Hamlet Feign Madness Analysis

Throughout Shakespeare’s play, “Hamlet”, many of the characters question the Prince’s sanity. Yet it is clear that he is sane from he moment the play begins to the moment he dies but he does feign madness. At the beginning of the play, before Hamlet learns that his father was murdered rather than bitten by a snake, Hamlet is simply mourning the death of his father and the “hasty marriage” of his mother and Claudius. At this point hamlet shows signs of only sorrow and despair in his soliloquys, none of insanity. After some time passes Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, the old King. The old Kings Ghost tells Hamlet that none other than Hamlets Uncle Claudius is the one responsible for his murder. The ghost tells Hamlet that he must “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.31).
The Ghost of the old King made its presence known first to a few of Hamlets associates, Marcellus, Horatio, and Francisco, but it would only …show more content…
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two men who were college buddies of Hamlets called in by the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet, due to Hamlets ability to always be a step ahead, he anticipates this and keeps them at arms length while still feigning madness when in their presence. Hamlet pushes his lover, Ophelia, away because she is the daughter of Polonius, the King’s most loyal subject and advisor. Similarly, any show of affection for Ophelia could ruin his plan and in his head to ruin the plan for her would be to betray his oath to his father. Hamlet feigns madness around his mother because he resents her and distrusts her due to her marriage to Claudius, the man who ultimately killed his father and took his throne. Whenever around them Hamlet speaks erratically and sarcastically. Hamlet suspects that the King has everyone spying on him except Horatio whom is Hamlets only trusted