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 pretended to be mad but could not cope with the situation and the task in hand so much so that he actually goes mad towards the end of the play. The final interpretation is that Hamlet shows signs of true madness or mental instability throughout the play and is therefore not pretending. There is evidence to support each of these claims, but at the end it is left to the audience to decide on the true extent of Hamlet's madness.
             The view that Hamlet pretends to be mad is supported by his warning to Horatio that he will put on an 'antic disposition'. This would seem to suggest that Hamlet does initially intend to feign madness. His ability to change his behaviour and performance so quickly would give evidence to the theory that he does put on an act. When alone, or with Horatio, he never displays any such insanity:'They are coming to the play. I must be idle'. Here he actually tells Horatio that he needs to adopt the pretence again because people are coming. Similarly later in the play he tells his mother that he is feigning madness: 'I essentially am not in madness but mad in craft'.
             At times in the play Hamlet's behaviour is excessive, malicious and cruel. 'Alas, he is mad' In this scene his behaviour is almost hysterical and he loses his grip on his self-control. The responces of other characters is important. If his madness was in fact a poor act and was not believable, than Gertrude and Ophelia would be in the best position to notice. These characters are close to him, and unless he is acting extremely, the audience is lead to believe his madness appears genuine. Similarly, Polonius believes Hamlet has gone mad, but because of ...