...In the book, Hamlet, some of the characters show symptoms of having mental health disorders. In the story the king gets killed and Hamlet, his son, wants to get to the bottom of it. The king's ghost comes back to give Hamlet hint to how he was killed. Hamlet figures out it was his uncle that poisoned the old king so he is now the new king, Claudius. Claudius has married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude and took the throne. Claudius killed him by dropping poison in his ear. Hamlet then turns a little crazy and starts seeking revenge on his uncle. He starts acting weird and mistreating his girlfriend to bring suspicion to him by Claudius. He kills his love, Ophelia's father, in the process of seeking revenge. Ophelia then starts showing very depressed...
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...Hamlets madness is not an act but rather a result of him suffering from schizophrenia a form of mental illness. After the death of his father Hamlets mental health began to deteriorate as a result he went into a state of depression which inevitably evolved into a mental illness. Hamlets depression is evident as he wishes not commit suicide stating, “Or that the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!” ( Act 2 Scene 1). The death of his father devastated him, and unable to cope with the grief became depressed. Hamlets depression soon evolved into schizophrenia as he began to show all the symptoms of someone suffering from such illness. First of all he began to hallucinate as when he was in his mother chamber...
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...To Be or Not to Be… Mentally Ill? In Shakespeare’s play: “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, the principle character, Hamlet, is a young man who decides to pretend he is mentally ill (“mad”) to avenge his father’s murder. However, Hamlet’s actions, his behavior, and his general persona indicate otherwise and suggest that he is in fact mentally ill. The first part of this play foreshadows Hamlet’s mental stress. As the play unfolds, he no longer seems to be “pretending madness”, as ultimately multiple deaths occur. “Mad as the sea and wind when both contend Which is the mightier. In his lawless fit, Behind the arras hearing something stir, Whips out his rapier, cries, “A rat, a rat!” And in this brainish apprehension kills The unseen good old man.” (IV.i 8-13) This quote in Act IV, scene i is the turning point in the play when clearly Hamlet’s “pretend” madness is no longer an act, but truly indicative of “madness”, leading to the question: Does Hamlet’s “madness”, his ascent from sanity to insanity, result in the tragedy in “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”? The first part of this play foreshadows Hamlet’s mental decline. He has many of the risk factors for depression such as his age (clinical depression often first occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood), and he has had many life changing events happen in a relatively short period of time such as his father unexpectedly dying (possibly murdered), his mother remarrying shortly...
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...In 2007, a national survey stated that 9.1% of the population is at risk to develop a personality disorder (“National Survey”). In the play Hamlet, some believe that Prince Hamlet may have had a moderate to severe form of Dissociative Personality Disorder. There are two sides to every story and Hamlet and Claudius both had very strong potential to have murdered King Hamlet. Due to his constant paranoia and seeing beings that aren’t actually there, there is strong evidence that Hamlet had some type of mental illness. The illnesses that some believe he may have possessed are Schizophrenia and several different types of personality disorders. A theory made on Prince Hamlet is that he may have killed his father while his mind was in the hands...
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...Hamlet: Antic Disposition or Actually Deranged? “I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on.” In Act I scene v of The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet proclaims these famous words. But what do they actually mean? For decades, readers and audiences alike have been wondering if Hamlet’s “antic disposition” is actually an act, or complete and total madness. It is very possible that, if Hamlet were alive today, he would have been diagnosed with many mental illnesses including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder. This is not to say he had these throughout the entirety of his life, but after the death of his father and other traumatic events that added to Hamlet’s misery, his act of madness developed into actual insanity. If he were alive in modern times, he would have been treated for these illnesses with a combination of therapy and medications. Unfortunately, during the time this play is set and was written, a full understanding of psychological disorders has not yet been reached. Because his mental illnesses went untreated, Hamlet was a danger to both himself and others. He is so much of a danger that he kills his uncle, King Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, and his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Additionally, although it is not by his own hand, both Ophelia, the love of Hamlet’s life, and his mother, Queen Gertrude, take their own lives. Eventually, Hamlet himself dies as a result...
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...Behind every mental illness, there is a reason. Everyone has a story, and a route that brought them where they ended up. Madness can be defined as, “the state of being severely mentally ill.” The road to developing madness can be connected to trauma or life experiences. Evidence today points to the idea that stress or trauma can lead to psychosis. Traumatic experiences can hijack a person’s reality, and disable them. In 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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...Statistics show that 18.6 percent of United States adults have some form of mental illness. Not taking into account children and those with undiagnosed disorders, that’s around one person in a standard American family, including extended family. Even though this statistic does not consider undiagnosed cases and children, it is still a staggering number. In fact, we see youths being affected by mental illness more frequently in this generation than the last. Alaska Young, a compulsive, emotionally detached and socially withdrawn sixteen year old girl is the secondary character of John Green’s novel Looking for Alaska. The girl exhibits clear symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder, which causes the effected to “[be] focused on details rather than the whole picture”...
