revenge.

Approximate Word count = 1577
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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