The idea of madness is incredibly pervasive in Shakespeare’s Hamlet as insanity was not often addressed at the time and never to the extent that Shakespeare took. When Shakespeare broaches the topic of madness through Hamlet and Ophelia, he explores the way madness is sparked in each character. Ophelia’s madness arises rapidly after her father’s death and she falls into complete insanity. Hamlet’s madness, on the other hand, gradually grows from an act into a raging depression that frequently overtakes him. Although Hamlet and Ophelia both fall victim to madness in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, their madness differs drastically, both from their respective causes of madness as well as the manifestations of insanity within each character.
The role of …show more content…
Her mental functions completely break down and she loses her ability to control her speech and thought. This collapse in speech presents itself when she presents imaginary flowers to the people in her life. “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. / Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, / that's for thoughts. […] / There's fennel for you, and columbines. / There's rue for you; and here's some for me; we / may call it herb of grace o' Sundays. You must wear your / rue with a difference” (4.5.199-201, 204-207). Each flower symbolises a trait. For instance, rosemary represents remembrance, so Ophelia may be giving it to Hamlet in hopes that he will not forget his love for her. However, despite Ophelia’s personal meaning behind her words, they are incomprehensible to those around her. The people in her life have lost the ability to understand her now more than ever, even when she speaks more freely about her feelings than she ever has. Nonetheless, her madness is incomprehensible, whimsical, and gentle and it isolates her as her mental capacity descends upon her father’s …show more content…
In the eleventh century, the general population believed mad men were touched by the divine. As a result, they were surrounded by fear and revered. Hamlet uses society’s beliefs on madness to cloak himself in this identity. When his father requests that Hamlet seek revenge on Claudius, Hamlet decides, “I perchance hereafter shall think meet / To put an antic disposition on” (1.5.171-172). This act of madness protects Hamlet from any action that Claudius may take to harm him as his madness essentially makes him untouchable due to society’s beliefs. Also, Hamlet uses the madness to take an indirect approach to verify that Claudius did indeed kill King Hamlet before he enacts his
The role of …show more content…
Her mental functions completely break down and she loses her ability to control her speech and thought. This collapse in speech presents itself when she presents imaginary flowers to the people in her life. “There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. / Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, / that's for thoughts. […] / There's fennel for you, and columbines. / There's rue for you; and here's some for me; we / may call it herb of grace o' Sundays. You must wear your / rue with a difference” (4.5.199-201, 204-207). Each flower symbolises a trait. For instance, rosemary represents remembrance, so Ophelia may be giving it to Hamlet in hopes that he will not forget his love for her. However, despite Ophelia’s personal meaning behind her words, they are incomprehensible to those around her. The people in her life have lost the ability to understand her now more than ever, even when she speaks more freely about her feelings than she ever has. Nonetheless, her madness is incomprehensible, whimsical, and gentle and it isolates her as her mental capacity descends upon her father’s …show more content…
In the eleventh century, the general population believed mad men were touched by the divine. As a result, they were surrounded by fear and revered. Hamlet uses society’s beliefs on madness to cloak himself in this identity. When his father requests that Hamlet seek revenge on Claudius, Hamlet decides, “I perchance hereafter shall think meet / To put an antic disposition on” (1.5.171-172). This act of madness protects Hamlet from any action that Claudius may take to harm him as his madness essentially makes him untouchable due to society’s beliefs. Also, Hamlet uses the madness to take an indirect approach to verify that Claudius did indeed kill King Hamlet before he enacts his