Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Is He Insane? :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet Is He Insane? The term insanity means a mental disorder, whether it is temporary orpermanent, that is used to describe a mortal when they dont know the differencebetween right or wrong. They dont consider the reputation of their actions collectable tothe mental defect.(Insanity, sturtevant) In William Shakespeares campaign Hamlet Shakespeare leads you to confide that the main character, Hamlet, mightbe insane. There are many clues to allude Hamlet is insane but infact he iscompletely sane. Throughout the play Hamlet makes wise decisions to prove he is noninsane. He knows just what he is leading up to. He just delays to act dueto his indecisiveness. An example of this is in Act III, incision III, line 73,Hamlet says at one time might I do it pat, now a is a-praying, and now Ill do it-andso a goes to heaven, and so am I revenged that would be scanned. A baddiekills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send toheaven. Why, this is hire and salar y, not revenge. He says here that he hashis chance to kill his fathers murder but, he is praying. By killing him whilehes praying his soul goes to heaven and this wouldnt be revenge. This is nota thought of an insane person. An insane person would have unblemished the murderat this opportunity. In Act III, scene I, line 55, To be or not to be...,Hamlet displays his indecisiveness by thinking around suicide because of thesituation he is in. He would rather be brain dead than live with the thought of hisfathers death going unavenged. He is scared to arrive at revenge because he foundout from a ghost and he doesnt know what to do. In line 83, Thus consciencetakes a study part in the thought and action of murder. This is why he delaysso long to commit the murder. An insane person would not wait. They would be much apt to act in impulse. Hamlets madness only existed when he was in the presence of certaincharacters. When Hamlet is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia,Rosencra ntz, and Gildenstern, he behaves irrationally. For example in Act II,section II, Polonius asks Hamlet, Do you know me, my Lord? Hamlet replies, first-class well, you are a fischmonger. Hamlet pretends not to know whoPolonius is, even though he is Ophelias father. When Hamlet is around Horatio,Bernardo, Fransisco, the players and the Gravediggers, he behaves rationally.In Act I, section V, lines 165-180, Hamlet says How strange or odd someer