Hamlet Insanity Synthesis Essay Hello. I am NY district attorney Christopher Kim present at the trial of Hamlet. We are here today to judge whether or not Hamlet is guilty for the cold-blooded murder of Polonius. Some say that it was an accident, while some say that it was on purpose. Due to this event, there has been much debate concerning the truth behind Hamlet’s (in)sanity. According to the evidence that I have gathered, I hold my position when I pronounce that Hamlet should not be acquitted of this murder due to insanity. To start of this trial, let me ask the audience, what does it mean to be in a state of insanity? According to source A, the definition of insanity is, “Persistent mental disorder or derangement (A).” The definition alone basically recalls the fact that someone who is in a state of insanity has not been in his/her right head. For example, congressman Daniel Sickles murdered a member of Washington D.C’s social elite; son of Francis Scott Key. In this case, Sickle was tried for a …show more content…
In both cases, the insanity defense is applicable to acquit the criminal at hand. In Sickles’ case, Sickle was “one of the first defendants in American history to utilize an insanity defense. (B)” The insanity defense is one of the only resources that a defense attorney is able to use during a trial. An insanity defense is “a plea that defendants are not guilty because they lacked the mental capacity to realize that they committed a wrong or appreciate why it was wrong. (C)” The significance towards having the insanity defense is that it can protect a mentally ill person who is accused of a crime. The insanity defense is best suited to “impose a moral check on a system largely designed to weigh facts and evidence. (C)” In Sickles’ situation, he was not held guilty because he utilized the insanity defense to protect