FREE Hamlet Essay (original) (raw)

In the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet never loses his sanity, in his plan to feign madness. Hamlet tells Horatio and Guildenstern that he is feigning his madness. Hamlet only acts mad around characters whom he has suspicion of their knowledge concerning his father's death. Hamlet professes to his mother that he is merely acting insane.
Hamlet tells Horatio and Guildenstern that he is feigning his madness. Hamlet has spoken with the ghost and has learned of the wrongdoings in his father's death. He later speaks with Horatio concerning his future actions ""As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/ to put an antic disposition on . . ."" It is after this statement that Hamlet begins to act mad. In the next Act, Hamlet speaks with Guildenstern and tells him that his "" . . . uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived."" Guildenstern asks Hamlet what he means by this and Hamlet professes he is "" . . . but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw."" Hamlet is foreshadowing to his friends the fabrication of his madness.
Hamlet only acts mad around characters whom he has suspicion of their knowledge concerning his father's death. Hamlet is putting on an act, a deception in order to confirm who was involved in his father's death. He only performs his act for a few certain characters. Only in the presence of Gertrude, Claudius, Ophelia, and Polonius does he behave as a madman. These are the characters that Hamlet may have reason to suspect played a part in his father's death. In feigning madness, Hamlet attempts to confuse these characters in hope of exposing the truth about his father's death. He uses the play "The Mousetrap" and his dialogues with these characters as a means of unmasking the truth in his father's murder. In a dialogue with Ophelia, Hamlet uses their relationship to further people's beliefs that he is in fact, mad.

1. Hamlet

Hamlet Hamlet is a young man who's father dies and his life is turned upside down. ... Hamlet is battling his conscience. ... Hamlet is extremely indecisive. ... Hamlet wants to kill his uncle because he killed hamlets father. ... Hamlet only trusts Horatio. ...

2. Hamlet

Hamlet's Revenge In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, there is a theme of revenge. ... Hamlet behavior was erratic. ... Laertes openly curses Hamlet. ... Laertes wounds Hamlet. ... Hamlet kills Claudius. ...

3. Hamlet

The old king Hamlet is murder by Claudius and therefore Hamlet must take his revenge. ... Hamlet begins to doubt the ghost. ... Hamlet is contradicts himself. ... Hamlet's next problem is that of morality. ... Hamlet's flaw of irresolution, the uncertainty on how to act or proceed, is shown when Hamlet sees a play and the passion the actors had, after Hamlet's third soliloquy, in Hamlet's fourth soliloquy, and in Hamlet's indecisive pursuit in avenging his father's death. ...

4. Hamlet

Hamlet In the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet never loses his sanity, in his plan to feign madness. ... It is after this statement that Hamlet begins to act mad. ... Guildenstern asks Hamlet what he means by this and Hamlet professes he is "" . . . but mad north-north-west. ... Polonius believe he [Hamlet] was mad. ... In a conversation, Gertrude questions Hamlet's sanity. ...

5. hamlet

Laertes is a mirror to Hamlet. ... Laertes is decisive and Hamlet is not. ... Fortinbras acts as Hamlet's inspiration; he motivates Hamlet to go forward with his plan to kill Claudius, which in the end leads to Hamlet's downfall. ... Horatio is Hamlet's friend and solid rock on whom Hamlet can trust and depend. ... Horatio cared for Hamlet greatly, and so Hamlet cared greatly for Horatio. ...

6. Hamlet

KING Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius? HAMLET At supper. ... If Claudius does not stand on one side of a titanic conflict, his betrayal of Hamlet's father and Marriage to Hamlet's mother, do ignite one: Hamlet's conflict with himself. ... In the end Hamlet dies along with most of the principle characters whether they were duplicities against Hamlet or not. ... By the end of the play Hamlet has thoroughly explored the question but like Hamlet, it remains an enigma. ...

7. Hamlet

Hamlet The study of Shakespeare's Hamlet has been one that is very extensive as well as enormous. ... A critic of Hamlet once said, "a man set out to read all the books about Hamlet would have time to read nothing else, not even Hamlet." ... "Hamlet is the tragedy of reflection. ... For where Hamlet saw that "the time is out of joint," Hamlet himself was "out of joint." ... (Mack. 64) Hamlet begins his questioning with the death of elder Hamlet. ...

8. Hamlet

Hamlet 1 Throughout Hamlet, Hamlet expresses his thoughts via several soliloquies. ... In this scene, Hamlet is being "set up" by Ophelia, Polonius, and Claudius. ... This is quite different than the "emotional Hamlet" seen in 1.2, or the "vengeful Hamlet" seen in 1.5. ... The three claim to be concerned for Hamlet's mental state of mind. This is ironic, because as the characters within the play see Hamlet mentally deteriorating, readers see Hamlet mentally developing. ...

9. Hamlet

Hamlet Tania Kozie-Slobodzian Hamlet is categorized as one of Shakespeare's tragedies. ... Horatio a friend of Hamlet tells Hamlet that he is afraid because he thinks he has seen a ghost who resembles the late King. ... The Ghost of Hamlet's father appears in front of Hamlet. The ghost is in fact Hamlet's late father. ... Now that Hamlet is said to be crazy, Polonius goes to the King and tells him about Hamlet's strange behavior concerning Ophelia. ...

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