As Hamlet conspires to kill Claudius, he puts on the facade that he is mentally unstable so that no one will suspect any malice in him. In reality, Hamlet drives himself insane after faking it for so long. In Act II, Scene II, Hamlet says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” The King and Queen sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy and Hamlet, so when they try to talk and deceive Hamlet, Hamlet tells them that he can still recognize who are his friends and enemies even though he is mad. Through Hamlet’s wit, the reader can clearly see that Hamlet is not mad here, but in the next act, his madness changes from fiction to fact. In act I, Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet Jr. see the ghost of Hamlet Sr., but in act III, Scene IV, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, and his mother does not. After Hamlet talks aloud with the ghost, Gertrude says, “Alas, he’s mad.” It is highly debated whether or not Hamlet actually went mad or not, because when he was acting crazy in the beginning of the play, he retained his wit, but as the play developed, it seemed as if Hamlet was really just trying to kill Claudius no matter what else went on around him. The
As Hamlet conspires to kill Claudius, he puts on the facade that he is mentally unstable so that no one will suspect any malice in him. In reality, Hamlet drives himself insane after faking it for so long. In Act II, Scene II, Hamlet says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” The King and Queen sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy and Hamlet, so when they try to talk and deceive Hamlet, Hamlet tells them that he can still recognize who are his friends and enemies even though he is mad. Through Hamlet’s wit, the reader can clearly see that Hamlet is not mad here, but in the next act, his madness changes from fiction to fact. In act I, Horatio, Marcellus, and Hamlet Jr. see the ghost of Hamlet Sr., but in act III, Scene IV, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, and his mother does not. After Hamlet talks aloud with the ghost, Gertrude says, “Alas, he’s mad.” It is highly debated whether or not Hamlet actually went mad or not, because when he was acting crazy in the beginning of the play, he retained his wit, but as the play developed, it seemed as if Hamlet was really just trying to kill Claudius no matter what else went on around him. The