...willing to admit that they are crazy” (www.brainyquotes.com). William Shakespeare, the Prince of Denmark, writes an interesting play called Hamlet. People have taken sides on whether or not Hamlet, the main character, crazy or not. I believe that Hamlet acts on impulse about any of the consequences, which makes him insane. Murdering others, thinking about suicide and somehow seeing ghosts all bring up different conclusions about his sanity. Hamlet is in fact crazy throughout most of the play, lacking remorse in Polonius’s death, seeing his father’s ghost, while losing his own grip when Ophelia takes her own life. After Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius he feels absolutely no regret or remorse in one bit of his body. Polonius is planning to eavesdrop on the Queen’s and her son’s conversation hoping to figure out why Hamlet has been acting bizarre. Hamlet realizes someone is behind the arras, and the Queen thinks it’s Claudius and yells “how now! a rat?”(III.iv). Hamlet, by drawing his sword and powerfully stabbing it through the tapestry while hoping it is the King. Gertrude, the Queen, asks Hamlet what he has done. Hamlet replies by saying “Nay, I know not:/Is it the King?”(III.iv). Gertrude tells Hamlet Stone 2 that his insane act was “rash and bloody”. He tries switching the subject by bringing guilt onto the Queen by saying “it was almost as rash and bloody as murdering a King and marrying his brother”(III.iv). Hamlet never admits to his wrongdoings...
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...play Hamlet. There are certain parts in the play Hamlet where Hamlet can be seen as crazy. Hamlet’s craziness was not real. His reactions to the events in his life are completely normal. Hamlet had a lot of events that lead people to think he was crazy. Some events that really affected his mental state were the fact his father had passed away, his mother remarried his uncle, and his girlfriend, Ophelia, broke up with him. Some could call it “the subsequent emotional turmoil” (Lee). One major event Hamlet encounters is the death of his father. The play starts with Hamlet’s father just passing away. This tragedy truly affected Hamlet’s sanity. Any normal human being would be affected by this. Death is not an event that a person can just move on from. There is usually many stages to dealing with the death of a person. These stages include denial, anger, depression, and acceptance (“The 5 Stages of Loss and Grief”). Hamlet experienced anger and depression. Hamlet had every right to be angry and depressed over the death of his father. This type of reaction is normal for anyone who is grieving. This reaction is even more acceptable if the grieving is over a parent such as Hamlet’s situation. Hamlet was angry at the beginning because the death of his father was a brand new change in his life. Throughout the play Hamlet’s angry feelings started to get less angry at the fact his father had passed away and more angry at how his father died. As the play continues Hamlet is told...
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...Hamlet Pleads Sane William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is considered to be a great tragedy in the eyes of many. In the play, the protagonist, Hamlet, is on a quest to avenge the death of his father. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is upset that his mother married his uncle, Claudius, only two months after his father’s death. As the story progresses, Hamlet is confronted by King Hamlet’s ghost. The ghost informs Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius. When the ghost asks Hamlet to seek revenge for his murder, Hamlet takes on the task whole-heartedly. Hamlet’s actions, in the first half of the play, are rooted in revenge and anger, not madness. I can prove he is not crazy and acts as a normal human, out of curiosity. Hamlet’s first soliloquy begins by him suggesting, “Oh,that this too, too-solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!”(Shakespeare 1.2.129-132).This excerpt clearly highlights Hamlet’s thoughts regarding his mother’s recent nuptials. It only took Gertrude two months after the death of King Hamlet to marry Claudius. This abrupt marriage causes Hamlet to suspect that something might have been taking place between the two before his father’s death. Hamlet reacts as any logical or sane individual who finds himself in the same situation. Hamlet’s anger towards the hasty marriage between Claudius and Gertrude is a logical reaction that any sane individual has; thus highlighting...
