Madness As Depicted By Various Characters Such As Ophelia And Hamlet

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Is Hamlet Mad?
In the work of Shakespeare, one of the most pervasive themes is the madness as depicted by various characters such as Ophelia and Hamlet. The characters in this work, however, display madness directed by a tragedy in their lives such as the death of their fathers in the case of Ophelia and Hamlet. However, they show their madness in different ways, which is crucial to the reader and determine whether the characters are mad or not. The question of whether Hamlet is sane or insane will depend on the reader’s definition of insanity and the point of the play used to make the judgment. This essay explores this question considering the behaviors shown by Hamlet in relation to the story.
In the play, Hamlet shows numerous characteristics that indicate that he is mad starting from its beginning. At the start of the play, we learn that Hamlet had a visit from his father’s ghost. The seeing of a ghost is an indicator that Hamlet is already mad. Furthermore, Hamlet speaks with his father's ghost, which tells him that Claudius was responsible for his death. It led to Hamlet showing erratic behaviors, which indicates that he has become obsessed with the idea of avenging his father's death and eventually questioning life. Besides, Hamlet is confused because he is worried that the ghost might "be a devil who will betray his soul", instead of being his father’s actual ghost (Frye, 12). It drives him into further madness since he becomes confused on what to do after seeing the ghost.
In the early parts of the play, Hamlet could have killed Claudius while he was praying. However, Hamlet reasoned that he could not kill Claudius while he was praying since it would mean that Claudius’ soul would go to Heaven. Therefore, Hamlet decides that the best revenge against Claudius will be to wait for another time to ensure that his soul could not go to heaven. As time goes on for Hamlet to exact his revenge, the more he descends into melancholy and madness. His state of melancholy is shown by his famous monologue of "to be, or not to be" (Shakespeare, Act 3 Scene 1). It is a prime example of Hamlet descending into an existential crisis whether he is seen to contemplate on the meaning of life and death and making a deciding on whether it is better to take his own life or not. It indicates that Hamlet's...