Hamlet Gone Crazy Analysis

Hamlet is one of the most well known tragic plays throughout history and after experiencing this play it is not hard to see why. Shakespeare writes Hamlet to be a tragic hero with everyone working against him as he tries to prove the foul play that occured in the death of his father. In order to do this however, Hamlet needed to have all of those close to him believe he had gone crazy. His plan worked so well that everyone around him thought he had lost all sense of self control and any form of coherent thought as well. Even those who read and watch the play start to believe that he has in fact gone completely mad. Despite these beliefs, Hamlet does not actually go mad in this play for it is shown that at many times he drops this facade and shows his underlying plan to bring down his uncle. Hamlet proves his sanity by showing his ability to make strategic …show more content…
He said to Horatio at the end of Act I “How strange or odd so e’er I bear myself - as I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on (I.v.189-191).” This shows without a doubt that just after realising the foul play involved with his father’s death he knew that in order for his plan to work properly, he would need to act mad and therefore we know that in the beginning of the play Hamlet was not actually mad. Slightly later on in Act II Hamlet gives one of the first indications that the madness he was displaying was fake by dominating a witty conversation with polonius. Polonius even says “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t (II.ii.210-211).” In this quote Polonius is revealing that even though Hamlet is not making much sense in his conversation it is visible that Hamlet is very aware of what he is saying and therefore has the mental capacity to plan his speech, proving he is not