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...Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who faces adversity and is destined to murder the individual who killed his father. Hamlet is a character who although his actions and emotions may be one of an insane person, in the beginning of the book it is clear that Hamlet decides to fake madness in order for his plan to succeed in killing Claudius. Hamlet is sane because throughout the play he only acts crazy in front of certain people, to others he acts properly and displays proper prince like behavior who is able to cope with them without sounding crazy, and even after everything that has been going on in his life he is able to take revenge by killing his father's murderer. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet is sane but acts insane to fulfill his destiny of getting vengeance on his father's murderer. Hamlet throughout the play seems insane but in reality it is only an act to achieve his goal of killing his father's murderer. Hamlet chooses to go mad so he has an advantage over his opponent and since he is the Prince of Denmark cert... ... middle of paper ... ...al individual's, if an individual was crazy they would not be thinking everything through and if someone were crazy they would definitely not have the capabilities of outsmarting someone, like how Hamlet outsmarted Claudius. All these reasons and much more are why Hamlet is not insane, he is as sane of an individual as any other, but unlike others he had to go through...
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...Hamlet is traditionally considered the greatest and perhaps most closely related protagonist that William Shakespeare ever produced. When considering what elements of the play combined to drive Hamlet insane, it is noteworthy just how much of a creature he was of his own time. It is likely that five things about Modern day America would have driven Hamlet crazy, from the ever present paparazzi following his every move, to ghoulishness of the American funeral industry, the speed with which widows remarry in America and the need to resort to legal proceedings to settle what would have been considered during his time a blood debt. The first thing that would have driven Hamlet crazy is the extraordinary amount of press coverage he would face as...
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...Hamlet is said to be one the best literary works of all time and in my opinion, it may be, but many people have different opinions and interpretations of this play. Hamlet, Shakespeare’s longest play at 4,042 lines, was written in the 1600s. Hamlet is considered to be a revenge tragedy (Boyce). The story takes place in Denmark, where the king has been murdered by is brother, who then takes the thrown and marries the queen. Later, the prince Hamlet finds out after the ghost of his deceased father informs him. He then proceeds to take revenge on the murderer of his father (Shakespeare). One of the most outstanding parts of this play is the character Hamlet. He is one of the most complex characters in literature. There is constant debate to whether...
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...Hamlet and the Two Women In the story Hamlet, the main character is shown to treat women quite terribly. The main character is known as Prince Hamlet, who is grieving over the death of his father, King Hamlet who was killed by Claudius, who became the new king. Hamlet’s emotions lead to his poor treatment towards Ophelia and Gertrude, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Firstly, his treatment towards Ophelia. Hamlet pretends to be crazy during a big portion of the play. Ophelia loved Hamlet and she even “slept” with him; however, all this changed when she returned Hamlet’s love letters. Hamlet takes offense to this, and starts shouting at Ophelia, (3.1.122) “get thee to a nunnery” and (3.1.123)“why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?”, basically calling her a whore, then breaks up with her. Hamlet still loves her, and is devastated by her actions so he treats her poorly. Later in the play, during the Murder of Gonzago, Hamlet asks if he can lay on Ophelia’s lap and starts flirting with her, as if him calling her out never happened. Hamlet’s treatment towards Ophelia eventually leads to her death....
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...The Shakespeare Hamlet has become a character that is a unforgettable person and a fixated psycho maniac. The Shakespeare Hamlet has gone through many things that have changed him from normal person just liven life, to now a man that has gone insane and only wants death to one perso. The mental fight he has with himself during the story creates to him talking to himself making his thought the only thing he can truly talk to. Another effect that makes Hamlets these is when he loses the only person he truly cares for that is his mother. The determination that Hamlet character has for his plan of revenge shows that he is determine to take claudius to his grave. Which leads to him to become fixated on only murdering Claims and anyone who plans...
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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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...When thinking about how is Ophelia driven insane and ultimately to her death in Hamlet the play. I was surprising confused as to what series of events lead to what and therefore, it was difficult to choose one or even two that I thought were 100% concrete. Because at the outset of the play when we meet Ophelia, who is a sweet young lady that appears to be pretty, intelligent, and a symbol for courtly innocence and decorum. By the end of the play she somehow manages to have drowned, which was either potentially an act of suicide, or just a symbol of the madness she had fallen in to. I think everyone on this Earth is bound to suffer some heart ache at one time or another. Losing my first love was one of the worst gut wrenching things I ever experienced. I also have some experience in seeing someone erode from stable healthy mental state to a complete and udder mess. Mental stability is a somewhat tenuous thing that I feel society’s take for granted. Here are some of the theories that I agreed with, about Ophelia taking such a tragic turn. 1) She is heart-broken over Hamlet. “The idea that Ophelia is more heart-broken over the loss of her father or more heart-broken over the loss of Hamlet tells you a great deal about her character and what she values.” (Informing Bethany Lutheran College's, 2013) 2) She is heart-broken… over Polonius. “Again, for her not to be deeply affected by the loss of her father is equally unlikely. I don’t care if she’s a lovesick teen, if her...
