Hamlet's Sanity Essay

Let me first start off by saying that the word madness or insanity means a mental disorder that is used to describe a person when they don't know the difference between right or wrong. They don't consider the consequences of their actions due to the mental defect. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet Shakespeare makes you to believe that Hamlet might be insane. There are many clues to suggest Hamlet is insane but in reality he is completely sane.

Throughout the play Hamlet makes smart decisions to prove he is not insane. He knows exactly what he is leading up to. An example of this is in Act III, Hamlet says Now might I do it pat, now 'a is a-praying, and now I'll do it-and so a goes to heaven, and so am I revenged that would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. He says here that he has his chance to kill his father's murder but, he is praying. By killing him while he's praying his soul goes to heaven and this wouldn't be revenge. This is not a thought of an insane person. An insane person would have completed the murder at this opportunity. In Act III, To be or not to be..., Hamlet displays his indecisiveness by thinking about suicide because of the situation he is in. He would rather be dead than alive with the thought of his father's death going unavenged. He is scared to get revenge because he found out from a ghost and he doesn't know what to do. Thus conscience takes a major part in the thought and action of murder. This is why he delays so long to commit the murder. An insane person would not wait. They would be more apt to act in impulse.

Hamlet's madness only existed when he was in the presence of certain characters. When Hamlet is around Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Gildenstern, he behaves irrationally. For example in Act II, Polonius asks Hamlet, Do you know me, my Lord? Hamlet replies, Excellent well, you are a fischmonger. Hamlet pretends not to know who Polonius is, even though he is Ophelia's father. When Hamlet is around Horatio, Bernardo, Fransisco, the players and the Gravediggers, he behaves rationally. In Act I, Hamlet says How strange or odd some'er shall think meet to put on antic disposition, That you, at such times, seeing me, never shall, with arms encumbered thus, or this head shake He dowsn't want Horatio to reveal anything that might be going on. He tells Horatio he will be acting mad and he must not say anything. Throughout the play Hamlet questions everyone. He questions the ghost, he questions Rosencrantz and Gilderstern, Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude, and Ophelia. In Act III, Hamlet asks Ophelia Ha, Ha! are you honest? Are you fair? and Where is your father? Ophelia tells Hamlet he's at home. Hamlet knows that he is being spied on by Claudius and Polonius so he pretends to be mad. At this point the King says Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. He still is not completely convinced of Hamlet's madness so he is cautious. Throughout the entire play Hamlet is careful with his actions. He thinks everything through. He planned all his actions out instead of acting out in a foot of rage. He had to be completely sure before taking action. Hamlet was completely aware of his actions and what was morally correct. He never lost his goal to show the King's sin of murdering his father and getting revenge. Hamlet was completely sane throughout this play.