Why was Hamlet so confused?Was he really insane?

Question

I have to write a paper about it. Hamlet and his madness I need all the help that I can get thanks guys and girls.

Answer 1

It all depends on how you perceive Hamlet's actions. Did he really see a ghost or was he having a psychological episode? Was the ghost Hamlet saw really his father? It fled at the sound of the rooster crowing, a sign of an evil spirit by the beliefs of the times. Was he a paranoid person who could not accept the fact his father was dead and his mother had moved on? Was his uncle's reaction to the murder plot in the play an implication of his murderous actions? It really is one of the big debates and mysteries of the Shakespearian world

Answer 2

I don't think Hamlet was actually insane. In the context of the play, I think we are supposed to believe that he did actually see his father's ghost. This is not unreasonable, considering the time period of the play.

So, from Hamlet's perspective, he has been away from Denmark for awhile. It is fair to assume that he has been somewhat out of touch with the day to day happenings in Denmark. Then, all of sudden, he finds out that his father is dead. He rushes home, and in the time it take him to get home his mother has married his uncle.

Aside from the obvious emotional ramifications of those events, Hamlet should be King now that his father is dead, but his uncle has claimed the crown. (The only way this would be false would be if the royal line ran through his mother and his father was her consort but as this would be a very strange arrangement and there is no evidence to support it, it is fair to assume that Hamlet should have been crowned upon his father's death.)

To top it all off, almost immediately after returning home he sees his father's ghost, and is informed that his uncle murdered his father.

His mission is now to revenge his father and take back the crown for himself. Hamlet is young and (as far as we know) unproven as a leader or soldier. His uncle is older, proven, respected, and has had the time in Hamlet's absence to consolidate his position.

Throughout history, regents have often moved to steal the crown from the person they are holding it for, anf the rightful king has rarely been able to defend against it. Hamlet's uncle found himself in an even easier position, as he had no formal obligations to hold the crown for Hamlet, and as such was not an oathbreaker (a thing which can make it harder to find allies). If Hamlet wanted to succeed in his mission, not just end up in an early grave, he had a very difficult task ahead of him.

This is where faking insanity comes into play. Not only does this give Hamlet time to formulate a plan, and discover his uncle's weaknesses, but it also serves to keep his uncle's attention off of him. An insane prince will never be a formidable threat to his throne, so there is no need to take the measures that would surely have been necessary if Hamlet had seemed to pose a challenge. By underestimating his opponent, Claudius made a fatal error, and gave Hamlet the time he needed.

Unfortunately, Hamlet takes too much time to plan and thinks everything through to a ridiculous extent. He lacks the decisive action that characterizes great kings. However, I feel there is enough evidence (such as the play) that proves he was planning something. The insanity was clearly a cover for his true intentions.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

He said he would fake madness ("put an antic disposition on"), but then he really went mad. Horatio warned that his father's ghost might "deprive [his] sovereignty of reason," and it did. The "old mole"/"mole of nature" broke down "the pales and forts of reason." Hamlet was possessed by his father's ghost, but whether figuratively or literally was unclear. However, in those times, insanity was often believed to be possesion by spirits. Hamlet was "from himself taken away," but toward the end he recovered his own soul.

Answer 4

Actually, there is no set answer. Nobody's sure if he was faking it to draw out his father's murderer or really did go around the bend. Frankly, the latter would not surprise me--what with fathers dying, mothers remarrying (indecently soon, as well), ghosts, losing his inheritance, and all the rest; well, it would put a strain on anyone's sanity.

Answer 5

First I think that Hamlet faked being mad as to throw off his true intentions, to dig out the truth and get revenge, but then I think he slowly became mad as he acted mad and discovered the truth.