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...In the play Hamlet, madness is very prevalent and is a major theme in the play. Madness is defined as mental delusion or eccentric behavior from it; and in this case Hamlet's madness changes his perception and affected his judgment. When people are mad, people start to react to things instead of thinking them through and do not act normally. Through Hamlet's apparent madness, Shakespeare illuminates the danger that Hamlet's flawed decisions made from poor judgment pose to other, especially those closest to him. Hamlet in the play makes flawed decisions because of his mental state. The madness contributes to his poor judgment. In act one scene five, Hamlet says “As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on” (1.5.28). This is Hamlet blatantly stating that he is going to pretend to act crazy. But the premise of it is a bit insane itself. He makes this decision from seeing the ghost of King Hamlet. It is strange that nobody except Hamlet has heard the ghost told. And even later in act three, scene four, Hamlet talks to the ghost in front of Gertrude, but Gertrude acts confused as if she never seen the ghost. The fact that Claudius killed his brother and married King Hamlet's wife upsets Hamlet and causes him to make these rash decision. Another example of his decision making is in act two scene two, where he makes fun of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet confronts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about them spying on him for the king and queen. Although...
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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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...ROLES Hamlet: Son Huynh Laertes: Queenie Lee Ophelia: Cecilia Young Horatio: Sam Ng Messenger/ Captain: Mark Bengco Queen (Gertrude): Maggie Guan Gentleman: Brian Flores Narrator: Tracy Santa Ana Fortinbras: Hung Dam King (Claudius) Eric Tan Sailor: Hannah Ramierz Guildenstern: Norman Chen Rosencrantz: Delmy Lopez ACT IV Scene 1: [Enter KING and QUEEN, with ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN] King: What’s wrong? Where’s Hamlet? Queen: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, can you give us a moment? [ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN exit] You won’t believe what I saw today! King: What do you mean? What did Hamlet do? Queen: He was acting crazy! He was mad as hell. He apparently heard something behind the curtains and thought it was a rat so he pulled out his knife and stabbed it. The rat turned out to be Polonius! King: What?! Well, well, well.. what should we do now?! We were supposed to keep an eye on him and now look what happened… We can’t let anyone know about this. Where is he? Queen: He took the Polonius’s body with him. But please don’t be too harsh on him. He’s my only son. I think he regrets what he has done. King: Gertrude, you don’t understand. We need to send Hamlet away before anyone finds out about this. Rosencrantz! Guildenstern! Come in! [Enter ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN] Listen to me, you two. Hamlet just killed Polonius and took the body with him. You need to find him immediately and bring the body back to church. HURRY! [ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN...
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...All of these heros were given a path that they must follow in order to discover their ultimate destiny and become a hero. Joseph Campbell book, “A Hero With A Thousand Faces” has best explained the important stages that every hero needs to go by in order for fulfill their destiny, “ A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won" (Campbell 1). It is in this storyline that most storytellers need to go by in order to create the most closely related idea of a hero. Even though some heros do not follow these stages and their journey becomes more complex in relation to society, Shakespeare’s character Hamlet, seems to be the most hard to understand. Shakespeare created Hamlet as a hero who corrupts the archetype so much that the basic stages of his heroic journey must be changed in order to recognize him as a hero. Aristotle defined a hero as “a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater cause or principle”. Aristotle simply states that the hero's downfall is usually cause by his own fault. Usually the hero’s death is seen as a waste of human potential but usually results in greater knowledge and awareness for whoever hears of the hero’s story (Aristotle). In most traditions of the hero archetype, the journey of the hero follows a path that can be split up into three different sections. The departure, initiation and return....
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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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