...Hamlet is a young adult from the sixteen hundreds, he is going through a very tough time in his life. His father has been killed and is back as a ghost. His mother is now married to his uncle. Hamlet is known as the person who goes mad during this play. Everyone has turned against him, the only option he had to maybe save himself was to act mad. Hamlet proves he is not actually mad because he talks to other people perfectly normal. He puts on his act only when he needs to, which is around people that he can not trust. He is afraid they will tell the king the things he says that is why he acts mad. Hamlet despises the king, his uncle father. Hamlet once said, “But my uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived.” Hamlet despises their relationship and wants it to end. Hamlet is the only one that can talk to the ghost of Old Hamlet. The ghost told Hamlet “I’m the ghost of your father, doomed for a certain period of time to walk the earth at night, while during the day I’m trapped in the fires of purgatory until I’ve done penance for my past sins.” Admitting it is Hamlets father Hamlet is talking to. He is the only one that can talk to the ghost because the ghost only wants to talk to him. Others explained by saying they could see him but could not talk to him, because he only wanted to talk to his son....
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...One may notice that throughout act three of Hamlet, there seems to be an angrier Hamlet. He tells Ophelia to go a nunnery. He scares his mother by the way he speaks to her. He almost kills Claudius, and after that, he kills Polonius when he mistook him for Claudius. And as one can imagine Hamlet is still accused of being mad or insane. At one point, Claudius actually seems to be convicted of his murderous sin, and he decides to pray. Hamlet walks in as Claudius is praying; yet Hamlet is not seen, so he draws his sword. However, after giving it some thought, he decides that this was not the ideal time to kill Claudius because Hamlet feared that killing him as he prayed would somehow send him to heaven. Hamlet knew that heaven was a lovelier...
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...story of Hamlet there are multiple villains and no heroes. Everybody has a fault that leads to something tragic or dramatic during the story the main villain in this story is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark the main character Hamlet goes through a series of very unfortunate events throughout his life, and mostly negative things come out of them. During the beginning of the play we find out that Hamlet loses his father the King of Denmark. This causes a great depression to Hamlet. Soon after Hamlet becomes even more upset due to the fact that he finds out that his uncle Claudius will be marrying his mother Gertrude and be the new King of Denmark. This causes Hamlet to go crazy, insane, and mad. Over the course of the play Hamlets madness continues to build due to everything that happens between the beginning and the end. At the end Hamlet has gone completely and incredibly mad. This madness ends up breaking out of him and spread throughout the ending scene of the play. The main reason for Hamlets madness is due to his father passing away and him having to deal with his uncle Claudius. He soon finds out that his uncle will be marrying his mother. These events only get him upset, sad, and gloomy. Later in the story one of his friends and the guards of Elsinore confront a mysterious creature wandering the castle. Hamlet ends up discovering that this creature is a ghost, and not just a ghost but the spirit tells Hamlet “I am...
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...of going mad can be up for discussion and can be viewed differently according to people’s opinion. Hamlet pretends to be mad because he does not want the kingdom especially King Claudius and Queen Gertrude to know the truth about his father’s death/murder. At the beginning of the play in Scene_____ he admits to Horatio and Marcellus that after his encounter with the ghost he will portray his character to be a mad man. The ghost has come to tell Hamlet what he has to do to set things right. Hamlet does not realize he that this act that way playing of being mad is actually turning against him and realistically gradually is going mad. Hamlet pretending to go mad is only a method he is using to survive in the kingdom with whoever is trying to take him down because they know he is the son of the king and will soon one day be the king of Denmark. Hamlet has an ambition at the beginning of the play to do as his father commanded him to do but without fully exposing the truth of King Claudius’s secret. Hamlet is pretending to be mad to get into King Claudius mind so that he himself will come out with the truth of murdering his brother. The message he received from the ghost has made him not only want to listen to what he was told but also takes things farther. His madness and the message from the ghost begin to affect relationships with his mother, Ophelia, and Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia can be the downfall of his pretending to be mad actually...
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...Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness. Love and revenge lead to strong motif of madness in William Shakespeare “Hamlet”. Hamlet like most sons, loved, his father dearly. Hamlet tries to seek revenge for his father’s death so he decides to act mad. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try not to see what’s wrong with hamlet he says, “I am but mad north – North West when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” (scene 2 act 2 page 57). He explains that he is mad, but he still knows what he is doing. There is no need to worry about him. Over and over again each character explains how they think Hamlet is mad, even his mother, and the queen. She says, “Alas,...
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...Humes English IV April 4th, 2013 Hamlets Sanity Is Hamlet mad, is he sane, what is he going to do with his madness or sanity? In this mind twisting play, Hamlet by: William Shakespeare, there are many situations throughout the play that are enough to bring Hamlet to insanity. Take, for example, Act IV, scene II, after Polonius's death. Hamlet's day has been crazy, he finally decides that Claudius has killed his father. The chance to kill Claudius confronts him, and he comes very close to convincing Gertrude that Claudius killed his father. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius and finally, the ghost of his father visits him. Though at this point these situations create plenty of reasons for Hamlet to be insane, he remains sharp and witty. Hamlet remains in this state of madness, .his intelligence remains clear, but his way of thinking takes a turn for the worse. Hamlet reveals to his friends and his mother of his plans to pretend act insane. He tells Horatio that he is going to “feign madness”, and that if Horatio” notices any strange behavior from Hamlet, it is because he is putting on an act”. (I.v.166-180). Hamlet also tells his mother that he is not mad, "but mad in craft." (III.iv.188-199). In addition to his confessions, Hamlet's madness only shows itself when he is in the presence of certain characters. When Hamlet is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he behaves in a bad manor. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Bernardo, Francisco...
