Hamlet s Madness And Insanity - 1481 Words

Much has been has been discussed of Hamlet’s madness and insanity. There have been endless arguments of whether his madness is feigned or unfeigned. Although, minimal arguments have been made about Hamlet’s pessimism. Hamlet is one of Shakespeare s most pessimistic plays, and as such it delivers the message that in a fallen world, reality often fails to match the ideal. The human experiences held up for pessimistic contemplation in Hamlet includes death, grief, loneliness, insanity, loss of meaning in life, breakdown of relationships, and the corruption of the basic institutions of life. Hamlet, as the main character, is the embodiment of such pessimism throughout the play. Hamlet’s proof of deep cynical pessimism shapes the way we†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Madness, then, is not so much a metaphor as metonymy for death, a moment in which the materiality of the body overturns the authority of distinctions out of which coherent, unified subjectivity is constructed†(Coddon, 397). This is what Hamlet struggles with indefinitely, not only is hamlet’s madness metonymy for death, but he exemplifies such by making direct, pessimistic metaphors. Hamlet refers to the world in a metaphor as â€Å"an unweeded garden†, directing the audience to the cause of his despair. Perhaps he is indicating that like a garden, that which should be beautiful and natural has become confused and perverted. This is perhaps referring to his mother’s â€Å"incestuous† marriage to his uncle: marriage should be a beautiful, natural pure thing, but it is now perverted by incest. Hamlet concludes at the end of his soliloquy that just lik e an unweeded garden â€Å"it is not, nor it cannot come to good.† Hamlet’s assumption that it can not ever â€Å"come to good† is Hamlet’s pessimistic state of mind anticipating undesirable outcomes. Take Hamlet’s relationship with his mother for exemplification. Because Hamlet has been so disillusioned about love by his mother’s actions, he rejects the possibility that romantic love is an important part of human relationships. He is consumed by the outrageousness of his mother’s love for his uncle, and he rejectsShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet - Uncertain Madness And Insanity1401 Words   |  6 PagesUncertain Madness and Insanity Madness can drive a person to do actions that could be described as weird, strange, concerning, and disturbing. Hamlet, the main character in the play Hamlet, leads people on to believe he has gone mad and insane. There is a debate that if Hamlet is truly mad, or if he is faking being mad. Also if he Hamlet does slip into insanity in the play at any point. Well with the evidence shown in the play, Hamlet is faking going into madness for most of part. Hamlet does inRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet - Sanity Vs. Insanity1742 Words   |  7 PagesJoyner Sanity VS. Insanity â€Å"Hamlet represents the mid period of the growth of Shakespeare s genius, when comedy and history ceased to be adequate for the expression of his deeper thoughts and sadder feelings about life, and when he was entering upon his great series of tragic writings† (The World s Best Essays from the Earliest Period to the Present Time). Hamlet’s actions are entirely too extreme for him to be faking his insanity. Hamlet is constantly on the brink of insanity, or so it seems likeRead MoreIs Hamlet Really Insane?1404 Words   |  6 PagesIV January 1st, 2015. Was Hamlet Really Insane? William Shakespeare, a renowned poet and playwright, wrote the play Hamlet at the turn of the 16th century– which has become known and enjoyed around nearly the entire world. Ever since it was written more than four centuries ago, there has been a decently large amount of debate between Shakespearean scholars, casual readers, literary critics, and sometimes even psychologists and psychoanalysts about whether or not Hamlet ever truly went insane atRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet 1253 Words   |  6 Pages Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an intricate play where many themes are connected; themes that help develop the play. The issue of death and disease, both physical and emotional is very important throughout the play, as well as fate. The play also questions insanity, as well as dishonesty and moral issues. Of course, who could fail to remember the illustrious phrase ‘To be or not to be’, where Hamlet not only ponders about life and death, but also life ’s other mysteries as well. Though these themesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet 1441 Words   |  6 Pages2016 In the beginning of Hamlet, Hamlet tells Horatio, â€Å"I perchance hereafter shall think meet / to put an antic disposition on† (Act I, Scene V, lines 190-192). Hamlet decides to fake his insanity, but does his insanity become his reality throughout the play? Hamlet s madness only manifests itself when he is in the presence of certain characters. When Hamlet is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he behaves irrationally. When Hamlet is around Horatio, BernardoRead MoreShakespeare s Madness : A Timeless Reflection Of Society1535 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeare’s Madness: A Timeless Reflection of Society The word â€Å"madness† often provokes thoughts of schizophrenia, dementia, and psychosis; however, these illnesses prove not to be the exact cause of the various downfalls to the characters throughout the play Hamlet. The author, William Shakespeare, depicts a different type of insanity in the play, one that seems ambiguous but also feels eerily similar to ones that still affect others to this day. Shweta Bali, author of Mechanics of Madness in Hamlet, MacbethRead MoreThe Profound Impact Of Female Characters Of Shakespeare s Hamlet930 Words   |  4 PagesThe Profound Impact of Female Characters in Hamlet How much of an impact can the women in a man’s life have on his thoughts and actions? A mother is the first woman her son will come into contact with, and can skew her son’s image of women through her actions. A man’s significant other also has the ability to bring out the best in him, but can also become the target for his anger and stray emotions. In William Shakespeare s Hamlet, although there are only two main female characters, both women†¯possessRead MoreIs Hamlet s Madness Genuine Or Feigned?1671 Words   |  7 PagesJordan Avery Mrs. Joyner Honors English IV 17 December 2015 Is Hamlet’s Madness Genuine or Feigned? One of the most controversially discussed themes in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is the theme of Hamlet’s madness. Shakespeare left it up to the audience to decide whether he was truly crazy or not. Although, there are many deliberate acts of fabricated insanity repeated throughout the play. Hamlet’s life events such as the death of his father, loving someone he cannot have,Read MoreThe Madness Of Shakespeare s Hamlet978 Words   |  4 PagesMind: The Madness of Shakespeare s Hamlet Madness, understood as an abnormal state of mind, broadens across a spectrum of unrecognizable or worrying behaviors. Numerous Shakespearian performances touch on the theme of madness, though Shakespeare s Hamlet displays the idea rather clearly because of the difficulties that the main character endures. Prince Hamlet is troubled by the lack of grieving from his mother after his father had died. Hamlet s mother, Queen Gertrude, remarries Hamlet s uncleRead Moreâ€Å"ThereS A Fine Line Between Genius And Insanity. I Have1280 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"There s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line† - Oscar Levant. William Shakespeare s tragic play, Hamlet, is centered around the idea of Revenge. Hamlet’s father was murdered by his uncle, who then married his widowed mother, leaving him absolutely traumatized. And to add to this trauma, his father’s ghost returned to tell him he was murdered and that revenge must be sought, or he must remain in purgatory. Hamlet then vowed to fulfill his father’s wish while also feigning