Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Investigating Hamlets Sanity :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Shakespeares Hamlet Investigating Hamlets Insanity          Hamlet is one of Shakespeares most noteworthy plays, and hardest toperform. The reason it is so hard to perform is because of the mainchar routineer Hamlet. Hamlet is an easily liked character that must revenge hisfathers death. He is forced to act psychopathic in order to find out the truthof his fathers death. Hamlet does an excellent job of acting insane, sogood, in fact, that it is questioned if he was acting insane or if heactually was. Hamlets madness is an important set forth in the play. It is animportant role that recurs throughout the play. The question to hisinsanity lies in the reasons for his insanity. He is always betrayedthroughout the play by everyone he loves and holds dear except for oneperson who sticks by him throughout his ordeal, Horatio.         Hamlet first appearances his passion and how upset he is by his fathersdeath when his mother and the king enter the room and question him on hisgrief for his father. His mother mentions that his grief seems common.Hamlet replies          Seems, madam nay it is I know not seems.        Tis not  alone my inky cloak, good mother,        Nor customary suits of solemn black,        Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,         No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,        Nor the dejected havior of the visage,         together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,        That can denote me truly these indeed seem,        For they are actions that a man might play        But I have that within which passeth show        These but the trappings and the suits of woe.(1.2) Here Hamlet shows his unstable mind. He is screaming at his mother tellingher how his actions are honest and he is not simulation to grieve, but thathe is truly saddened by his fathers death. He has become offended by hismothers inference that Hamlet is not actually upset by his fathers death..She uses the marches Seems which pushes Hamlet to this rage.         Hamlet is so saddened by his fathers death that he begins to thinkof suicide. O, that this too too solid flesh would melt / Thaw and resolveitself into a dew(1.2.129-130). He is wishing that his flesh would meltaway or Or that the Everlasting had not fixd / His canon gainst self-slaughter(131-132).  He then reveals the first part to his madness Buttwo months dead nay, not so much, not two /  So excellent a king thatwas, to this, /  Hyperion to a satyr so loving to my mother(138-140).