Hamlet mad or acting?

A detailed Summary of Hamlet mad or acting?

In the story Hamlet written by William Shakespeare there is a son of a king that is involved in a complex plot of murder and deceit. The sons name is hamlet. Hamlet thought the play becomes progressively worse in his state of mind. He begins to change from the beginning to the end of the play. These changes are brought on by many different incidents and prove to worsen his mental composure and stature. It will be shown how throughout the play the themes of revenge and madness often appear, and how they change his mental state. This sense of madness is not only shown in the main character, Young Hamlet, but also in the other characters.

From the beginning of the play Hamlet is depressed. When asked about his depressed appearance and demeanour by Gertrude, Hamlet replies, "Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems". Here he is saying 'I am what I appear to be' he is, looks and acts depressed. Also at this point in the play his sanity is clear. Clearly, Hamlet makes a statement about his mental health when he commits himself to avenge his father's murder. This quote allows the reader to follow Hamlet's train of thought in his role as student, mourning son, and Prince of Denmar

In act two, Hamlet spends most of his time reading and talking with Polonius, Guildenstern, Rosencrantz, and the players. At the very end of this second act, Hamlet refers to his filial duty to avenge his fathers' death. Hamlet then admits he is merely feigning insanity when he says, "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw". Admitting he is only acting 'mad' implies he is secure with his plot. Hamlet also seems to portray a willingness to accept this plight with, "...for there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so..." In this quote, Hamlet is stating that behaviour shapes reality (peoples views). Again, Hamlet is stating his commitment to avenge the death of his father: "I should ha' fatted all the region kites With this slave's offal. Bloody, bawdy villain! O, vengeance! What an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell..." Although Hamlet is certain it was Claudius who murdered his father, he wants others to be definite about it, he needs proof. He devises a plan in which he will catch Claudius by his guilt via a play, and then everyone will see what is rotten in the state of Denmark: "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King". He wants the proof from someone he admires and trusts. Hamlet says to Horatio "Observe mine uncle. If his occulted guilt do not itself unkernnel on one speech, it is a damned ghost we have seen". Perhaps he wants proof from someone who he trusts because he suspects that he himself is mad and unable to read body language clearly? In this scene, while Hamlet is describing to the players how his lines should be read, he says, "Suit the action to the word, the word to the action". If only Hamlet would follow his own advice, his problems would be resolved sooner. This shows the inconsistency within Hamlet, since he maintains distance between words and actions, while debating that others should not. It becomes interesting that Hamlet's uncle is to be judged upon how he acts during the play. If Claudius' character is supposed to be a superb actor and does not reveal his guilt, his life will be spared and Hamlet will have none of the proof of which he seeks. Yet, Claudius is a poor actor, and when he rises during the play Hamlet reacts with

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Approximate Word count = 1575
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English