Is Hamlet Insane Analysis

One of the more troubling aspects of Hamlet is how to best reconcile Hamlet 's behavior in regards of the task given him by the Ghost and his execution of his appointed duty, that of revenging a murder most foul. On the one side of the argument lies the notion Hamlet is only acting insane. He is acting insane to bide his time, to plot his revenge, and to distract the other members of the court, and plenty of evidence exists to support this theory. On the other side of the issue sits the notion Hamlet is insane, that insanity does not diminish intelligence. Here one might be swayed by the arguments that the trauma of death and discovery of its cause has driven Hamlet to the brink, and that no sane person would be able to 'fake ' the mania Hamlet displays throughout the play. Hamlet may indeed believe he is in control of his emotions, but in reality, he has gone mad. Somewhere between these too divergent ideas lies the possibility that the audience is witness to the progression of Hamlet 's insanity. While this offers some breathing room, pointing the audience towards a useful line of inquiry, it is merely a variation of the original question.
Discussing Hamlet 's sanity leads the audience to …show more content…
One must ask: If the goal of the ghost is to be revenged, why is it so secret a mission and why may only Hamlet can know of it? Why not expose Claudius in front of other people? If revenge is of key importance, then why not simply haunt Claudius, make him appear insane and thereby lose the confidence of the Danish people? The ghost, whether a fiendish manifestation or the incarnation of Hamlet’s father, surely had to know Hamlet 's weaknesses, his inability to act, his tendencies to over think every action. This leads one to believe the ghost was at best inefficient in its selection of Hamlet, or there is more than simple revenge at the heart of the ghost’s