In Shakespeare's Hamlet, madness runs rampant. Madness pushes the plot forward and defines many characters in the play. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses madness to show the pains of love, life and death.
In the beginning, we see how Hamlet is reacting to his father’s untimely death. He is heartbroken and has no way of dealing with his grief. On top of this, his mother remarries his uncle after the funeral. This enrages Hamlet. To add to his pain, the ghost of his father has been haunting the castle. One of guards, Horatio, stated in 1.4.72-74 “And there assume some horrible form, which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness.” These words act foreshadowing for the pain and tragedy that is soon to come.
After
In the beginning, we see how Hamlet is reacting to his father’s untimely death. He is heartbroken and has no way of dealing with his grief. On top of this, his mother remarries his uncle after the funeral. This enrages Hamlet. To add to his pain, the ghost of his father has been haunting the castle. One of guards, Horatio, stated in 1.4.72-74 “And there assume some horrible form, which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness.” These words act foreshadowing for the pain and tragedy that is soon to come.
After