Hamlet is the main character in Shakespeare's play who endures various emotional states and is often analyzed for his interesting psychological attitudes. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes through the complex mental states of passive-aggressive personality and bipolar disorder. Hamlet’s bipolar disorder is quickly revealed because of the situations and personal issues he faces. He experiences extreme mood swings and is often in states of mind where he is low and depressed, while other times he is energetic and full of excitement. For example, in Act II, Scene II, Hamlet explains, “What a piece of work is a man…Man delights not me, nor woman neither.” In the first part of the line, he explains the beauty of humanity and delights in its fascination. …show more content…
AT times, he behaves in a way where it is difficult for others to decipher, and other times, he is his authentic self. He knows when to act as himself, and other times he will act as someone no one can read. For instance, in Act II, Scene II, Hamlet explains to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” In this instance, Hamlet pretends to act insane but subtly reveals his motives when he alludes to the fact that he knows when to act sane and insane. The fact that Hamlet said that the wind is southerly means that the wind blows away the clouds, which let Hamlet peer into Claudius’s and his enemies' motives and tricks. Because of this, he can play his cards skillfully and caustically, by acting strange at the right …show more content…
For example, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and others pretend that his madness simply does not exist and try to brush it off. Justifiably, Hamlet’s problem isn’t their issue, and they should not feel as though they should take any responsibility for his insanity. However, characters like Ophelia notice and acknowledge Hamlet’s behavior but are unable to help him, as his act of madness overrules sanity. Hamlet's act benefited and also backfired his plan. It benefited him where it allowed him to speak his mind in ways where others couldn’t quite comprehend and, therefore, was left out from the truth. Having said that, his act was counterproductive as at times, and his madness may have caused him to act too impulsively, which led to his ultimate
Hamlet says that he can act like he is crazy when he wants to, and then be perfectly fine when he so chooses. When he says this quote he is talking about the wind but that is a symbol for how he is choosing to act, so he uses this to communicate with people that he wants to know when he will be acting crazy. Acquaintance's of Hamlet believe that he Is crazy because of how great he is acting. Polonius is telling Gertrude how he believes that Hamlet is crazy and he wants her to take action about it.
The suffering of the many depressive illness hamlet had, with some obsessional features. Hamlet deliberately shows madness in order to confuse and disconcern the king and his attendance towards his actions. Hamlet shouldn't have been insane, selfish or a hero because that's what made it so depressing.
In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet assumes the disguise of a man that has lost his mind. Hamlet uses this madness to masquerade around in such a way as to not draw attention to his true plan, to avenge his murdered father. Many readers debate as to whether Hamlet is truly mad, or whether he is fully aware of his actions and what he is doing. However, both sides of the debate can agree that Hamlet’s apparent madness is a key element of the play, Hamlet. There are many reasons as to why readers debate Hamlet’s madness.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many references to sanity and insanity. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes back and forth between sanity and insanity, whether pretending to be insane just to mess with those he does not like or to save himself from getting in trouble. Hamlet is actually one of the smartest characters in the play, which is why he can pull off acting crazy so well. Shakespeare uses this idea of sanity and insanity to help the plot change and take a different directions. One of the most discussed topics of the Hamlet is whether Hamlet is insane or if he was just pretending the whole time.
Contrasting his attitudes with the moments that the king walks in, his behavior towards Polonius while the play is preparing, and his actions to Ophelia during the play, Hamlet is sporadic, when alone with Horatio, he is calm and collected, then again the sudden resumption to his “antic disposition” when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. There is a long break in which we don’t sense any insanity from Hamlet, this is due to the fact that he has no need to assume his disguise. When we find Hamlet with the players, he is giving them directions for the play. With the players, Hamlet acts normal and of sound mind because the players are not likely to betray him, they don’t have the opportunity or the wish to do so.
Thus, it is possible to say that Hamlet suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Another disorder that can be applied to Hamlet is Bipolar Disorder, which often occurs in chronic forms. People who suffer from Bipolar Disorder have depression and manias that strengthen their constant irritation and feelings of sadness and boredom. However, there are two main symptoms that differ bipolar from other mental disorders, which are mania and depression (this may be supplemented by such steps as hallucinations and delusions). Frequently the patient feels that he cannot in any way affect the situation.
Her story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of neglecting one's emotional well-being. In conclusion, William Shakespeare's play Hamlet offers a powerful exploration of mental health and its effects on individuals and their families. The characters of Hamlet senior, Hamlet, and Ophelia all grapple with trauma and the thin line between sanity and
Hamlet's insane behavior is a significant part of the story because it is supposedly part of his revenge plan, but also because of the additional problems, it creates. Some have argued that his madness was indeed an act, but rather real madness that he was trying to cover up by telling people
Hamlet’s depression inhibits his obsession for vengeance due to his inability to take action. Hamlet has suffered emotional trauma and often uses sarcasm to mask his pain. He pokes fun at the situations he’s faced with
Gertrude states to Hamlet that there is no ghost and that he has gone crazy. This clearly shows that Hamlet has gone insane and that everyone knows it but him (220-2223). For instance, Charlie Mason infamous serial killer states to the public that his murders are justifiable because he was doing it because god request him to do it in order to satisfy him. Similarity, to Hamlet who believes that he should kill Claudius because see he saw a ghost that looked
In the play “Hamlet” the main character, Hamlet, is portrayed as a madman. However, in the play, Hamlet believes he is faking his madness. This prompts the question of whether or not he is faking his madness. This decision is left up to the reader to interpret. In the play Hamlet starts his downward spiral by pretending to be crazy, however pretending to be crazy eventually drove him to real madness as by the end of the play he had lost his mind.
An 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.
He did not want anyone knowing about his encounter with his father’s ghost. This shows that Hamlet can not be acting mad. Consequently, he believes that one should not perform a role, but actually become the person they 're pretending to be. This shows in his stunt when instead of pretending to be mad, he becomes mad in all
He expresses his feeling in his “heart, for I must hold my tongue” (1.2.160). This is an important quote because it is important to understand because it allows to the reader to see that Hamlet cannot speak to anyone about how he feels. As an effect to his decision of not speaking out, this allowed for rage and discomfort to grow inside him which will be one of the main reasons as to why he is legitimately going insane. With these various stressors in his life, it gives more evidence and reasoning to why he often experienced constant signs of depression and suicidal thoughts. The signs of distress he showed throughout the play are highlighted tremendously since he experienced major signs of depression.
Hamlet 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.