In William Shakespeare’s renowned play “Hamlet,” the protagonist, Hamlet, is depicted as a character whose sanity is constantly questioned. Throughout the play, Hamlet’s behavior swings between moments of rationality and episodes of apparent madness. This essay aims to explore the various events where Hamlet’s mental disability of madness is displayed and the argument of if his madness is real and justified or if he is tricking the people around him using his insanity. Hamlets insanity and madness are apparent and I aim to argue that he was truly insane and in a state of madness throughout the book through examples and scholarly sources.
One of the central elements of Hamlet’s character is his deliberate feigning of madness. After encountering the ghost of his father, Hamlet learns of his uncle Claudius’s treachery in murdering King Hamlet to seize the throne and steal Hamlet’s fathers wife. To start his revenge without arousing suspicion, Hamlet adopts the disability and appearance of madness. He declares, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw” (Act 2, Scene 2). This statement suggests that Hamlet’s madness is calculated and selective, allowing him to manipulate those around him and that learning of his fathers murder has lit a spark in him in a negative way.
Hamlet’s madness manifests in various forms throughout the play. His erratic behavior, such as his outbursts of anger and cryptic statements, confuse and concern those around him. For instance, in his confrontation with Ophelia, Hamlet’s frenzied demeanor and nonlogical ramblings leave her bewildered and distressed. Hamlet is first courteous of Ophelia, but suddenly turns on her. He denies having loved her, asks where her father is and attacks womankind. He exclaims to her “Of if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (Act 3, scene 1). This quote shows Hamlet’s views of marriage are potentially destroyed because of Gertrude’s remarriage to his uncle that killed his father, and woman in general. It also highlights how his mental disability and the situation is getting to him more, and altering his relationships.
Furthermore, his erratic behavior during the performance of “The Murder of Gonzago” serves as a dramatic display of his supposed madness, causing Claudius to react suspiciously. Hamlet’s plan is to try and determine if Claudius is guilty by watching his reaction and demeanor through the play. This shows his insanity because nobody in their right mind would blame someone for murder or be convinced someone is guilty based on a simple reaction to a play that does not directly involve the murder of his father. It highlights that obsession and false thinking. Hamlet’s potentially strategic planned madness is now becoming evident; he is truly insane and in a fragile state of mind.
One of the most significant episodes illustrating Hamlet’s madness is the killing of Polonius. Mistaking Polonius for Claudius behind a curtain, Hamlet impulsively stabs him to death. This act further complicates the perception of Hamlet’s sanity, as it suggests a genuine lapse into madness rather than a carefully orchestrated demeanor. After he kills Polonius Hamlet says, “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune. Thou find’st to be too busy is some danger”(Act 3, scene 4). Hamlet is saying how he killed Polonius for the better of everyone and he should be grateful that he is dead. When he says “I took thee for thy better” he is admitting he killed the wrong person and meant to kill Claudious but is initially not upset with what happened. However, Hamlet’s oncoming remorse and acknowledgment of his actions indicate a degree of self-awareness that contradicts a purely deranged state of mind. Although, this does not justify just killing someone over a mistake. Nobody that isn’t suffering from a serious mental disability would ever randomly kill another human, whether it was the right person he was going for or not. A mentally stable person would also never dabble with if it was wrong or right to do so and only slowly begin to show remorse for such a horrible mistake.
The question of whether Hamlet’s madness is genuine or staged remains a subject of debate among scholars and readers. Some argue that Hamlet’s madness is entirely fabricated, being used as a strategic ploy to achieve his objectives. Others say that Hamlet’s experiences and tragedies genuinely push him to the brink of insanity. Ultimately, Shakespeare leaves the interpretation of Hamlet’s madness open to individual interpretation.
I believe that Hamlet’s madness was far from staged to get around people and instead was true acts of madness and mental instability. Finding out about your father being murdered, talking to a ghost version of your father, and being left with nobody can do serious harm to an individual’s well being and cripple them. However, in an article they challenged this belief and said, “Despite the evidence that Hamlet actually is mad, we also see substantial evidence that he is just pretending.” They then went on to talk about a quote in Hamlet saying, “Hamlet tells Horatio and Marcellus that he plans to “put an antic disposition on” (Act 1, scene 5). They go on to argue that Hamlet in this quote shows that he is sane enough to be able to tell the difference between disordered and rational behavior.
As convincing as that is if we look at medical professionals at the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) who say Bipolar I Disorder is defined as “manic episodes that last for at least 7 days (nearly every day for most of the day) or by manic symptoms that are so severe that the person needs immediate medical care.” This would logically explain why in act 1 Hamlet may have been aware enough to make a statement suggesting he was going to act in a deranged state, but being so early on and then having evidence of manic episodes that get increasingly worse and less explainable implicates he is showing direct signs of the Bipolar I disorder.
With Bipolar disorder present in Hamlet this can directly relate to his violence. In the Psychiatric Times medical professionals claim, “Persons with bipolar disorder are at significantly increased risk for violence.” They also highlight, “Impulsive aggression is most commonly associated with bipolar and other affective disorders.” This directly relates to Hamlet when he spastically kills Polonius and logically explains how someone in a manic episode with Bipolar disorder are likely to act in violence especially when past trauma is present which is true to Hamlet.
Through all this evidence nobody can truly know whether or not Hamlet was truly mad. A scholarly source on the sanity of Hamlet concludes there paper by saying, “We can not know truly whether Hamlet was mad or not. But we can describe his symptoms and define his psychosis.” This shows that even the smartest scholars know this is a complicated debate but through clues placing a logical diagnosis of Bipolar disorder is fair and reasonable. They go on to say in the paper, “He appears to have had an over-fondness of logic.” Speaking on Hamlets constant use of logic it is only fair to use logic to argue that he was most definitely in a state of madness and insanity.
In conclusion in “Hamlet,” Shakespeare masterfully explores the disability of human psychology through the lens of madness. Hamlet’s display of madness serves as a debating point that moves the plot forward and creates suspense and unknowing shocking events. Whether genuine or staged, Hamlet’s madness adds depth and complexity to his character, proving his status as one of literature’s most enigmatic figures.
Work Cited
“Hamlet: Is Hamlet Really Mad? | SparkNotes.” Www.sparknotes.com, http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/central-idea-essay/is-hamlet-really-mad/#:~:text=The%20most%20obvious%20evidence%20is.
National Institute of Mental Health. “Bipolar Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, Feb. 2023, http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder.
Shakespeare, William, et al. Hamlet. Tempe, Arizona Acmrs Press, Arizona State University, 2021.
Allison M. R. Lee, MD;Igor I. Galynker. “Violence in Bipolar Disorder.” Psychiatric Times, MJH Life Sciences, http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/violence-bipolar-disorder. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.
The Sanity of Hamlet on Jstor, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2939352. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024. The Sanity of Hamlet on Jstor, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2939352. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
Sprockets and Springes 