Hamlet Essay - Prompt #2

Madness is a theme that runs throughout Hamlet, though there is no proof that the title character himself is mad.  Hamlet is an adolescent male; he is still growing and has not yet come to terms with himself.  He is not insane: this so-called insanity is entirely an act that Hamlet uses to achieve his ends.  At this point in his life he is overwhelmed and feels helpless, but he is entirely in control of his mind and actions.  Hamlet is an actor.  Elements like the ghost and the fishmonger conversation are used to support this theory of Hamlet's madness, but they can be interpreted in multiple ways.

His ability to see the ghost serves the story and can be taken in one of two ways: Hamlet is insane and seeing things, or the ghost of his father really is present.  It is up to the viewer or reader of the play to make the final decision as to whether Hamlet is mad or not.  The appearance ghost is often used as evidence of this madness, but this is not necessarily true.  The ghost is not just a character but a plot devise used to bring confirmation that Claudius is the murderer of Hamlet Senior. 

Hamlet's supposed insanity is addressed in other situations, like when he calls Polonius a fishmonger, apparently pretending he doesn't know him.  Hamlet appears to not know Polonius and to think he's a fishmonger, though he has obviously known Polonius for quite some time.  This is a moment in which Hamlet is pretending to be insane in order to gain an upper hand in the situation.  If people think he's insane, he can get away with more and he can creatively use it to his advantage.

This state of borderline insanity that people believe Hamlet is in is not an unusual way to behave for anyone whose father was unjustly killed.  Hamlet is already in a state of mourning.  The combination of this and his extreme anger with Claudius created not a true insanity, but a need for revenge.  This then led to Hamlet feigning insanity.  Not only this, but Hamlet is also scared by the thought of having to kill Claudius, which adds an edge to him and his feelings.

Were Hamlet alive in the modern world, whether or not he is insane would still be up for debate.  In the hundreds of years since Shakespeare, humans have made many further medical advancements but still do not fully understand insanity.  Still, Hamlet's behavior would mirror that of a modern teenager going through the ups and downs of daily life.  Hamlet's anger is very human and very relatable- revenge is not an abnormal wish.