Hamlet Was Sane

After Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus see the ghost, Hamlet tells Horatio that he is going to "feign madness". If Horatio is to notice Hamlet acting strange it is because he is putting on an act. "How strange or odd some'er I bear myself/(As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/To put an antic disposition on)/That you, at such times se

. . .
Claudius and Polonius set up a clandestine meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia in III,i. Ophelia then tries to return some gifts that Hamlet gave to her and Hamlet claims that he did not give her any gifts and that he never loved her at all. Only a sane and rational person could devise such a plan as to act insane to convince others that he is insane when he actually has complete control over his mind. eing, never shall,/With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake ,/Or by pronouncing of some doutful phrase,/As "Well,well,we know," or "We could an if we/would,"/Or "If we list to speak," or "There be an if they/might,"/Or such ambiguous giving-out, to note/That you know of me-this do swear,/(I,v,190-201). In IV,ii Hamlet refuses to tell Rosencratz and Guildenstern where he has hidden the body of Polonius.

Hamlet only acts mad when he is in the presence of certain characters.

When Hamlet and Polonius meet in II,ii Hamlet calls Polonius a fishmonger and makes strange conversation with him. When Hamlet encounters Gertrude in her closet, an unusual place, in III,iv. Hamlet states that from this point forward I may act weird but to ignore my acts of madness for they are just that, acts, and are in no way a sign of true madness. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Bernardo, Francisco, the players, and the gravediggers Hamlet acts completely sane. In II,i Hamlet enters Ophelia's closet, a highly unusual act, he is dressed badly, and acts very strange towards her. When he is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern he acts completely irrational. During the play in III,ii Hamlet sexually harasses Ophelia in front of the entire audience of the play.

Common topics in this essay:
Horatio Marcellus, , IViii Hamlet, IIi Hamlet, IIIii Hamlet, IIii Hamlet, Bernardo Francisco, Hamlet Hamlet, IIIi Ophelia, Rosencratz Guildenstern, hidden body, body polonius, hamlet horatio, acts completely, hamlet refuses, mad person, hamlet refuses tell, hidden body polonius, refuses tell, hamlet acts,

Approximate Word count = 462
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Already a member? Click here