Is Hamlet Insane or Sane?

Is Hamlet Insane or Sane?

Throughout the play of Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy’s the main character, Hamlet is faced with the responsibility of getting vengeance for his father’s murder. He decides to pretend madness as part of his plan to get the opportunity to kill Claudius who was the suspected murderer. As the play goes on, his portrayal of a madman becomes believable, and the characters around him respond quite vividly. Through his inner thoughts and the obvious reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor faking insanity in order to complete the duty his father assigned him.

Hamlet only owns up to his madness because it buys him time to stay and perform actions if he didn’t then he would not have been allowed to stay for such a long while. His “madness” is keeping people from taking his actions seriously. This seems to be part of his initial plan. This plan is first mentioned when he asks Horatio and Marcellus not to make any remarks in relation to his “antic disposition (1.5.192).” Hamlet’s madness allows him to talk to Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Polonius in a manner that no prince would ever be allowed to speak in. Hamlet is often disrespectful and insulting in his remarks. Although his acting backfires during his speech to Gertrude, Hamlet is able to severely criticize her for the actions she has done because she thinks he is insane. During the play he also makes many sexual hints and even obvious sexual remarks towards Ophelia such as “That’s a fair thought to lie between maids’ legs (3.2.125).” His convincing insanity act gives him the chance to vent his anger towards Ophelia for her rejection. In another scene, he is able to tell Polonius his true feelings through his appearance. Polonius deciding to “take leave” of Hamlet, Hamlet replies, “You cannot, take from me anything that I will more willingly part withal (2.2.233).” Hamlet uses his madness as almost an excuse, and definitely part of his apology, towards Laertes for his murdering of Polonious towards the end. Would a real madman be able realize he was mad and call his actions uncontrollable? If it wasn’t for his “madness” he would have been talked to instead of feared, pitied, or ignored. Hamlet’s madness takes attention away from what he is thinking about his father’s death, and puts it on why he has gone insane. This allows only himself to know what he is truly thinking, does not require him to answer any questions as to why he might be acting strange, and allows him to continue to plan his assault on Claudius. His plan to keep an appearance of a madman is a nifty one, and the fact that he does a good job in his portrayal only makes him more creative, not more insane.

On the other hand, Hamlet acts perfectly sane when acting insane. When he talks to Horatio about watching Claudius for signs of guilt during the play, he says “Give him heedful note, for I mine eyes will rivet his face, and, after, we will both our judgments join in censure of his seeming (3.2.87).” His words to Horatio are what a sane man would say. Horatio is one of the people he does not need to prove he is “insane,” and, he does not try. When he is explaining to the players how to act, he is incredibly organized and normal sounding. For example, he asks “You could, for a need, study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines, which I would set down and insert in ‘t, could you not (2.2.565)?” His question gets right to the point as well as his instructions. It seems that the player understands completely, but also is accepting what Hamlet has asked. It is much more believable that a sane man could play an insane one, than an insane man could play a sane one.

Proof that Hamlet must be sane is that even in his “madness” he is clever in his insults and speech, and has a full understanding of what’s going on around him. He plays his madman character almost too well, and each phrase he utters appears to be an attempt towards showing his madness or confusing his enemy. Not one of his remarks, made to Claudius for example is a normal states that would be considered insane. When he talks to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, Hamlet is clever to realize what their actual pupose of visiting was. “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw. (2.2.401).” Hamlet is able to play with his friends through his “madness” and is still capable to maintain his secret of what he is really doing.

Hamlet is so creative in his responses made to express his madness that Polonius’s comments on there skill. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t (2.2.223).” Hamlets smarts and acting of a madman make it to much to be a madman.

Many would point to the murder of Polonius and say that Hamlet’s action