There are three equally possible interpretations of Hamlet's behaviour. Firstly, it can be argued that Hamlet pretends to be maf in order to follow the ghost's instructions to avenge his death. By doing this he would appear to be a harmless madman. The second option is that Hamlet initially prete...

"I will be brief. Your noble son is mad," states Polonius (II, ii, 91) . Ophelia exclaims, "O what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!" (III, i, 153). "Alas, he's mad," concludes Gertrude (III, iv, 106). Claudius even instructs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England because "it...

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet never loses his sanity in his plan to feign madness. Hamlet tells Horatio and Guildenstern that he is feigning his madness. Hamlet only acts mad around characters with whom he suspects their knowledge of the truth concerning his father's death. H...