The madness of Hamlet has always been a topic of controversy when
             discussing William Shakespeare's Tragedy of Hamlet. In this play, the tragic
             hero contemplates his own concepts of moral judgment and, in the process, may
             be considered mad. Hamlet both feigns madness and actually has some
             characteristics of a madman. His madness is defined by his inability to
             decide between right and wrong and to make appropriate decisions based on
             standards of society. Hamlet's mere circumstances at the opening of the play
             are a major contributing factor to his madness. His father, King Hamlet, has
             just been murdered; his mother, Gertrude, has married his uncle Claudius only
             a month after her late husband died, stripping Hamlet from his natural right
             to the throne. The loss of his father, as well as his uncle's new role as
             King of Denmark and father to Hamlet, contribute to Hamlet's disturbed mental
             state. The play illuminates this trapped position Hamlet experiences, both in
             circumstances and in his own mental state.
             The first sign the audience receives that Hamlet may be mad is after his
             encounter with Ophelia. Ophelia is Hamlet's secret love and her father has
             forbidden her to see Hamlet any more. She must discontinue her relationship
             with Hamlet, but she can give Hamlet no reason for her rejecting him. She has returned his letters and presents, "My lord, I have remembrances of yours/
             That I have longed long to redeliver./ I pray you now receive them" (129).
             Hamlet receives no explanation for his love's actions. He confronts Ophelia,
             yet it frightens her and makes Polonius think Hamlet is mad. Hamlet could
             either be extremely upset or insane, but Polonius attributes his actions to
             madness: "[Ophelia's rejection] hath made him mad/ I feared he did but
             trifle/ And meant to wrack [Ophelia]" (81). Hamlet's state of mind is
             obviously in question when one considers his soliloq...