Madness, defined by the dictionary, refers to it as the state in which one becomes mad. Other words to describe it would be insanity, senseless, frenzy, and rage. Madness according to definition is something that can be viewed as a bad thing that can only happen to crazy people, but in Hamlet, we see that although Hamlet is mad, he is also witty. So what is madness? Is it real or is he faking it? Madness is seen through the actions of a person.
The way a person expresses their emotions through violent actions, the anger induced fits, the changing of appearance, and even hallucinations are just some examples of a mad person. But can it just be that one is not fitting in with societies expectations? Being mad is something that can be taken seriously or can be taken as a joke. One can think that the person needs serious help, and another person can think that they are a joke, and just simply go on with their lives.
In ‘Hamlet’, Claudius and Polonius are ones who find Hamlet in need of help, and that if they end his life all will be “well”. What does Hamlet think of himself, does he know he is ‘mad’? Textual evidence is all over the book, and in this quote, “I essentially am not in madness, But mad in craft.” (3.5.187-8), we can see Hamlets view on himself as being ‘mad’. Hamlet’s outward appearance can come off as a normal guy with family problems, making him seem fairly normal but his actions, thoughts, and feelings can be seen as him being mad. His sayings are unusual and hard to understand, as an example, “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.” (2.2.28)
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This line does not make any sense when read without understanding any context, but this is another fine example of how Hamlet’s madness can be seen through his actions, saying that he can differentiate a hawk to a handsaw, which makes no sense. Another thing about madness in Hamlet to think about is; is Hamlet going mad? Or has he been mad? In the beginning we notice that Hamlet seems fairly normal, but once he sees the ghost of his father he becomes mad and his brain rewires to change the goal in his life, which is to kill Claudius. But what’s to say he hasn’t been mad before?
Knowing madness with only text is hard since you do not know how Hamlet is acting in that moment. Thanks to interpretations in other works such as films, they are helping us see and visualize what is going on in the story, things that we could not see or imagine while reading. Films such as Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 version of “Hamlet” and Mel Gibson’s 1990 version of “Hamlet” help us see and feel what Hamlet is feeling throughout the novel. Although the plots are the same, the way the director carries out the scenes actions and the way the actor portrays the lines make a huge impact on the way we view things.
Music, lighting, outfits, dialog, gestures, and all the other little things make the movies so much different from each other. The madness portrayed by the actors for instance, show us that the way certain directors view things can also affect our view to see what they see and to feel what they are feeling. In Mel Gibson’s “Hamlet” the outfits are more peasant and noble like. This “Hamlet”, is not so action packed but the way the directors shoot Gibson makes all the difference.
Gibson’s madness can give us the feeling that he has a disposition yet we also can see that he is actually indeed mad. The Branagh version is livelier, more action packed, the way they edit and the effects and music used made it more visually appealing to the audience. The outfits in this “Hamlet” are ones that are royal and proper, think of it as prince and princesses, flowing gowns and sharp guard outfits. The fact that Branagh’s version had background music made it very different. We are able to tell when it was a serious scene, to when it was a suspenseful scene, which is one of the reasons why we see it so different from Gibson’s, also including the fact that the directors envisioned different views. Branagh’s Hamlet is more serious and lacked obscure angles, which made Hamlet, seem stable and gave us the impression that he was not insane.
Antic disposition, a theme that is crucial to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Antic disposition means to act in a crazed manner with a hidden motive or purpose. So is Hamlet faking it? Or is it real madness? We know Hamlet is mad, but there are times in which he could be play acting. It sometimes is hard to differentiate whether or not he is being mad or simply acting; which is why antic disposition is an important part in Hamlet’s madness. The quote “How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on)” (1.5.190) shows that Hamlet is thinking that he should put on an antic disposition in order to serve such a wicked purpose. Hamlet says he will act mad, and pretend to be a madman.
Hamlet must think that if he pretended to be mad, Claudius would not notice that Hamlet knew anything about the murder of his brother. Hamlet wants to cover up his revenge in order for it to be a success. Also, because he is mad, people would blame his actions on his madness, thus making him not be responsible for his actions. Hamlet is smart, feigning his madness for his own personal gain. Not only will Hamlet gain fewer troubles for what he is doing, it will also avert the people’s attention from what he is actually trying to do and instead blame it on the madness. Although he must construe such “craziness” which will make him look not so good, it will help benefit him for so much more than being embarrassed, so to say, of his crazy actions and madness. Hamlet knows that throwing them off track by being mad is the best thing to do in this situation.
I would say that the central theme of Hamlet would be madness. Not only is Hamlet mad, but also other characters around him, are too. Ophelia for example is another figure of madness. She is normal in the beginning, but once her father dies her stability goes down hill. She ends up being portrayed as crazy, mostly seen through the dialogue and actions. Her flower giving scene in the “Hamlet” films, show how unstable she is becoming and how her mind is falling apart. Madness can also be seen in King Claudius, who wants Hamlet to be killed and gone. He thinks that Hamlet is crazy but he is not willing to do things to help him, instead he plots how to kill him and the when, where, and whys of his evil plan. Madness that’s faked by Hamlet, causes much real madness in others which is why it is such a twisted theme that comes in to play with the story.
