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 soliloquy. Hamlet was
contemplating his own death:
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