What Is Hamlet's Mental State Of Mind
Hamlet Essay
Period: 5
November 15, 2013
“But come, / Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,/ How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself/ (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/ To put an antic disposition on), …” (Act 1, Scene 5, Ln. 169- 173). With this one phrase Shakespeare sparked a debate that has lasted for centuries and have left literary analysts no closer to deciphering Hamlet’s “mental disorder” now than the analysts were in Shakespeare’s time. The second act of any Shakespearean tragic play is an act of choice. In this act the tragic hero chooses to involve himself in evil, while everything seems to be going well for him. Through the recitation of the death of Priam, Hamlet’s third soliloquy, and Hamlet’s seeming deteriorating mental state the reader is gaining all of the insights that the second act of any Shakespearean play are supposed to provide. …show more content…
In the second act of Hamlet, the readers meet the players of Denmark.
The play that Hamlet asks the players to perform is a reflection of Hamlet’s own preoccupations with his father’s death (Hamlet Notes). In one part of the play Hamlet recites, “… That lend a tyrannous and damned light/ To their lord’s murder” (Act 2, Scene 2, Ln.441-442). The play reflects how hamlet believes his father died; murdered by the hands of his own brother as his wife stands by helplessly grieving at the sight of her dead husband. The play also emphasizes that a revenger is at first unable to commit revenge, but can only act wildly (Hamlet notes). This play helps Hamlet descend into evil because it awakens his desires to punish Claudius for Claudius’
crimes. Claudius’ crimes are the main topic of hamlet’s third soliloquy. In his soliloquy Hamlet states, “What’s Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba/ That he should weep for her? What would he do/ Had he the motive and the cue for passion/ That I have?” (Act 2, Scene 2, Ln. 535-538). “The irony in this soliloquy is that cues for passion do not necessarily produce it in reality in the same way that they do I fiction…” (Allen). This irony causes Hamlet to ponder the reasons why he is slow to act on the information that the ghost has provided him. Is it because he is a coward or is it something else? After all of Hamlets pondering he devises a plan and a reason for his delays; he will use a play to determine if Claudius is guilty or if the ghost is lying. The reader realizes that although Hamlet’s suspicions about the ghost are valid, the suspicions are an after-thought to explain his delay rather than its actual cause.” (Hamlet notes). This soliloquy furthers Hamlet into evil because he devises a plan to help him gauge his uncle’s guiltiness and plan his next step.
Throughout the play of Hamlet, Shakespeare utilizes the word “seems” to display that sometimes appearances and reality can be two entirely different things. The members of the court have become increasingly worried over Hamlet’s mental state. It would appear that Hamlet has descended into madness. A prime example is in Act 2, Scene 1, when, “He took me by the wrists and held me hard. / Then goes the length of all his arm, / And, with his other hand thus o’er his brow, / He falls to such perusal of my face/ As he would draw it. Long stayed he so.” Hamlet has done an excellent job of convincing the court that he has gone mad; but the readers are not convinced of his madness. At the end of act 1 Hamlet informs Horatio that he will playing the role of “the madman” in the coming weeks and he should not give any hints as to the reasons for his madness. The reader assumes that Hamlet is playing this role to disarm his opponent so that eventually Hamlet will be able to accomplish his revenge with great vigor(Hamlet Notes). Hamlet’s decent into “madness” furthers hamlet into evil because he is priming his opponent for that fatal blow that is sure to come. In Act 1, Scene 2, Ln. 76 Hamlet tells his mother, “‘Seems,’ madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems”.”, yet in scene 2 the readers find hamlet putting on the appearance of a mad men. Through this dramatic irony the readers witness Hamlet’s life spinning out of control and the chaos that the ghost has introduced into Hamlet’s life. The readers also witness Hamlet’s decent into evil, though it appears there are no consequences for his actions. Hamlet seems to have everything in control; but only time can tell how this play ends for this tragic hero.
Works Cited
Allan, Phillip. Hamlet 's Seven Soliloquies. Rep. Literature Guide For A-Level, n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
Hamlet Notes. N.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.
