In 1992 a notorious serial killer and sex offender named Jeffery Dahmer was put on trial for the the sixteen brutal murders he had committed in Wisconsin. Along with murder, his convictions included cannibalism, necrophilia, and preservation of body parts. During the trial he had many doctors and experts argue whether he was criminally insane or whether he was sane and knew what he was doing during the time of the murders. Although he was diagnosed with multiple personality disorders, Dahmer was found to be legally sane and able to stand trial. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist acts insane, but there is evidence that it is nothing more than a sham. Hamlet, the protagonist, acts insane to a selected group of people, specifically nobles. Some of the nobles see through this act and have a hunch that he …show more content…
The fact that he only acts this way around nobles, like his mother, father, and Polonius for example, conveys the idea that he knows what he is doing. An instance where this happens occurs when Hamlet is speaking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern after they had just arrived to Denmark. He starts off speaking about beggars’ bodies and monarchs, which has no correlation to the conversation. He states, “For by my fay, I cannot reason,” (2.2.259). By this he meant that he seems to be losing his mind a bit. Similarly, in an additional conversation Hamlet has with Guildenstern he mentions his mental state again. Guildenstern goes to Hamlet to tell him that his mother wants to have a word with him. He asks Hamlet to stop fooling around and Hamlet says that he cannot. “Make you a wholesome answer.” Hamlet says, “My wit’s deceased,” (3.2.299). By saying this he means that his mind is confused. Altogether these examples of interactions that Hamlet has with nobility and high-ranking people demonstrates that he only pretends to be mad when there is someone of significance
The way Hamlet thinks is that he uses that he uses a big fancy word that is smart. You can also say he uses duty ethic for his thinking process. That just means that the means justify the ends. Also no one who is insane can come up with the plan of the play to catch the conscience of the king. Furthermore, someone who is insane cannot pretend to go insane to use it as a cover story to act out his plan.
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.
There are plenty of examples of Hamlet appearing mad, but there are just as many examples of Hamlet appearing sane, even intelligent. Hamlet is even aware of his madness, which can be seen in the quote, “What I have done that might your nature, honor, and exception roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness… It ‘t be so, Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged; His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy” (273). Hamlet is clearly aware of his own madness, but this does not necessarily invoke his sanity. Hamlet still appears insane,
Crawford states that Shakespeare includes Hamlet’s fits of madness were deliberately used to make Claudius and his attendants confused and for them to think Hamlet’s mental health is deteriorating. Crawford analyzes, “The fact that he [Hamlet] has made it appear like real madness to many critics today only goes to show the wideness of his knowledge and the greatness of his dramatic skill” (Crawford. 1916. p 1.). Crawford states that Hamlet is merely acting insane and he is extremely clever for doing this.
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.
This quote is important because he seemed totally happy talking to his childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern but then he seemed pretty quickly. He began to take severe shots at the people of Denmark by basically calling them fake and suck ups. He says they wouldn’t even give Claudius the time of day when Hamlet was King but as soon as King
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.
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
A select few scholars believe that Hamlet is not pretending to be mad, but in reality is insane. Hamlet reveals his insanity through his strange behavior toward others. Dr. Simon A. Blackmore claims, “The Real or Assumed Madness of Hamlet” in Shakespearean Online that Hamlet is insane because of the fact that he is able to see a ghost while others cannot (215). Dr. Blackmore in The Real or Assumed... also asserts that in Act III, scene IV, the instance when Hamlet is in Gertrude chamber and Hamlet states to Gertrude that he see a ghost.
What would one expect the personality of a man whose father was murdered by his uncle, who becomes his step-father? The personality in question points to Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark—who William Shakespeare depicts in his play “Hamlet.” A character analysis of Hamlet reveals that through his internal dialogue, his interpretation of his father 's murder, and his actions, his traits—bitterness, depression, and anger—emerge. Scholars have studied Hamlet for decades, and most have concluded that Hamlet 's personality indicated insanity. However, after observing Hamlet 's actions, his actions throughout the play do not resemble those of an insane person.
When betrayed, one usually has negative emotions towards the people who have betrayed them. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare this idea is well illustrated, it is shown that betrayal affects the actions of Hamlet towards his friends and family, which indicates that the pursuit of vengeance often can cause one to forget the value of life. The betrayals that Hamlet suffered at the hands of his close friends and family, revealed important parts of Hamlet’s character, such as his intelligence, he is a very meticulous thinker that looks at situations from all angles, he is cunning, he has the ability to manipulate everyone into believing that he is insane, and he is skeptical, he does not believe any information until he finds it out for
He does this to see whether Claudius is guilty of his father’s murder or not. When the prologue actor enters, Hamlet says, “We shall know by this fellow. The players cannot keep counsel. They’ll tell all. ”(3.2.130-131).
He uses his deception of madness to make this sound like mad ramblings to everyone else, but he is truly asking these questions and wondering about the ins and outs of how life truly works, and what it all means. So Hamlet basically acts insane to cover up the seriousness of these questions he is seeking the answers to. “But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,/Could force his soul so to his own conceit,/That from her working all his visage wann’d,/ Tears in his eyes, distraction in’s aspect,/ A broken voice, and his
In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, there are a series of events that causes Hamlet to act abnormally. He has to deal with his father’s death, mother’s remarriage, and his lover Ophelia. However, it is often argued whether Hamlet’s madness is real or fake. Throughout the tragedy, he is over-exaggerating his madness for his plan of revenge.
Many characters show signs of intelligence throughout William Shakespeare’s Hamlet as they conjure plans to achieve their goals. However, Hamlet’s intelligence is far superior to that of all the other characters. He is capable of altering the kingdom’s perception of him to his advantage by adjusting his behaviours. The schemes he devises outsmart everyone and leave him to appear innocent. Most importantly, Hamlet miraculously escapes his own death and instead brings an end to those involved in his execution.