What does it mean to be crazy? Many people have thought of a definition for this very broad mental state. In a general sense, being “crazy” would mean being unable to perceive or communicate as the average individual would. This would include seeing the world differently, communicating in odd ways, and being sporadic with emotions. These symptoms are well seen in the Shakespearian play Hamlet, through the character Hamlet Jr.. Hamlet displays abnormal actions and speech, as well as a distorted view of reality, which shows how he is mentally unstable. One of the reasons Hamlet is crazy is that he sees a ghost. He sees the ghost of his father at several points throughout the play. One of these points is when his friends tell him in Act 1
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This is important because only he can see the ghost. His mother, Gertrude, says “Nothing at all, yet all that is I see.” (3.4.134) and then states “This the very coinage of your brain. This bodiless creation ecstasy Is very cunning in.” (3.4.140) The first line shows that only Hamlet sees the ghost. This makes him seem particularly crazy because at this point it can be assumed that this “apparition” is in fact a paranoia-induced hallucination. The second line supports this because Gertrude actually tells Hamlet that is is just his imagination. If Hamlet really is seeing things that nobody else sees, than he is probably insane. Another moment that shows that Hamlet is crazy is when his friend Horatio actually calls him crazy, Horatio says “His imagination is making him crazy.” (1.4.92) If his best friend thinks he is crazy, then he might just be crazy, Also, Horatio mentions “his imagination”. This might mean that the ghost they are seeing really is just a hallucination. Or maybe he, as well as Marcellus, are just messing with Hamlet, but Hamlet is actually taking it seriously. Either way, if the people around Hamlet think he is insane, then it very well might be true that he …show more content…
In act 5, he tells Laertes “Was ’t Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet. If Hamlet from himself be ta 'en away, And when he’s not himself does wrong Laertes, Then Hamlet does it not. Hamlet denies it. Who does it, then? His madness. If’t be so, Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged. His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy.” (5.2.220-226) Hamlet says that the reason he insults Laertes is simply that he is crazy, He admits that he has mental problems and proceeds to blame them for is misdeeds. Not only that, but his craziness seems to appear in his speech. He starts to refer to himself in third person. This might mean he cannot even perceive himself correctly. If Hamlet says himself that he is actually insane, while talking about himself oddly it is have hard to think
This is important because only he can see the ghost. His mother, Gertrude, says “Nothing at all, yet all that is I see.” (3.4.134) and then states “This the very coinage of your brain. This bodiless creation ecstasy Is very cunning in.” (3.4.140) The first line shows that only Hamlet sees the ghost. This makes him seem particularly crazy because at this point it can be assumed that this “apparition” is in fact a paranoia-induced hallucination. The second line supports this because Gertrude actually tells Hamlet that is is just his imagination. If Hamlet really is seeing things that nobody else sees, than he is probably insane. Another moment that shows that Hamlet is crazy is when his friend Horatio actually calls him crazy, Horatio says “His imagination is making him crazy.” (1.4.92) If his best friend thinks he is crazy, then he might just be crazy, Also, Horatio mentions “his imagination”. This might mean that the ghost they are seeing really is just a hallucination. Or maybe he, as well as Marcellus, are just messing with Hamlet, but Hamlet is actually taking it seriously. Either way, if the people around Hamlet think he is insane, then it very well might be true that he …show more content…
In act 5, he tells Laertes “Was ’t Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet. If Hamlet from himself be ta 'en away, And when he’s not himself does wrong Laertes, Then Hamlet does it not. Hamlet denies it. Who does it, then? His madness. If’t be so, Hamlet is of the faction that is wronged. His madness is poor Hamlet’s enemy.” (5.2.220-226) Hamlet says that the reason he insults Laertes is simply that he is crazy, He admits that he has mental problems and proceeds to blame them for is misdeeds. Not only that, but his craziness seems to appear in his speech. He starts to refer to himself in third person. This might mean he cannot even perceive himself correctly. If Hamlet says himself that he is actually insane, while talking about himself oddly it is have hard to think