Dbq Essay On The Theme Of Insanity In Hamlet
The topic of insanity commonly arises on many occasions, particularly in the law. The term “insanity” is defined as the “unsoundness of mind sufficient in the judgment of a civil court to render a person unfit to maintain a contractual or other legal relationship or to warrant commitment to a mental health facility” (Document A). In terms of the law, there exists an insanity defense, which is a plea that defendants are not guilty because they lack the mental capacity to realize that they committed a crime (Document C). This concept arises in several of Shakespeare's plays as well. In Hamlet, many readers claim that Prince Hamlet was actually mad, his actions guided by the grief he experienced when his father was murdered by his uncle King Claudius. …show more content…
Some may claim that he did feel “morally responsible for his actions” (D). Being morally responsible would be like not killing a brother because he is a family member. However, Hamlet did not feel upset at killing his father or his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, so he is not feeling morally responsible for his actions. Therefore, he must be insane. However, in the case of Hamlet, his uncle killed his own father, the one who raised him. Therefore, he felt obligated to kill his uncle in order to avenge his father’s death; he would not feel bad for killing his uncle in this case. Also, his friends were not truly his friends. He had no one. His friends knew that the King of England was going to kill Hamlet, but they did not warn him or anything, so they were not his true friends. We all know that he was suicidal and depressed, but that does not mean that he is mentally insane. He would not have killed Horatio, for example, because Horatio is his true friend and means everything to him. The other people, like Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, mean nothing to him, so it is understandable as to why he did not feel any remorse for killing Claudius, Rosencrantz, and
Definition Of Insanity In Hamlet
630 Words | 3 PagesHe even considers taking his own life many times. His act of insanity slowly snowballs into true insanity and madness. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are friends of Hamlet that are sent to check on him and find the reason behind his insanity. When Claudius sends them to England with a letter asking the king to kill Hamlet, Hamlet switches the letter with one asking for their death instead.
Examples Of Insanity In Hamlet
1154 Words | 5 PagesHaving 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.
Persuasive Essay On Hamlet's Madness
801 Words | 4 PagesMadness is often a symptom, and in the case of Hamlet this may be the reason behind his actions. The death of Hamlet’s father is the catalyst for Hamlet, causing him to see the ghost and ultimately become obsessed with the idea of revenge. A common theme for shakespeare is to explore a character’s mind and reasonings, and Hamlet’s character being mad was a perfect opportunity to continue this theme. Hamlet’s debatable madness, Ophelia being truly mad and the death of every character involved with Hamlet or his father is a prime example of tragedy, which Shakespeare is known for. While Hamlet’s madness is not certain, it is indisputable that the play Hamlet was built off of the idea of what is madness, and how does it affect one’s
Theme Of Sanity And Insanity In Hamlet
542 Words | 3 PagesWhen the play first began Hamlet did not seem crazy but more depressed and suicidal after his father’s death, he did not begin to act crazy until learning about his father’s murder. ”How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself, to put an antic disposition on...”, here Hamlet tells Horatio that he will start to act crazy but for them to just ignore it. After this when Hamlet only acts mad around thoses who he does not trust but when
Mental Health In Hamlet Essay
564 Words | 3 PagesThe Skull Jar William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet around 1600, telling the story of a prince dealing with the death of his father and the quick remarriage of his mother to his uncle. The play uses mental health, both real and faked, as a way to show human behavior. Commonly studied in high schools all over America, this tale has had a profound effect on the way mental health is viewed. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark tells the story of Hamlet, the young prince. When the play opens, his father has just died, and his mother has just married his father’s younger brother Claudius.
Essay On Mental Illness In Hamlet
1392 Words | 6 PagesAfter a month or two of analyzing Hamlet and the people around him, I feel like I can conclusively determine he suffers from a mental illness. But the question is what. What mental illness might he suffer from. There are hundreds of different mental disabilities. Each has endless possible ways of linking it back to Hamlet in some way, shape or form.
