Why Is Hamlet Too Real

In the story of Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, pretends to fall into madness after he discovers his father has been murdered. However, there were several instances when Hamlet’s madness was thought to be a little too real. I believe that even in these moments Hamlet’s madness was feigned, I take up this opinion for several reasons. No insane person would be able to plot against his or her enemy the way Hamlet plots against Claudius. Hamlet displays his intellectuality in his rants of madness. Also, unlike an insane individual, Hamlet is able to think rationally. Once Hamlet discovers that his Uncle is responsible for the death of his father, he immediately begins to think of ways to test Claudius’s guilt. “Give him heedful note, for I mine eyes will rivet his face, and, after, we will both our judgments join in censure of his seeming.” A truly insane person would not be able to think in such a logical manner as Hamlet when he was planning the “mouse trap,” nor would they have the insight or focus to think in such an organized fashion. Hamlet is able to disguise the murder of his father within a play that is to be displayed in front of King Claudius. …show more content…
In one of them, he tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that he is not really mad, however he does it in a way that sounds completely insane! “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.” The expression “hawk from a handsaw” could be interpreted as Hamlet referring to a hawk, a useful companion, and a handsaw, which is just a tool. This is supported in that Hamlet acted normally when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern first showed up, but began to act crazy when he became suspicious that his former classmates were present only to spy on