The Idea of Insanity in “Hamlet” Essay

How can you tell when you’re insane?

It is hard to write about insanity for a number of reasons, but rewarding as well. The idea of insanity contains a lot of fascination for the writer and the reader because it can happen to anyone and can manifest itself in any number of ways. In the hands of an expert like William Shakespeare, though, insanity can provide a truly dramatic story. It is the key element in several of his plays, including Hamlet.

The story begins when the young prince of Denmark learns from the ghost of his father that it was his Uncle Claudius who poisoned him. Making things worse, Claudius is now married to Hamlet’s mother. Trying to figure out whether the ghost is telling the truth or is instead a manipulation of the devil, Hamlet pretends to be insane in order to discover the truth, but there have been numerous critics who have claimed Hamlet is actually crazy.

In fact, a court case held recently to determine the answer to whether Hamlet was sane or insane recently resulted in a deadlocked jury (Vicini, 2007). While there are several good arguments that Hamlet is truly insane, there are several ways, through both language and action, that Shakespeare works to demonstrate that there is a definite method behind Hamlet’s madness.

Description of the play

At the beginning of the play, Hamlet seems like an intelligent young man. He is maybe a bit spoiled and used to getting his own way, but he knows he has a duty to the state and to his family and he knows he is destined to someday be king of Denmark. However, even this early in the play, Hamlet is seen to be a man divided. The first thing he says is not to anyone in particular but instead muttered under his breath to himself, “a little more than kin, and less than kind!” (I, ii, 65).

These words indicate the level of disgust he has toward the actions of his mother and uncle, but has been used to indicate his insanity because he’s talking to himself. When he tells his uncle he is “too much in the sun” (I, ii, 67), he illustrates that he is not crazy but is instead quite capable of turning a phrase. His tendency to always find a double meaning in things can be seen again when he responds to his uncle’s question about why he’s still wearing black. Instead of answering the question directly, he indicates his uncle is watching him too closely already and that he does not appreciate being considered his uncle’s son.

For some, this ability to always find a double meaning in what is being said is itself a sign of insanity. I have heard it argued that he cannot see the intended meaning and instead sees multiple meanings of things around him and is thus driven to distraction.

In addition, his black clothes and dark nature reveal that he is severely depressed, perhaps even suicidal. This is suggested when he states that it is only because of his religious upbringing that he has kept himself from embarking in any suicidal actions: “O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, / Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, / Or that the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter” (I, ii, 129-132). While these can be considered signs of insanity, they can also be considered very normal reactions to what Hamlet has witnessed since his father’s death.

Very early in the play it is revealed that Hamlet has lost all joy and purpose in life with his father’s death and all faith in what he previously believed with his mother’s eager willingness to join with Claudius less than two months after the king’s death. Because she had always seemed affectionate and loving toward his father, Hamlet is confused by her actions and feels that all her love and devotion to his father and perhaps to him as well has been nothing but a lie, which makes his own existence no better than a lie.

Throughout the play, Hamlet displays lapses in realistic thinking by wishing he were dead or participating in wild antics that serve to convince others of his instability. At the same time, though, he is given greater freedom of expression than he would have had otherwise. He makes several overtly sexual remarks to the innocent Ophelia that would not have been allowed in a completely sane, polite society and he confuses many other characters with his ingenious wordplay.

An example of this can be found in his response to Polonius when informed his mother has summoned him. “Do you see that yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel? … Methinks it is like a weasel … or like a whale” (III, ii, 361-365). Each change in animal is not voiced until after Polonius has provided him with agreement, such as one might for a child or mentally fragile person and none respond directly to the original summons.

Conclusion

Despite his insane ravings and actions, though, there is a pattern to Hamlet’s madness that hints at a sane mind furiously at work. The first hints emerge in his language choices. His ability to quickly catch a double or triple meaning in a phrase or a word is the first indication of a very active mind. While not an indication of sanity by itself, Hamlet remains quite capable of turning this wordplay on or off depending on who he’s speaking with or who might be listening in.

When Horatio tells him of the ghost at the very beginning of the play, Hamlet doesn’t respond with superstitious credulity, but instead asks detailed questions about the ghosts appearance – “Armed, say you? … From top to toe? … looked he frowningly? … Pale or red? … And fixed his eyes upon you? … Stayed it long? … His beard was grizzled, no?” (I, ii, 225-240). Hamlet’s quick appraisal of his father’s message based upon this description indicates he is very observant, very intelligent and is able to work his way through to a reasonable conclusion and appropriate course of action quickly, all traits that belie the idea that he is truly insane.

It is completely believable that this quick mind would have already come to the conclusion that madness would be the best possible key to finding the truth by the time Horatio and Marcellus caught up with him. This is particularly made evident since Horatio had already inadvertently provided Hamlet with the idea, saying that the spirit “might deprive you of your sovereignty of reason / And draw you into madness” (I, iv, 73-74).

However, the vital clue in this early section that Hamlet is not crazy is contained in his holding both Horatio and Marcellus to a pledge: “here as before, never, so help you mercy, / How strange or odd some’er I bear myself / (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet / to put an antic disposition on)” (I,v, 169-172). Throughout the rest of the play, even in his antic ramblings, Hamlet proves himself remarkably astute in his observations, just as he appears in the beginning, suggesting that there has been no real change in his mental state.

Through his choice of language and actions, Shakespeare tells a story that argues both for and against Hamlet’s madness. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to determine whether Hamlet was sane or insane at the beginning of the play.

Given that his only motivations for insanity are contained within the play itself, it must be determined that he was sane when the play opened. Within the timeframe of the story itself, with the acceptance of Hamlet as a completely sane and rationale although upset young man, there is little doubt that Hamlet is as sound of mind as most of the rest of the characters. His use of language, his consistent ability to stay true to his course and his final success in denouncing the king demonstrate that he had a purpose, a will and a logical course of action.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.” The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Viking, 1969, pp. 930-976.

Visini, James. “Sane or not, Hamlet a hit in Washington Trial.” Reuters News Service. (2007). Web.