Madness In Hamlet Essay - 869 Words

Confused to Death†¦? Baffled by the unconventional events taking place in the castle of Elsinore, Denmark, the ordinary commoner might see the royal family as disturbed and in need of an intervention. In Shakespeares Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, decides to fake his own derangement in order to prove his uncle Claudius guilty of the murder of his brother, King Hamlet. To avoid anyone discovering him, he maintains his crazy act in front of his own love interest, Ophelia, perplexing her to the point of lunacy. One of the main contributors to Ophelia’s authentic madness is Hamlet’s pretense of insanity, leading to both Hamlet and Ophelia’s ultimate defeat. From the â€Å"big-picture† point of view, it may seem that Hamlet has genuinely gone†¦show more content†¦In contrast to Hamlet, Ophelia did in fact go crazy for many reasons, one being Hamlet’s madness. After â€Å"going mad,† Hamlet taunts Ophelia numerous times when he says things like, â€Å"I could interpret between you and your love,/ if I could see the puppets dallying† (â… ¢.â… ¡). It is Hamlet’s statements that leave Ophelia embarrassed and confused, which eventually lead her to madness. She becomes so distressed by the thought of Hamlet’s incapability to love her back. When Ophelia went mad, even a gentleman just passing by noticed how â€Å"she speaks things in doubt,/ that carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing† (â… £.â… ¤). When Ophelia loses it, she really goes insane. Her words only make sense â€Å"half† of the time as if she is only half there in her brain as well. Ophelia is pitied by most people who come into contact with her and when she dies, Gertrude justifies Ophelia’s death by saying that she was â€Å"incapable of her own distress† (â… £.â… ¦). The amount of pity that Ophelia received is so much that â€Å"Poor Ophelia† is mentioned twice in act fo ur. While Ophelia’s madness becomes a pity party, Hamlet’s madness is seen as strange and unusual. Ophelia became mad because of her confusion inflicted by Hamlet. Both characters’ actions, out of madness or not, lead to their ultimate defeat. Observing Hamlet’s behavior, Ophelia says that he is acting â€Å"as if he had been loosed out of hell† (â… ¡.â…  ). Confused about his strange acts, she even wondered if he had been possessed. WhatShow MoreRelatedThe Pretended Madness of Hamlet in Hamlet Essay761 Words   |  4 PagesIn Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character Hamlet is believed to have gone insane after the death of his father. There is much evidence in the play that causes one to believe that Hamlet is in fact crazy. However, there are also indications to the contrary, Hamlet only feigns madness for the purpose of carrying out his mission. He rehearses his pretend madness first with Ophelia for even if he fails to convinc e her , that failure would not cause him any harm. 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