Why Is Hamlet Crazy

“Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do their bounds divide”. Although this quote by John Dryden was not directed towards Hamlet, this quote relates well to the argument of whether or not Hamlet was insane. The character of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is perhaps one of the most complex tragic heroes and possibly the most analyzed in all of English literature. Whether Hamlet was actually insane, or simply acting mad depends on the reader’s interpretation of the play. Hamlet is a complex character, he is the direct result of his psychological disorders. He is capable of quickly changing his emotions and state of mind from being happy, to being sorrowful, to being seemingly
This in itself is not an act of insanity, as the guards and Horatio also observed the apparition. Soon after this encounter, Hamlet informs his friends Marcellus and Horatio that he is going to act insane to avenge his father. Horatio warns Hamlet “What if it tempts you toward the flood my lord, or to the dreadful summit of the cliff That beetles o’er his base into/ the sea, And there assume some other/ horrible form which might deprive your/ sovereignty of reason, and draw you into, madness? Think of it” (1.4.69-74). This warning may have been what gave Hamlet the idea to fake insanity, as it is immediately after this encounter that Hamlet begins to act insane. Hamlet only claims madness because it allowed him to get away with prohibited actions, and disables others from taking him seriously so that he can carefully plot his revenge free of suspicion. Hamlet tells Horatio and Marcellus about his feigned insanity, and tells them to think nothing of it. Hamlet does not inform Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius, Rosencrantz or Guildenstern of this plan to ensure they do not interfere with his plan to kill Claudius. However, Hamlet does later inform Gertrude about this plan and states that he is not mad, but “mad in craft” (3.4.192). He is disrespectful, uses several sexual innuendos and makes bold sexual remarks to Ophelia such as “That’s a fair thought to lie
Hamlet was never truly insane, he was much too brilliant. He was simply putting on an act for the kingdom of Elsinore. If it were not for Hamlet’s feigned insanity, Claudius would have surely known that Hamlet was scheming against him and would have executed him. In society today, this is a common occurrence. If someone seems insane, they can get away with nearly everything. For example, if an individual today were to commit a petty crime, they would face adequate punishment. On the other hand, if an individual today were to kill another individual and plead for insanity in a court of law, they would receive little to no punishment. Hamlet manipulated this fact well throughout the play. Although he committed murder and was not actually insane, he can be forgiven. Hamlet acknowledged that he could not avenge his father without committing murder. He accepted that he had to be evil in order to counter evil. Hamlet had every right to kill Claudius especially after he became aware of Claudius’ and Laertes’ plan to murder him, and even more so after the poison meant to kill him was ingested by his mother Gertrude. If Hamlet had not acted insane, Claudius would have known that Hamlet knew the truth. Like Hamlet said, “The plays the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King”