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...Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet can be viewed as mad and psychologically unstable. Hamlet’s character in the play is very complex. Hamlet moves from a series of dramatic and drastic emotions throughout the novel, starting with depression, moving to madness and high levels of stress. Hamlet acts as a philosopher in the beginning of the play by the way he articulates his speeches and behavior in front of crowds....
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...William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, there are many themes of betrayal, plotting, deceit, and revenge. With so much going on it can be hard to distinguish a character’s motives and plots, especially with regards to the main protagonist, Hamlet. This clearly disturbed character, whose problems over the course of the story take their toll on his emotional as well as physical health. His plot for revenge is never explicitly clear to the reader, as his monologues get more and more dark and vague. This leaves a lot of his actions up to interpretation, most clearly his descent into madness, which while some see as an act, others see as the result of a deep depression. Many people have vastly different opinions on the topic, and for the rest of time they will only be that, as Shakespeare is no longer here to give a definitive answer of his intentions. That is not to say that these different ideas have no merit however, as it has been a topic that has been heavily debated for years. Some say that Hamlet was driven insane by the death of his father, and the “betrayal” of his mother. Others say that his madness was all a plot to trick and confuse the antagonist, Claudius. While others even see it as a mixture of both, with Hamlet slowly losing his mind over...
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...is evident in the play Hamlet; it is used throughout the play. Without dramatic Irony in Hamlet, there wouldn’t be any suspense and the audience would be less engaged because the characters would know just as much as them, which would make it boring and meaningless. Three of the most dominant dramatic ironies used in the play are: The ghost of old hamlet tells hamlet about the truth, Hamlet pretending to be mad and Hamlet thinking about a suicide. Therefore, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in Hamlet to create sympathy and engage audience. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in the ghost of old hamlet to create sympathy, which engages the audience in the play. In act 1 scene 5, the ghost of old hamlet appears to hamlet and reveals to Hamlet that the King was killed by Claudius who spread the story that his death was from a snake bite. “Now, Hamlet, hear. 'Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forgèd process of my death Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown.” (1.5.34-40). It evokes sympathy on the audience causing them to feel pity for Hamlet, because Hamlet’s father was murdered by Claudius and Claudius spread the word that King Hamlet was killed by snake bite. Therefore, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in the ghost of old hamlet to create sympathy, which engages the audience in the play. Shakespeare uses dramatic iron in Hamlet to create suspense and...
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...In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet experiences his mother’s remarriage to his uncle and Ophelia’s rejection which makes him feels very upset and angry about women. “Frailty, thy name is woman.”(1.2.146) This suggests that Hamlet thinks that all women in the world are weak and act in the same way. At the beginning of the play, Ophelia describes Hamlet’s love for her that Hamlet has a great affection on her and he has made the holiest vows to her. However, Polonius still asks Ophelia to leave Hamlet. Later in the play, Ophelia follows her father’s advice and rejects Hamlet’s love. Hamlet starts to treat Ophelia terribly. It brings to a question that whether Hamlet loves Ophelia or not. Hamlet is angry for Gertrude’s remarriage to Claudius because he loves and cares about his mother. It is the same for Ophelia. His mad and angry acts towards Ophelia show readers that he loves and cares about Ophelia because no one will be mad if he is betrayed by someone who is insignificant to him. The ways Hamlet talks and treat Gertrude are almost the same with the ways treats Ophelia. This shows Ophelia is as important as his mother. Hamlet is upset for his mother’s hasty remarriage and his thought of his mother worsen when the ghost tells him that Gertrude marries to a person who is the murderer of his father. He loves his mother so much that draws him to madness. He starts to treat his mother badly. “What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me? Help, help, ho!” (3.4.22-23) He is being...
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...madness whether it is feigned or not to be presented in literary works. William Shakespeare and Euripides depict this theme in their works Hamlet and Medea. Medea and Hamlet have experienced familial hardships; as a result they believe that the only way to obtain what they desire is through manipulation. Indeed both characters have become masters at the art of deceiving. In both works the theme of madness can be discussed as we cannot be certain that these personas are truly lunatics. Madness can be here considered as a tool to achieve ones end. Indeed Medea and Hamlet feign insanity in order to achieve revenge over their disloyal family. Medea and Hamlet have been betrayed by their family, the first through the murder of his father by his uncle and the marriage of his mother to the same man and the second by her husband who has agreed to marry somebody else. Both are left alone dealing with these events. As madness may be described as “mental incapacity caused by an unmentionable injury”, it is with no surprise that Hamlet or Medea would fall in the hands of insanity. However their actions and words prove the opposite. We can thus suppose that they are both feigning madness to achieve revenge. Medea thinks about the consequences before taking action “what state would take me in? What friend would offer me his land as refuge”. Hamlet weighs also his options as he does not know whether he should defend his father’s honor or not, “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;...
