Mental Illness In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Throughout the play the reader notices that the main character, Hamlet, has a very noticeable mental illness.Having spent time analysing exactly what this mental illness is, I have a strong belief that it could be considered bipolar disorder. Although many could see other illness fitting with Hamlet, bipolar disorder is the most apparent and noticeable. According to the mayo clinic the formal definition of bipolar disorder is “formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression)”. A person starts to recognize that they have bipolar disorder when they see themselves going from very sad and hopeless to finally fully energetic or full of energy. After the first signs of realizing a person has this disease they begin to treat them with medications and psychotherapy. Without seeking help it may lead to things such as drug or alcohol abuse and periods of high stress. Some of the most common symptoms of Bipolar Disorder that are also closely related to Hamlet include thoughts of death or suicide, feeling worthlessness or guilt, getting irritated by others easily, having mood swings, and finally acting recklessly without thinking about the consequences.
One of the first symptoms …show more content…
Throughout the play Hamlet goes through some really difficult experiences that really take a toll on his mood. Mood swings are one the biggest symptoms of bipolar disorder and are usually one of the first symptoms that is reported to a doctor before getting tested. In the beginning of the play hamlet is very sad and almost lost at the fact that his father has died. In Act two the reader goes through a phase of finding out that hamlet is actually very crazy and in a state of madness. Whether hamlet is doing this to throw people off or not, he is still crazy enough to even use this as a trick to the