Essay On Madness In Hamlet

Since Shakespeare first wrote Hamlet there has been discussion about whether or not Hamlets madness is real. Some would say it is not madness that leads Hamlet, but the death of his father or his mother marrying his uncle. Throughout the story, Hamlets actions of thinking about suicide, getting rejected by Ophelia, and believing in the ghost can lead the audience to believe that Hamlet has been overtaken by madness. There have been many points in the story that can lead the audience to believe that Hamlet is mad, but none more than him thinking about committing suicide. "O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt,Thaw and resolve itself into a dew,Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God,How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world"(1.2.133-138). This quote is a perfect example to show how Hamlet thinks about committing suicide.
A way that we can see that this is a possibility is what Polonius says about Hamlet, "That she should lock herself from his resort...she took the fruits of my advice; and he repulsed...into the madness wherein he now raves"(2.2.134-141). As Polonius talks to the king and queen we can see that others believe that this has also been another contributor to Hamlets madness. Hamlet has shown his love for Ophelia in many ways, but when he was rejected by her it broke his heart. Another quote that shows that Hamlet was broken by Ophelia's rejection is, "I did love you once...you should not have believed me; for virtue cannot...I love you not"(3.1.115-119). This is a direct quote from Hamlet expressing his love from Ophelia that was torn away from him. In this scene we see Hamlet get extremely angry with Ophelia's betrayal of his love. There would have been a giant change in the way the play would have played out if Ophelia would have returned the love Hamlet had for