Hamlet - an Insane Man

Without any doubt Prince Hamlet is insane towards the end of his life. This is further exposed throughout Hamlet’s soliloquy. The theme death, his suicidal thoughts and exaggeration of the imperfect world are all techniques which illustrate his insanity.

Hamlet is an insane man, especially in his soliloquy. The theme of death expresses his insanity. Throughout Hamlet’s soliloquy he mentions items which relate to death. For example, “With a bare bodkin?” This shows that he suggests killing himself with a bare dagger. He also states “To die, to sleep- no more- and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.” This simply means that Hamlet desires to end the suffering of his life. Therefore, this clearly shows that Hamlet is terribly insane because of the associations with death, which plays a major theme in Hamlet’s soliloquy.

Another technique that is used to portray his insanity is through his suicidal thoughts. Throughout his soliloquy, Hamlet carries suicidal thoughts in his mind. For example, Hamlet states “To be or not to be, that is the question” this shows that he is insane because the quote means questioning rather to live or not to live. This shows that Hamlet carries suicidal thoughts as Hamlet is contemplating rather to end his life or not. The soliloquy also illustrates that Hamlet is insane because he takes life as a minor thing and does not treasure it and is uncertain whether to live or not to live. Consequently, it is evident that Hamlet carries suicidal thoughts, which significantly shows that Hamlet is an insane man.

Additionally to Hamlet’s unwillingness to live, Hamlet frequently uses exaggeration to emphasise his view of the imperfect world.