Period: 5
November 15, 2013
“But come, / Here, as before, never, so help you mercy,/ How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself/ (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/ To put an antic disposition on), …” (Act 1, Scene 5, Ln. 169- 173). With this one phrase Shakespeare sparked a debate that has lasted for centuries and have left literary analysts no closer to deciphering Hamlet’s “mental disorder” now than the analysts were in Shakespeare’s time. The second act of any Shakespearean tragic play is an act of choice. In this act the tragic hero chooses to involve himself in evil, while everything seems to be going well for him. Through the recitation of the death of Priam, Hamlet’s third soliloquy, and Hamlet’s seeming deteriorating mental state the reader is gaining all of the insights that the second act of any Shakespearean play are supposed to provide. …show more content…
In the second act of Hamlet, the readers meet the players of Denmark.
The play that Hamlet asks the players to perform is a reflection of Hamlet’s own preoccupations with his father’s death (Hamlet Notes). In one part of the play Hamlet recites, “… That lend a tyrannous and damned light/ To their lord’s murder” (Act 2, Scene 2, Ln.441-442). The play reflects how hamlet believes his father died; murdered by the hands of his own brother as his wife stands by helplessly grieving at the sight of her dead husband. The play also emphasizes that a revenger is at first unable to commit revenge, but can only act wildly (Hamlet notes). This play helps Hamlet descend into evil because it awakens his desires to punish Claudius for Claudius’
crimes. Claudius’ crimes are the main topic of hamlet’s third soliloquy. In his soliloquy Hamlet states, “What’s Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba/ That he should weep for her? What would he do/ Had he the motive and the cue for passion/ That I have?” (Act 2, Scene 2, Ln. 535-538). “The irony in this soliloquy is that cues for passion do not necessarily produce it in reality in the same way that they do I fiction…” (Allen). This irony causes Hamlet to ponder the reasons why he is slow to act on the information that the ghost has provided him. Is it because he is a coward or is it something else? After all of Hamlets pondering he devises a plan and a reason for his delays; he will use a play to determine if Claudius is guilty or if the ghost is lying. The reader realizes that although Hamlet’s suspicions about the ghost are valid, the suspicions are an after-thought to explain his delay rather than its actual cause.” (Hamlet notes). This soliloquy furthers Hamlet into evil because he devises a plan to help him gauge his uncle’s guiltiness and plan his next step.
Throughout the play of Hamlet, Shakespeare utilizes the word “seems” to display that sometimes appearances and reality can be two entirely different things. The members of the court have become increasingly worried over Hamlet’s mental state. It would appear that Hamlet has descended into madness. A prime example is in Act 2, Scene 1, when, “He took me by the wrists and held me hard. / Then goes the length of all his arm, / And, with his other hand thus o’er his brow, / He falls to such perusal of my face/ As he would draw it. Long stayed he so.” Hamlet has done an excellent job of convincing the court that he has gone mad; but the readers are not convinced of his madness. At the end of act 1 Hamlet informs Horatio that he will playing the role of “the madman” in the coming weeks and he should not give any hints as to the reasons for his madness. The reader assumes that Hamlet is playing this role to disarm his opponent so that eventually Hamlet will be able to accomplish his revenge with great vigor(Hamlet Notes). Hamlet’s decent into “madness” furthers hamlet into evil because he is priming his opponent for that fatal blow that is sure to come. In Act 1, Scene 2, Ln. 76 Hamlet tells his mother, “‘Seems,’ madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems”.”, yet in scene 2 the readers find hamlet putting on the appearance of a mad men. Through this dramatic irony the readers witness Hamlet’s life spinning out of control and the chaos that the ghost has introduced into Hamlet’s life. The readers also witness Hamlet’s decent into evil, though it appears there are no consequences for his actions. Hamlet seems to have everything in control; but only time can tell how this play ends for this tragic hero.
Works Cited
Allan, Phillip. Hamlet 's Seven Soliloquies. Rep. Literature Guide For A-Level, n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. .
Hamlet Notes. N.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.