Theme Of Insanity In Shakespeare's Hamlet
Insanity, a series of behavior characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns, is a very common phenomenon for modern people, especially the ones who experience significant events. However, in hundreds of years ago, people seemed much easier to get mad. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the main character Hamlet pretends to be insane in order to plan the revenge for his father, King Hamlet, who is killed by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. In the process of pretending to be insane, Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia and Laertes’ father who speak a lot, when Polonius is spying Hamlet and his mother Gertrude’s conversation, this fact that makes both Laertes and Ophelia insane. In Hamlet, Shakespeare discusses the theme of insanity by presenting
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Although his unfavorable situation is very similar to Hamlet’s, he is completely controlled by the thoughts of revenge. As he talks to Claudius, who wants to utilize him to get rid of Hamlet, Laertes got too much anger built up in his mind to stay calm. At this point, all Laertes wants to do is only to “eliminate” Hamlet immediately, “To cut his throat i' th' church” (p. 193), like treating a feud. Laertes’ behavior is caused by the unexpectedly death of his father and the sudden mad of his sister. Moreover, Claudius wants a person who is strong enough to compete with Hamlet. He knows Laertes is the one that he is looking for, so he asks him to “put me in your heart for friend” (p.187), rekindles his rage, and tells him that they should share the weal and woe and stay on the same line to confront Hamlet. Laertes is affected by Claudius’ “combustion”, which further turns him a terrible monster to revenge for his father. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes is “passionate and quick to action” (Sparknotes Editors) and has no state of mind. He indiscriminately sees Hamlet as an enemy and Claudius as a friend, without considering the causes and consequences of his father’s death. Although Hamlet is somewhat hesitant, he thinks about what he does and always sticks to his
Although his unfavorable situation is very similar to Hamlet’s, he is completely controlled by the thoughts of revenge. As he talks to Claudius, who wants to utilize him to get rid of Hamlet, Laertes got too much anger built up in his mind to stay calm. At this point, all Laertes wants to do is only to “eliminate” Hamlet immediately, “To cut his throat i' th' church” (p. 193), like treating a feud. Laertes’ behavior is caused by the unexpectedly death of his father and the sudden mad of his sister. Moreover, Claudius wants a person who is strong enough to compete with Hamlet. He knows Laertes is the one that he is looking for, so he asks him to “put me in your heart for friend” (p.187), rekindles his rage, and tells him that they should share the weal and woe and stay on the same line to confront Hamlet. Laertes is affected by Claudius’ “combustion”, which further turns him a terrible monster to revenge for his father. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes is “passionate and quick to action” (Sparknotes Editors) and has no state of mind. He indiscriminately sees Hamlet as an enemy and Claudius as a friend, without considering the causes and consequences of his father’s death. Although Hamlet is somewhat hesitant, he thinks about what he does and always sticks to his