Was Hamlet disabled or damaged? A disability is defined as a mental or physical impairment that makes it typically more difficult for people to complete tasks or limit one’s ability to carry out certain day to day activities. There are a variety of ways to interpret Hamlet’s speech “To be or not to be ”. Initially the speech portrays Hamlet to be sent into a deep depression and even suicidal tendencies. His family treats him as if he has gone rogue, because of the trauma he has endured with little time to grieve and no support given by his “loved” ones. Hamlet endured an incredible amount of loss in such a short time such as his father King Hamlet murder, his mother remarrying the king’s brother, being sent away to be rid of the burden he has sent to the family, and Ophelia’s death. His family saw Hamlet as someone who caused a disruption to their reputation and family. Hamlet struggled to return to his normal activities and limited his abilities to take care of himself properly. Hamlet’s mind was his biggest enemy, which made him not only damaged but also disabled.
Hamlets overall tendencies and behaviors gives the audience clear suicidal thoughts and a deep depression spiral. But, is depression considered a disability? According to the ADA, they consider a person with a disability to be anyone that struggles with a mental physical restriction that limits one’s ability to work or take care of oneself. Hamlet play was set in the early 1600’s. The stigma of mental health from the 1600’s and the 20th century has changed drastically. In today’s time, depression, anxiety, and trauma is seen as something that can be helped with therapy, medication and different grieving techniques. However, in both time centuries some can argue these mental disorders need to be “fixed”. In Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet states,
“O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
thaw and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the
everlasting had not fixed. His canon
’gainst self-slaughter!… ’Tis an unweeded garden,
That grows to a seed. Things rank in nature” ( 1.2. 133-140).
This is where Hamlet first started to show signs of his depressive state. Hamlet had just recently lost his father and he was trying to refer to his life as being an “unweeded garden”. Gardens are typically colorful, beautiful, and overall a sign of happiness, however, when Hamlet is talking, he shows that his life is now dead, unhappy and something that once had been so glamorous is now dreadful and dark. In act 1 scene 5, Hamlet sees his dead fathers ghosts and he tells Hamlet that Claudias murdered him. After this scene you can see a very clear change in Hamlet’s behavior and mannerisms. However, while reading this journal called The Hamlet Syndrome, the author states an unique point of view by stating, “ Why does Hamlet feign madness? The question is not, Is Hamlet mad or just feigning?, because Hamlet clearly says at the end of Act I that he is going to fake it, that he is going “to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.175)” (Wilson). The controversy with this statement was that Hamlet stated he was going to fake his mad behavior to cause ruckus. However, Hamlet could have started out with some exaggerated behavior but Hamlet endured a lot of trauma, anger, thoughts of revenge, and depression because of continuous events that were happening. Hamlet had every reason to act out the way he did given everything he had to go through by his lonesome, however Hamlet also shows the audience that vengeance and depression can cause someone to go “mad”. In Hamlet’s speech he states,
“Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream” (3.1.64-98).
Hamlet contemplates suicide and death. He is feeling impenetrable feelings weighing out his pain and unfairness he is enduring and wondering if death would be a better alternative. Almost like death would be a reward to end his pain and suffering. He also contemplates that suicide because that was not an option because of his religion. If Hamlet was given support, care and someone to confide in, maybe Hamlet would not have acted out as much as he did. Hamlet suffered severe depression. Depression is something that causes someone to feel hopeless, sad, delusional, and sometimes even hallucinations. Depression makes seeing the light of life extremely difficult and almost impossible to see the good in anything. Hamlet experienced all of these. Depression is classified under a psychiatric disability. In Claudius’s and Gurtrudes eyes Hamlet’s madness was him acting out, and causing a ruckus in the castle. However, this was Hamlet’s way as a cry out for help. In this journal The Sanity of Hamlet’s, it states
“Then, principally in his soliloquies, he
reveals himself to us as diffident, nervous, procrastinating,
”a rogue and peasant slave,” according to his own account,
playing with the thoughts of suicide and death, and pessi-
mistic as to the existence of truth and love and honour.
He suggests the man who is too intellectual to be practical;
he thinks too much and does too little” (Davis).
This shows that Hamlet may be describing himself. Hamlet is talking about a man who is nervous and procrastinating something, which could be the murder of his uncle. Or referfing to the suicidal thoughts and death is almost a scream for help. Hamlet is describing someone who is screaming for help. Hamlet had to play out his madness to portray his emotions.
Throughout this play, the main message that was clearly being portrayed throughout the entire play was mental health. This play showed the importance and disparity of depression and what that can do to a person. Depression consumes you to become someone you may not recognize. Hamlet was treated so poorly because of his mental health because the family did not want to deal with him. This play not only showed the importance of grief but also men’s mental health. Typically mental illnesses are more commonly seen in women than in men. Men suffering from mental illnesses are less likely to receive treatment or diagnosis. The stigma of men and mental health forces the men to “man up” or “tough it out.” The stigma of men speaking out is that it is seen as a form of weakness or not “manly.” Hamlet clearly showed signs of wanting to stay strong and not be seen as weak or unmanly. Hamlet states,
“Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!
Oh God! God!
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on’t! Oh fie fie! ” ( 1.2.130-134). Hamlet wanted to commit suicide, however also felt it was against his religion. Hamlet also could not seek any support of help because of his state of mind and his family dynamic. It is important to embrace your emotions and seek help through your vulnerability. That does not make you weak, it makes you human. Shakespeare created a play that not only showed the intensity and vulnerability of depression and mental health, but also madness and revenge.
References
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Translated by Justin O’Brien, Second Vintage International ed., Vintage International, 2018.
Claude C. H. Williamson. “Hamlet.” International Journal of Ethics, vol. 33, no. 1, 1922, pp. 85–100. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2377179. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
Rosenbridge, Bardsley. To Be, or Not to Be : Paraphrased. Punctum Books, 2016. INSERT-MISSING-DATABASE-NAME, Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.
Sartre, Jean-Paul, and Bernard Frechtman. Existentialism. Translated by Bernard Frechtman, Philosophical Library, 1947.
Wilson, Jeffrey R, and Henry F Fradella. “The Hamlet Syndrome.” Law, Culture and the Humanities, vol. 16, no. 1, 2020, pp. 82–102, https://doi.org/10.1177/1743872115626076.
Sprockets and Springes 