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Insanity In Hamlet Research Paper

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Insanity In Hamlet Research Paper
In his play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, 400 years ago William Shakespeare’s claims are still reflected upon today’s society revenge is looked at in an eye for an eye perspective. In this play it shows that obsessively following a path of vengeance leads to nothing but madness. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers, but all with a different perspective. Shakespeare believes that actively seeking and obsessing over revenge is related to mental illness because it could potentially worsen someone’s state of being.

Shakespeare shows that obsessing over revenge can drive someone insane through Prince Hamlet. Ever since the King’s spirit showed up and told Prince Hamlet to avenge his “foul and most unnatural murder”(Shakespeare I.v.25) that was done by the very villain that now wears his crown, revenge served as Prince Hamlet’s initial goal in the pursuit for vindication of his father’s death. At first, Hamlet was pretending to be a madman and “put an antic disposition”(Shakespeare I.v.173) in order to cover the plot of his revenge and also prove Claudius’ guilt. But in doing so this performance distracts from taking action against Claudius because it appears as if he does truly go insane. Even after he has gathered evidence against Claudius, he continues to behave strangely. After murdering Polonius thinking that its Claudius, he doesn’t show …show more content…
Driven to madness by the murder of his father, Polonius, Laertes, with the help of Claudius, conspires to kill Hamlet and uses all the power he has to get avenge his father’s death. In comparison to Hamlet, Laertes has no care for the morality behind his act of revenge to the point where he is ready “to cut his throat i' th' church” (Shakespeare, IV.vii.123). Shakespeare claims that revenge causes people to act recklessly through anger rather than reason and obsessing over this could lead to
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