Insanity
Initially, the play opens up with a scene that has a mysterious tone that Shakespeare placed within the dialogue. The watchmen of the castle along with Horatio, Hamlet's best friend, discuss the appearance of a ghost wandering through the castle ramparts. At this instant in the play, the theme of insanity is clearly identified with the eminent belief of an appearance of a poltergeist by these presumably clear-headed men. Essentially, the watchmen are second-guessing themselves because of the apparition is so unbelievable and resembles the newly-deceased king, who is Hamlet Sr. Furthermore, the next scene embodies another aspect of madness while Hamlet is heavily considering suicide. Hamlet dramatically states how he wishes God had not made suicide such a sin because he wishes to commit suicide. His reasoning for his melancholy and sheer insanity of ending his own life originates from his mother's betrayal and madness to remarry to his uncle so quickly and rashly. Additionally, in his soliloquy appears a sense of rage and vengeance against his uncle, which gradually increases as the act progresses.
Hamlet's insanity seems to undergo "the snowball effect" by gradually increasing through each event that occurs. When Horatio and the watchmen alert Hamlet that there may be a ghost of his father roaming throughout the ramparts in the early morning hours, several thoughts travel through his head. Ultimately, the moment when Hamlet's father reveals his betrayal and murder by his own brother is when Hamlet loses control of his emotions as well as his actions. However, in one analysis reveals that his actions have sprouted from an intentional dramatic plan of only pretending to be mad: "After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps. Here, he warns his friends that he will put on an "antic disposition"—i.e., pretend to be a madman: (Hamlet 1) This thought allows the reader to second-guess his actions throughout the play to categorize Hamlet as a madman or a genius. "The mooted question of the Prince's sanity has divided the readers of Shakespeare into two opposing schools; the one defending a feigned, and the other an unfeigned madness." (Blackmore)
Initially, the play opens up with a scene that has a mysterious tone that Shakespeare placed within the dialogue. The watchmen of the castle along with Horatio, Hamlet's best friend, discuss the appearance of a ghost wandering through the castle ramparts. At this instant in the play, the theme of insanity is clearly identified with the eminent belief of an appearance of a poltergeist by these presumably clear-headed men. Essentially, the watchmen are second-guessing themselves because of the apparition is so unbelievable and resembles the newly-deceased king, who is Hamlet Sr. Furthermore, the next scene embodies another aspect of madness while Hamlet is heavily considering suicide. Hamlet dramatically states how he wishes God had not made suicide such a sin because he wishes to commit suicide. His reasoning for his melancholy and sheer insanity of ending his own life originates from his mother's betrayal and madness to remarry to his uncle so quickly and rashly. Additionally, in his soliloquy appears a sense of rage and vengeance against his uncle, which gradually increases as the act progresses.
Hamlet's insanity seems to undergo "the snowball effect" by gradually increasing through each event that occurs. When Horatio and the watchmen alert Hamlet that there may be a ghost of his father roaming throughout the ramparts in the early morning hours, several thoughts travel through his head. Ultimately, the moment when Hamlet's father reveals his betrayal and murder by his own brother is when Hamlet loses control of his emotions as well as his actions. However, in one analysis reveals that his actions have sprouted from an intentional dramatic plan of only pretending to be mad: "After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps. Here, he warns his friends that he will put on an "antic disposition"—i.e., pretend to be a madman: (Hamlet 1) This thought allows the reader to second-guess his actions throughout the play to categorize Hamlet as a madman or a genius. "The mooted question of the Prince's sanity has divided the readers of Shakespeare into two opposing schools; the one defending a feigned, and the other an unfeigned madness." (Blackmore)
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