Madness In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Madness is an odd thing. It can take over someone's mind and cause them to do things they wouldn't normally do. The exact definition of madness in the case that we’re looking at is defined as a state of severe mental illness-not used technically. In most instances, madness is triggered by a series of tragedies or events that can alter one's emotions in a negative way. Some synonyms of madness include insanity, derangement, and rage. In Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's famous plays, it is widely debated whether Hamlet was truly drawn to madness or if it was all an act.
Madness, was it real or all an act, that's the question. It all starts when Hamlet's father was murdered and Hamlet is asked by the ghost of his father to seek revenge on who killed …show more content…
Although many believe Hamlet crossed into insanity, he always kept the goal in mind and never lost sight of what he wanted to happen. Some people still might say “well look at him, listen to what's he's saying, he’s gone mad, etc.”, but that would be wrong because Hamlet had a mastermind and he knew what he was doing. Also, if Hamlet was truly insane, he would have been insane the whole play (or every scene like Ophelia), but he wasn't. One scene, he would act insane and deranged and the next he would be completely fine and acting normal. He would act fine around the people who he said his plan to, so this proves he was not truly mad, but it was all a hoax created by Hamlet himself. He would act fine around Horatio and Gertrude, which he said his plan to. “That I essentially am not in madness, But mad in craft” (Act III, Scene IV, 203-204). This is where Hamlet told his mother, Gertrude, that he is not actually driven by madness but is pretending. He then tells Gertrude to not say anything to Claudius, because it would then ruin his whole plan. Not only did everybody think he was going mad, but they all thought it was for different reasons. This made Hamlet’s plan run much more smoothly because he didn’t have to worry about anybody or anything but his
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