Mental State In Hamlet
1581 Words | 7 PagesAn insane person would not be able to think about the consequences of their actions or do not even know that they are insane themselves. At the end of the play when Hamlet murdered Claudius it is justified as an action of a sane person. The first reason is when his own mother, Gertrude, pointed out that “the drink” is “poisoned” and Claudius was the only person that told her to not drink it, which shows that Claudius knew something about the drink. Another strong piece of evidence to justify Hamlet’s action to murder Claudius is when Laertes points out that Hamlet’s “mother’s poisoned” and that “the king’s to blame”(V.ii.315-316). At the end of the play Hamlet had every reasons to kill Claudius and avenge his father’s death because Hamlet found a letter by Claudius to the king of England to execute Hamlet when he steps in England, and the most crucial evidence is from Gertrude and Laertes
Hamlet Compare And Contrast Hamlet And Ophelia
932 Words | 4 PagesThe differences in their madness strongly support the assertion that Hamlet is, in fact, not truly mad. "The mad role that Hamlet plays to perfection is certainly a proof of Shakespeare's genius, but by no means a surety of the insanity of the prince, unless we be prepared to maintain that no one saves a madman can simulate dementia" (Blackmore). As Blackmore points out, his crazy behavior is such that only someone who is not mad could play the part so well. Again, a truly mad person would not have so much control over his actions and
Hamlet Insanity In Hamlet
1004 Words | 5 PagesInsanity is an idea that has been examined for a long time in numerous mediums such as films, music, plays, and even works of literature. William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is no exception to that rule. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters, and many scholars have been debating for centuries whether or not Hamlet is truly insane, or whether there is a particular reason for his odd behavior. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet merely pretends to be mad but in reality is sane.
Sanity Vs Insanity In Hamlet
1879 Words | 8 Pages“Man pleaded innocent by reason of insanity for the murder of his mother”(Gross). Although the case of the man murdering his mother is not entirely similar to what Hamlet does they do share some similarities. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet , Shakespeare uses the idea of a someone murdering one of their own family members in his play. In Hamlet the once ruler of Denmark ,king Hamlet, is long dead before the play begins with everyone thinking his cause of death was from the bite of a snake This is proven to be a lie however, when Ghost of king Hamlet visits his son Hamlet and reveals to him that his true killer is Hamlet’s uncle ,the new king of Denmark, Claudius. The play then follows Hamlet as he tries to take revenge for his father’s death.
Mental Illness In Hamlet
1514 Words | 7 PagesAn overwhelming amount of evidence shows that Hamlet faked his insanity to confuse the king and his accomplices. Often revered for their emotional complexities, William Shakespeare’s tragic characters display various signs of mental illness. Sylvia Morris notes “Hamlet contains Shakespeare’s most fully-developed study of mental illness, and has always intrigued commentators on the play.” (“Shakespeare’s Minds Diseased: Mental Illness and its Treatment”). When looking at the play, one can infer that Shakespeare makes the relationship between sanity and insanity undistinguishable from one another.
Madness Of Insanity In Hamlet
1153 Words | 5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare tells the tale of a troubled man in his masterpiece, Hamlet. Imagine your beloved father dying and your mother marrying his brother shortly after. You’re left to grieve on your own. Instead of consoling you, your mother and uncle have a wedding and begin to share the same bed. This is what Hamlet suffers through in the play.
Madness In Hamlet Analysis
1457 Words | 6 PagesIn the play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare reflects the common early modern beliefs and perspectives about madness by using the character development of the protagonist who feigns madness throughout the play. Given Hamlet 's status as a prince, current knowledge of madness during the time period, and the contrast of the different types of madness of other characters in the play, Elizabethan audiences would have found it plausible that Hamlet feigns madness as part of his plot to avenge his father 's death. This new historicist perspective steers the modern reader away from anachronistic psychological interpretations of the play. Hamlet’s status as a prince gives the character certain roles and expectations to fulfill, such as avenging his father’s
Why Is Hamlet's Madness Real
451 Words | 2 PagesHamlet is sane because he only acts mad in front of certain people, he told his friends of his plan of revenge, and the fact that many people continuously doubted his insanity. Hamlet only acted insane in front of the king and his chairmen. In other times, he acted completely normal. This is because to get revenge for the death of his father, he needs to buy time distracting King Claudius so that he can kill him. He admits to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he is “but mad north-north-west.
How Is Hamlet Intelligent
575 Words | 3 PagesThere are many reasons for Hamlet to truly go mad including the death of his father, his mother’s remarriage and the relationship he holds with Ophelia, leading many away from the fact that he is “not
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