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...Drama Connections Drama Connections After reading the play, Hamlet, I’ve come to a great understanding of the actual character of Hamlet. Hamlet was a prince who felt like he was stuck in a castle full of betrayal. Claudius, the King of Denmark, was his uncle/stepfather. He had murdered the former King, Hamlet Senior, whom was also his brother. Claudius then married young Hamlet’s mother a couple months after the death of the former king. In the beginning of the story, young Hamlet knew of his father’s death, but did not know that it wasn’t an accidental death. The ghost of the former king paid a visit to a couple of guards and Hamlet only to tell Hamlet the story of his death. The ghost let Hamlet know that Claudius was the one at fault for his death because he had murdered him. He also told Hamlet to seek revenge upon Claudius. After the ghost’s visit, Hamlet felt like he had gone mad! He felt crazy and he couldn’t believe that Claudius had killed his father so he could become King of Denmark and marry his mother and take her as Queen. Another possible reason for Hamlet’s madness was his love for Ophelia. Although, in the story, it’s said that his madness comes from the rejection from Ophelia, I did not see it. I thought his madness resulted from the appearance of the ghost of his father. His father’s death left him devastated and the fact that his mother married his uncle right away left him flustered. Combined, the death of his father with the marriage of his mother and...
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...2014 The Madness of Hamlet In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the character of Prince Hamlet has just gotten back to Denmark from school to learn that his uncle and mother are now getting married, the same uncle that killed his father, the king. There is much debate as to whether or not Hamlet truly did go crazy from these series of events. However, Hamlet, much to his dissent, did indeed go crazy when his late father died, although he persisted in believing he had not; through his demeanor, words, and inner turmoil, it was shown that he was simply in denial about this fact. When Hamlet’s late father’s ghost told him to kill his uncle as an act of vengeance, Hamlet wholeheartedly agreed. He also decided to act crazy, something his family and friends attributed to either grief or love, however Hamlet told his friend Horatio that he was simply acting. He might have began off simply acting, but he did gradually fade into madness. Hamlet went to see Ophelia after his meeting with the host of his father, where he demonstrated his first act of madness. “He took me by the wrist and held me hard…/ Long stayed he so,/ At last, a little shaking of mine arm,/ And thrice his head thus waving up and down/ He raised a sigh so piteous and profound” (II. i. 98-106). This is where his family got the idea that he was mad with love. And so, deciding to prove this, Claudius and Polonius had Ophelia help them, insisting she go talk to Hamlet whilst they spy on their...
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...Hamlet is thought to be one of William Shakespeare's most honored works and is a piece of art in its form that has been studied in depth by many scholars since its time. The storyline of Hamlet follows a vein of madness that begins with Claudius' murdering King Hamlet and ending with the tragic killing of almost every main character. Many reasons have been proposed for the ultimate tragedy, which occurs at the conclusion of the play. Indeed Hamlet is mad, but the other characters' madness also helped in contributing to his own. It is or is it not true that Hamlet was faking his insanity? Highly doubtful that Hamlet was faking the whole thing. The meaning for insanity on Dictionary.com is “a permanent disorder of the mind.” Hamlet didnt have a permanent disorder of the mind he knew what he was doing and even planned the majority of the events that happened. Most of the time anyway. Having your father die is bad enough, but to have your mother marry your uncle, within a few weeks of your father’s death? Then to see the ghost of your dead father. That would drive anyone a little insane, but maybe not to the extent that everyone thought Hamlet was acting. Hamlet is torn between acting sane and letting everyone else see him as insane. Throughout the story Hamlet pretends to be insane and even dies acting out this front of insanity. At first it seems as though Hamlet is just acting, but then it appears that he does truly indeed go insane. Even after he has gathered evidence against...
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...Hamlet Worldviews Essay There are many versions of the famous play ‘Hamlet’, which all follow the same tragedy, but the target audiences for each version of the artwork naturally interpret the play/ films differently than the original target audience. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” targets the audience of the Globe theatre in the late 16th to 17th century, while the very popular Kenneth Branaugh’s “Hamlet” targets a completely different audience, targeting the 19th century audience. Both versions are quite similar, however; Branaugh modified his version appropriately so that his audience could have a better understanding of the madness and religion and views on suicide displayed in “Hamlet”. Shakespeare’s audience would interpret Hamlet’s madness differently than Branaugh’s audience in the sense that Shakespeare wanted to portray the idea that Hamlet was mad because his evil conscience was demanding that he took revenge, and this ultimately took control over him—causing him to go mad. Today’s audience would be more likely to assume that Hamlet has gone mad as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by his uncle murdering his beloved father. This is a significant impact on the target audience because Shakespeare wouldn’t have been familiar with the disorder, and Branaugh does well in creating the effect that Hamlet wasn’t just mad because of his conscience demanding revenge, but the trauma of losing his father through an atypical death. Hamlet: “Not where he eats but where...
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