In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the author raises a great many questions, broaching subjects such as suicide, the contrast between traditional and modern religion, and a complicated mother/son relationship that seems to waver between acceptable and possibly Oedipal. The question that most connects the others is the question of Hamlet’s sanity- was he sane all along, or was his “antic disposition” (I.v.173) a ruse that ultimately deceived not only the people around him, but his own mind as well? The Ghost, Hamlet’s dead father, is a fundamental character even though he only appears in four different scenes. The Ghost’s very existence encourages the idea that Hamlet has not lost his mind.
It is in the first act that the Ghost initially appears, although …show more content…
This damages the believability that his sanity is still intact under his façade. Another occurrence of his seemingly failing mental state is in his mother’s private rooms. His ghostly father appears to him to reprimand him for procrastinating vengeance; however, Gertrude is unable to see the former king, causing her to, for the first time, deeply question her son’s state of mind. This, however, does not equate Hamlet’s insanity. In Theodore Lidz’s analysis of Hamlet in his book Hamlet’s Enemy: Madness and Myth, he says “He [Hamlet] is aware that he is being affected by the deceit and hostility of those around him”, something that would have ill effects on anyone, no matter their state of mind …show more content…
When Hamlet finds Claudius “praying”, he draws his sword and swears vengeance for his father’s murder- “A villain kills my father, and for that, I his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (III.iii.76-78), displaying his intention of killing Claudius. However, he hesitates, and does not kill him; this could be due to his procrastination and cowardice, but it could also point towards his intact mental frame of mind as he questioned a murder he planned to commit. However, in the very next scene, he kills Polonius through a curtain, hoping it was the king he was stabbing. This flies in the face of contemplating his father’s demands for the death of Claudius. He was also questioned for his reputed mania concerning his mother’s relationship with Claudius, which seems more like sane protection than insane obsession.
Overall, Hamlet maintains a sense of sanity throughout the play, with some exceptions when he was in great distress. Rhodri Lewis discusses and seems to agree with this idea in her essay Hamlet, Metaphor, and
It is in the first act that the Ghost initially appears, although …show more content…
This damages the believability that his sanity is still intact under his façade. Another occurrence of his seemingly failing mental state is in his mother’s private rooms. His ghostly father appears to him to reprimand him for procrastinating vengeance; however, Gertrude is unable to see the former king, causing her to, for the first time, deeply question her son’s state of mind. This, however, does not equate Hamlet’s insanity. In Theodore Lidz’s analysis of Hamlet in his book Hamlet’s Enemy: Madness and Myth, he says “He [Hamlet] is aware that he is being affected by the deceit and hostility of those around him”, something that would have ill effects on anyone, no matter their state of mind …show more content…
When Hamlet finds Claudius “praying”, he draws his sword and swears vengeance for his father’s murder- “A villain kills my father, and for that, I his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (III.iii.76-78), displaying his intention of killing Claudius. However, he hesitates, and does not kill him; this could be due to his procrastination and cowardice, but it could also point towards his intact mental frame of mind as he questioned a murder he planned to commit. However, in the very next scene, he kills Polonius through a curtain, hoping it was the king he was stabbing. This flies in the face of contemplating his father’s demands for the death of Claudius. He was also questioned for his reputed mania concerning his mother’s relationship with Claudius, which seems more like sane protection than insane obsession.
Overall, Hamlet maintains a sense of sanity throughout the play, with some exceptions when he was in great distress. Rhodri Lewis discusses and seems to agree with this idea in her essay Hamlet, Metaphor, and