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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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...Imagery in Hamlet Hamlet is one of the most widely read works of literature. It's an exploration of the multifaceted world of adolescence. This world is full of confusion, thoughtfulness, intimacy, and action. It's a study in how a young person emerging into adulthood attempts to cope. In Hamlet, Shakespeare allows his hero to dream and to think through his dreams (Williams). Hamlet is a revenge tragedy and by the end, almost every character has died in some tragic or gruesome way. In this play, Shakespeare makes use of imagery, allegory, metaphor, and symbolism. In particular, the symbols of the ghost, the garden, and flowers, along with imagery and metaphors for madness are used to convey specific ideas which provide depth and complexity to this story. The ghost is a pivotal symbol and appears throughout Hamlet. Is the ghost Hamlet's father or is it Hamlet himself? Is the ghost real or is it part of Hamlet's imagination? The ghost claims he is Hamlet's father. He says he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet's Uncle who is now wed to Hamlet's mother and who is also sitting on the throne. He also says his sins must be wiped clean before he can ascend to heaven. His soul is "doomed" to endure "sulph'rous and tormenting flames" until the "foul crimes done in [his] days of nature / Are burnt and purged away" (1.5.6; 17-18). The ghost requires revenge and this is an odd request given the religious context, yet this is what sets the revenge plot in motion. Father's Ghost. My hour...
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...Hamlet William Shakespeare once said that “By sin fell the angels” (Henry VIII). In his work of Hamlet, Shakespeare plays off of this quote drastically. A formerly well-behaved Prince Hamlet soon gets himself into a web of sin. Between his lust for revenge caused by his father’s death, his struggle for power over the throne and his lying, scheming, and murdering, Hamlet losses his wings and becomes a fallen angel. Revenge: one crime that cannot be overlooked in the play write of Hamlet seeing as Shakespeare uses it as a central issue. The obsession with revenge is portrayed as completely opposed to genuine Christian virtue and becomes the reason for Hamlet's downfall. Arguably, one may say that Claudius asked for what Hamlet had in store for him but in the end, the play of Hamlet clearly states that revenge is unholy. This vengeance is brought about due to King Claudius killing his brother and Hamlet’s father. Since the prince was so close to his father, he felt betrayed that blood would go as far as to kill. At first, Hamlet is unaware towards who the murderer is but is informed by his father’s ghost that it was his own uncle, Claudius, who took the king’s life. GHOST: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. HAMLET: Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift/As meditation or the thought of love,/May sweep to my revenge (Hamlet I.v.L7). After talking to the ghost, Hamlet begins plotting acts of revenge towards his uncle. At one point he even plots...
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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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...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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...Analysis of Factors Influencing Adequate Funding of Social Health Care in the Tower Hamlets, London DECLARATION I declare that this is my original work and has not been submitted in any other university or institution for examination. Signature Date Student no: Stud - This is to confirm that the work this proposal was done by the student under our supervision. SignatureDate Supervisor 1: For and behalf of (Name of institution) Signature Date Chairperson, Department of ( ) DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my family members for their enduring support they gave for the whole time I was pursuing this project. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First, I would like to thank my supervisor .................... who has guided me in writing this project. More particularly my special thanks go to my lecturers for taking me through the whole course. I am also greatly indebted to my fellow students who were with me throughout the course work. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS Class A drugs- drugs deemed by the government to cause the most lethal harm when consumed. They attract heavy jail terms including life in prison. Community care- a term used in healthcare policies to mean looking after people with particular needs in the community. Local strategic partnership- a single non-statutory body, aligned with local authority boundaries that bring together at a local level the different parts of the public sector as well as the...
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...Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern talk about Hamlet and his lunacy. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the King and Queen that they have tried to find out the reason for Hamlet’s madness, but he avoids their questions. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the King and Queen about the actors that have arrived at the court and will be giving a performance. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave, Claudius tells Gertrude that he has arranged for Hamlet to run into Ophelia, and Polonius and the King will hide and spy on their conversation to see if Hamlet is truly going crazy because he is in love. Gertrude tells Ophelia that she hopes that Hamlet’s madness is due to his love for her. Polonius tells Ophelia to read from a prayer book while waiting for Hamlet, which makes Claudius feels guilty as he remembers his own sin that he disguises with kind words. Then, Hamlet arrives speaking his famous to be or not to be speech. He is contemplating suicide, but he decides against it because he is worried that the environment after death will be even worse than the one he is living in right now. Ophelia then tells Hamlet that she has some of his mementos that she needs to return, which Hamlet denies ever giving her. Hamlet then goes into a dialogue with Ophelia that focuses on women and marriage. He is telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery because he does not believe in women or marriage anymore. Hamlet says that women use their beauty and power to fool their husbands. Hamlet also tells Ophelia that if she does...
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...Waiting Many critics consider Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, rst performed in Paris in 1953, the most important twentieth-century play in the Western canon. Despite the undeniable historical and aesthetic signi cance of Waiting for Godot, however, the question poses itself: to what extent may an absurdist play—about two bums waiting on the side of a country road for a person who never arrives— still strike us as relevant today? is question cannot be answered univocally, but depends on the interpretive choices made in the actual process of producing Beckett’s play on stage. My goal as the director of this Kennedy eatre production is to create a thoroughly contemporary experience that evades the usual clichés many have come to associate with Beckett’s style, such as monotony and leadenness. From this vantage point, I will now identify two major challenges to any stage production of Waiting for Godot in 2010—challenges relating to the historical and metaphysical background of the play. e setting (country road, tree), costume items (bowler hats, halfhunter watch), and habits of the characters (the pipe-smoking Pozzo), as well as the poverty and frugality of the two protagonists (a diet of turnips, radishes and carrots for Vladimir and Estragon), clearly suggest earlier historical periods such as the Irish Potato Famine from around 1850, the wasteland of northern France in the wake of the trench warfare of WWI, or America’s Great Depression in the 1930s. e names of the characters...
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