Everyone lives behind a wall of lies that possesses us to act out life. Hamlet discovered early on that all truth remains hidden because expression portrays acting. Our emotions and thoughts are too complex to understand with tears or mourning. Their true meaning cannot be shown, which drove Hamlet to madness because he kept it bottled inside. Every character shows signs of madness, especially Hamlet. Why is there so much lunacy and what is the significance of madness for a better understanding of the play?
             Frailty thy name is mother shows right away Gertrude has broken Hamlet's trust. Everything Hamlet has ever known was an act and nothing is reality to him. "He suffers from misery at his father's death and agony at his mother's quick forgetfulness: such callousness is infidelity, and so impurity, and, since Claudius is the brother of the King, incest" (Knight 81).
             Our young Hamlet has led a hard life that would lead anyone to insanity. Is Hamlet truly mad or is he merely angry? He places himself so dangerously close to the line between sanity and insanity, he crosses it without even realizing it.
             Hamlet is a grieving young member of the royalty, plagued by the recent death of his father, and the hasty marriage of his mother to his uncle, Claudius. He is capable of depressing anyone around him; meanwhile, the King and Queen attempt to pry Hamlet from his mourning. As relations become more strained between Hamlet and Claudius, his attitude becomes destitute. He begins to withdraw himself from everyone in the castle, and spends most of his time in solitude; he is often seen walking alone, talking to himself. Upon deeper investigation, it is discovered that Hamlet is seeing the ghost of the former King of Denmark, Hamlet's father. The ghost becomes Hamlet's counselor, guiding him through his everyday maze of depression and confusion. It is through the ghost of his father that h...