Hamlet Truth Behind Madness
Hamlet: The Truth Behind the Madness William Shakespeare seemed to be very interested in the topic of mental illness. In the article Shakespeare’s Minds Diseased: Mental Illness and its Treatment the writer connects his fascination with mental illness from his son in law being a doctor and how shakespeare may be connected that to his writing. The writer says “It’s usually accepted that shakespeare was influenced in medical matters by his son in law, the renowned doctor John Hall.” The amount of power a woman has in society will later on have something to do with the madness one might grow to have. In the book hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia are the two female characters. Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, which mean she has many powers as well
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Gabrielle Dane, writer of Reading Ophelia’s Madness, says, “motherless and completely circumscribed by the men around her, Ophelia has been shaped to conform to external demands, to reflect other's desires”. stating, all her life man had controlled her. Since her father was so controlling his death caused her to lose her sanity, she had the freedom to do and way whatever she wanted, she had power but didn’t know how to handle it. Also her madness stems from her relationship with hamlet. in her third song she says, “before you tumbled me, you promised me to wed.” (he replies) “so would i ha’ done, by yonder sun, an thou hast not come to my bed.” Everything ties together, her father did not want her to have an intimate relationship with hamlet but she did, then after hamlet rejected her in marriage she can only feel more guilty about not listening to her father. In Mechanics of Madness in Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear by Shweta Bali she says “Ophelia undoubtedly loses her mind and is driven to commit suicide primarily by the overbearing attitude of the men in her life” . also referring back to the book Act 4, Scene 5 King Claudius says “poor Ophelia divided herself and her fair judgment”. stating that she has gone mad. I think what Shakespeare was trying to say about the women in this time was that when they have power
Gabrielle Dane, writer of Reading Ophelia’s Madness, says, “motherless and completely circumscribed by the men around her, Ophelia has been shaped to conform to external demands, to reflect other's desires”. stating, all her life man had controlled her. Since her father was so controlling his death caused her to lose her sanity, she had the freedom to do and way whatever she wanted, she had power but didn’t know how to handle it. Also her madness stems from her relationship with hamlet. in her third song she says, “before you tumbled me, you promised me to wed.” (he replies) “so would i ha’ done, by yonder sun, an thou hast not come to my bed.” Everything ties together, her father did not want her to have an intimate relationship with hamlet but she did, then after hamlet rejected her in marriage she can only feel more guilty about not listening to her father. In Mechanics of Madness in Hamlet, Macbeth and King Lear by Shweta Bali she says “Ophelia undoubtedly loses her mind and is driven to commit suicide primarily by the overbearing attitude of the men in her life” . also referring back to the book Act 4, Scene 5 King Claudius says “poor Ophelia divided herself and her fair judgment”. stating that she has gone mad. I think what Shakespeare was trying to say about the women in this time was that when they have power