The question of whether or not Hamlet is truly mad is an old one. Shakespeare’s masterwork, Hamlet, focuses on the titular character’s quest for revenge for his father’s death. Hamlet begins by faking madness to find out about the murder, but the question is if Hamlet is truly mad. He acts erratic in many parts of the play and seems to take his role beyond his revenge plot.
Hamlet’s madness can be seen primarily in his conversation with his mother. He acts erratic throughout the entire piece and is constantly changing his demeanor; Hamlet is in a panic and acts rashly and without thought. Hamlet also repetitively insists that he is sane to his mother. Much like in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart this highlights a character’s insanity. His repetition and devote attention to his idea that he is not insane is an example of his insanity.
Insane people are often not aware of their own insanity. This is seen when he blindly stabs the curtain that Polonius is behind. Hamlet acts with no restraint and ends up killing Polonius. This is an over reaction to the idea of being spied on. Hamlet also explains this it to Laertes, as “fit of madness”. [Act V, Scene ii, lines 236-250] This is the first person Hamlet kills in his crusade against Claudius. Hamlet is no longer holding his vengeance, conscience or religion to just one man. He is now killing people who he believed are working for Claudius. He proceeds to do this with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, supposed friends of Hamlet, who were ignorant to his uncle’s intentions. Hamlet has them killed in England, but their murder is not in a state of hysteria like Polonius’. Their deaths were premeditated by Hamlet, and he had full intention on having them murdered. This begins to show Hamlet having a psychotic and sociopathic personality. He has become okay with killing people close to them in a thought out way.
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Another example of Hamlet’s psychosis is his adamant refusal to reveal where Polonius’ body is buried. Hamlet does not want the place disturbed, much like many serial killers. He desires himself to be the only one to know of where Polonius’ is, but Hamlet gives crude and bizarre answers when questioned by Claudius. Hamlet describes Polonius as being, “at supper” [Act IV, Scene iii, line 19] and “where he is eaten.” This references cannibalism, which is an extremely mad act to take part in. Cannibalism is always closely tied by insanity and sociopathy. Hamlet then proceeds to say in a roundabout way that it is worms who are eating Polonius, before returning to the idea of fattening humans up for food.
A less frantic form of madness is seen in Hamlet since the play’s beginning. Hamlet spends much of the book thinking about death and relishing in it. His constant contemplations of suicide are an example of his madness. Hamlet has a constant idealization of death throughout the play. Hamlet spend much thought about the topic, and the lack of knowledge on it. His father is forbidden “To tell the secrets of my prison-house,” [Act I, Scene v, line 13] leaving Hamlet with no knowledge of what death is like. This act as a trigger for Hamlet’s constant contemplation of death. He dwells on the debate of whether existence is “to be or not to be” [Act III, Scene i, line 57] and what the difference is between dying and sleep. [Act III, Scene i, line 64] This type of suicide ideation shows that Hamlet’s mental state is no right and that he is, by a modern definition, mentally ill.
Hamlet’s fascination with death is also seen through his hell-bent obsession of killing Claudius. Hamlet has formed a full blown idealization on his revenge, he thinks about the act constantly and begins to form his life around it. Hamlet forgoes his friendships with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the name of his crusade to kill Claudius. He also creates elaborate plans to try to accomplish his goal. This is seen when he has the performers put on a specific play for the court as a test.Hamlet studies Claudius’ reaction and acts frantic throughout the play while doing so. This type of concentration and devotion is prime example of Hamlet acting insane.
Hamlet’s obsession is shown when he refuses to kill Claudius while he is praying. Hamlet is working to make sure that the murder of his uncle is perfect and that everything is done right. The end result would be the same if he killed Claudius then or later, but Hamlet is adamant about this. He is making his revenge an event of his obsession. This show’s Hamlet’s commitment to the act of murder and how much he has riding on his ability to complete his goal.
Hamlet’s behavior also becomes unstable with Ophelia. He constantly flips flops on his opinions of her. In the beginning of the play he appears to be in love with her, so much that his family believes that it might be a cause of his madness. This changes when Hamlet, in a fit-like state, lashes out at Ophelia and says that he never loved her. [Act III, Scene i] Hamlet verbally assaults Ophelia in this scene and screams offenses at her. Hamlet appears to not be in his right mind and acts paranoid when he hears a noise during his fit. This constant paranoia and lack of control are signs of Hamlet going truly insane, beyond his act. It is a sign that he has been fully consumed by his obsession.
Hamlet’s insanity is the primary focus of the play, but the end leaves the reader questioning his sanity. Hamlet exhibits many characteristics of being insane, including radical behavior, rash thinking and actions, obsession, and suicide ideation. Hamlets mass exhibition of all of the traits show that the character is insane.
