Matthew Zavolta

Miss. Skirtich

7 November 2017

English 10: World Literature

Is Hamlet's Insanity Just for Show or Has He Actually Become Insane?

Most people who are insane do not act it, like Hamlet portrays in "Hamlet."As one of the
greatest English writers of all time, William Shakespeare showcases how Hamlet acts insane to
make people think that he is insane. People say that Hamlet has actually becomes insane instead
of acting. Shakespeare portrays insanity in "Hamlet" by death, corruption, and internal
struggles.

Shakespeare portrays insanity in "Hamlet" by death. One instance in which death comes
into play occurs when Hamlet kills Polonius, "How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead"
(III.iiii.28). Another quote is, "A bloody deed—almost as bad, good mother, /As kill a king and
marry with his brother"(III.iiii.34-35). In these quotes, Hamlet thinks he killed Claudius but it
was Polonius. Hamlet basically shrugs it off and moves on. For a normal person they would be
devastated after killing someone on accident but for Hamlet it means nothing. Another example
of death in the play crops up when Ophelia dies from suicide, "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand
brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love/ Make up my sum" (V.i.285-287). In this
instance from the text, Hamlet says how he loves Ophelia very much, but when he finds out that
she was in on Polonius and Claudius spying on him, he told her he did not love her at all. That
just shows his insanity might have killed Ophelia because he told her that he did not love her
which made Ophelia upset. Death pilots Hamlet's insanity throughout the play.

Additionally, Shakespeare portrays insanity in "Hamlet" by corruption. One instance in

which insanity comes into play occurs when Claudius becomes king after murdering King
Hamlet, "I am still possessed/ Of those effects for which I did the murder: My crown, mine own
ambition, and my queen"(III.iii.57-60). In this quote, Claudius says that he killed King Hamlet
for his royalty and his wife. Claudius wanted everything King Hamlet had. The murder of King
Hamlet would then make Hamlet depressed, suicidal and insane. His sanity was taken by
Claudius. Another example of insanity in the play crops up when Gertrude marries Claudius
shortly after King Hamlet's death, "She married. O, most wicked speed, to post/ With such
dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not, nor it cannot come to good. But break, my heart, for I
must hold my tongue (I.ii.161-164). In this quote, Hamlet is affected because his mother married
him quickly after his father's death. He thinks that she just does not care that her husband died
and she marries another person. Also, Hamlet is told by the ghost that Claudius kills King
Hamlet, which makes Gertrude the wife of his father's killer. Corruption pilots Hamlet's insanity
throughout the play.

Lastly, Shakespeare portrays insanity in "Hamlet" by internal struggles. One instance in

which internal struggles comes into play occurs when Hamlet debates suicide, "To be or not to
be—that is the question: 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"(III.i.64-69). Hamlet questions if it would be better to kill himself or
struggle in pain. That questions his sanity because, he is debating suicide and he is not thinking
straight. Another example of internal struggles in the play crops up when Hamlet is depressed
after his father's death, "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! O God, God,
/How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world"(I.ii.133-138). In
this instance from the text, Hamlet tells us how depressed he really is. Claudius tells Hamlet to
man up and move on shortly after his father's death. That makes Hamlet feel terrible and later on
in the book his insanity will come from that. Internal struggles pilots Hamlet's insanity
throughout the play.

In conclusion, Shakespeare portrays insanity in "Hamlet" by death, corruption, and

internal struggles. Shakespeare was able to give all those great examples to support the reason
why Hamlet has actually become insane. People may argue that he was acting to be insane
throughout the whole book but these examples may change their minds.