The character of Hamlet is a very complex one. Sadness, anger, and vengefulness define him, yet at the same time, Hamlet is wise, witty, crafty, and poetic. Hamlet is confused, placed in a position where his whole life has drastically changed, making him completely isolated unable to trust anyone. It becomes unclear whether the drastic events in his life have driven him mad, or if perhaps by dissociating, entering into the world of "acting," Hamlet is dealing with his pain. However, through careful analysis, it becomes clear that while Hamlet sometimes seems to delve into the territory of madness, he is still putting on an act to avenge his father's death.
             Hamlet is in despair. He must return home for his father's funeral following a most suspicious death. Then, a mere two months later, his mother Gertrude has married his father's brother, Claudius, who is now King. To add to his hurt, Claudius wants him to "throw to earth this unprevailing woe, and think of us as of a father." The man who has usurped Hamlet's father as both King and as Gertrude's husband is now trying to replace the deceased King yet again as Hamlet's father. Hamlet is placed in such an unbelievable position he becomes paralyzed to act.
             Once Hamlet talks to the ghost and discovers the details of the King's death, his trauma intensifies to the point where one must wonder whether he has "snapped" or whether he has entered a cold emotional state where he is calculatingly plotting his revenge. The character of Hamlet takes on a different dimension; he becomes one playing a madman to dupe the court as he plots his revenge. He says, "As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put on an antic disposition," effectively stating that he will be acting crazy. Hamlet furthers this act by telling Polonius that he is a fishmonger, to which Polonius replies, "he knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger; he is gone, far gone." Hamlet, the calculating actor, knows th...