FREE ESSAY ON AN INQUIRY INTO HAMLET'S MADNESS

AN INQUIRY INTO HAMLET'S MADNESS

In the event of examining the nature of Hamlet's madness,we will need to probe into
Hamlet's state of mind at different periods and circumstances in the play.
Hamlet can be seen to be and not to be mad by different people at different stages. From
one perspective, Hamlet can be seen to be mad when Ophelia goes to her father and gives a
description of Hamlet's disposition when he goes to see her, also when he goes to see his
mother in her closet as can be seen in his tone of voice and his murder of Polonius and
his lack of repentance for his death. also, his psychological trauma and emotional
depression at the begining of the play may have plunged him into emotional insanity, and
lastly his encounter with Leartes in Ophelia's grave.
Reversly, evidence is also shown to prove Hamlet's sanitysuch as, when he initially tell
Horatio about his intended change of disposition, also, when he tells both Rosencrantz
and Guildestern that he is not mad. Also the things which he claimed to have done on the
ship bound for England goes to show his sanity, and lastly his encounter with Leartes in
Ophelia's grave.
Upon the revelation of the ghost who is supposedly Hamlet's father's spirit, we witness a
marked change in Hamlet's disposition both in words and in deeds, one of such can be seen
when (in Act 2 scene 1) Ophelia goes to see her father, apparently scared gives him a
brief but vivid description of Hamlet's disposition when he came to see her. she
describes him as having a look so pietous in purport as if he had been loosed out of
hell. This shows us a marked change in Hamlet's disposition, the statement As if he had
been loosed out of hell raises a lot of questions such as, what happened to Hamlet?.
Possibly,some spirit or demon may have taken over him thus his appearance as being
hellish in nature or it could be that he had lost his wits to hell and thus is not aware
of his appearance and we are made to believe that that he appears thus throughout most of
the play.
Secondly, to further back up the point that hamlet was indeed mad is or can be seen with
the encounter he had with his mother in her closet, where he lashes out at her to the
extent that he is rude and also armed with such venomous words that frighten his mother.
Possibly, he does this out of mere outrage at finding Claudius' guilt and unable to take
revenge but has to see his mother and thus speaks daggers to her heart and seizes her arm
possibly in a fit of madness rather than outrage as it should be noted, the act was not
premeditated but rather spontaneous and Getrude in shock screams for help and Polonious
who is behind the arras(curtains) screams the same and Hamlet hearing him draws his sword
and kills him. And when he finally realizes whom he had killed he shows no remorse
whatsoever but rather sees his actions as being justified as he says Thou wretched, rash,
intrudig fool, farewell. This action and statement show a completely different
personality as in most periods in the book we see Hamlet in a suicidal melancholy but
never in a murderous mood as we see him here so thus it would be safe to say that he was
probably momentarily taken over by a fit of madness.
Also from the begining of the book, we see the tragic hero as being psychologically
disturbed by the death of his father and the overhasty marriage of his mother to his
uncle Claudius, and to further compound matters his love is rejected by Ophelia on the
advice of her father over her true feelings and Hamlet's feelings, thus driving him into
a state of emotional depression as well as psychological instability as Hamlet now saw
himself as loosing both parents as well as a confidant, thus leaving him with no womanly
affection whatsoever as he could no longer enjoy the sole monopoly of his mother's
affection which had now gone to his uncle (Hamlet is said by some critics to have an
Oedipus complex) and rejected love hence this two helped plunge Hamlet into his suicidal
melancholies which we see him in almost throughout the entire cause of the play.
Therefore it could be said that from the begining of the play Hamlet was psychologically
unstable as a result of the negativities of life which pluaged him thus plunging him into
madness and his suicidal melancholies.
Lastly in defence of his madness, we have his encounter with Leartes in Ophelia's grave
(Act 5 scene 1)where he tells Leartes thus: 
For though I am not splentative and rash,
yet I have in me something dangerous
which let thy wiseness fear
This statement shows or reveals to us that Hamlet has something in him which ought to be
feared though we might see the statement as being an ordinary one which would be uttered
by anyone found in such circumstances as we see Hamlet but however probing deeper for the
meaning and its intricacies we realise that Hamlet is aware that he has something within
him which could surface or take control of him at any moment in time and has the lack of
control over it. This could possibly be a spirit or demon from hell which takes over
Hamlet during certain periods in the play thus his fits of madness.
Reversly it could be argued that Hamlet was not mad as can be seen in certain points in
the play.
Firstly it could be argued that Hamlet was not mad but indeed sane as can be seen in (Act
1 scene 5) where he tells Horatio thus:
Here as before,never, so help you mercy
how strange or odd some'er I bear myself
As I perchance hearafter might think meet
to put on an antic disposition on
This shows that Hamlet had preplanned his supposed madness as he also tells Rosencrantz
and Guildestern that:
I am but mad north-north-west;when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handshaw
This statement goes to say that Hamlet is not mad, though Rosencrantz and Guildestern did
not realize this we however do.
Some analysts and critics think that Hamlet feigned his madness for protection as he
feared that he might indeed run mad and constantly made himself aware of this so as to
prevent true madness from overbearing him as a result of seeing the ghost and thus he was
fully aware of his actions.
Secondly further evidence can be brought forth in defence of his sanity. on the event on
his exile to England. On the ship as he informs Horatio (Act 4 Scene 5)on how he discovrd
Claudius' plan to have him killed and writting a new letter for the King of england. This
goes to suggest that Hamlet was sane as only a sane person would be able to do such
things as he claimed to have done.Also he informs his mother of his sanity.
Also his encounter with Leartes in Ophelia's grave goes to show a great level of sanity
when he fights Leartes and also says:
For though I am splentative and rash
yet I have in me something dangerous
which let thy wiseness fear
This statement goes to show Hamlet's self awareness as to his abilities as he says he has
in himself something dangerous as this could be true as we can see in the deaths of
Polonious, Rosencrantz and Guildestern, but rather than this throughout the entire play
we see him lacking the ability of taking decisive actions when they are needed and thus
this raises questioins such as what else happened on the ship bound for England?. Hamlet
possibly on the ship bound for England found his long sought courage as witnessed in the
deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildestern his friends form childhood thus his reason for the
threat.
However it is also interesting as other characters see Hamlet as Having a craftiness or
wisdom in his madness and possibly a coincidence all who discover this died at his
hands.
From the evidence given above for both sides I personally feel Hamlet was sane throughout
the entire play but however the answer to the question Is Hamlet mad is still a matter of
opinion.