After all, the word 'madness ' is specifically used 18 times in the play, and the majority of the quotes revolves around one of the central questions in Hamlet: Is Hamlet mad?” Wrote Karen Harker University of North Texas. Hamlet uses his insanity to his advantage several times throughout the play, Hamlet reserves his insanity to his main target Claudius and his allies. Ophelia was a target in Hamlet’s rage, he used words like: "are you honest" (III.i.104), "are you fair" (III.i.106). Due to his mother’s obstruction in Hamlet’s vocation to kill Claudius, Hamlet "speak daggers" (III.ii.387) to Gertrude. Hamlet seriously altered Gertrude’s and especially Ophelia’s state of mind with his words of insanity which lead to the death of Polonius and the Death of the woman Hamlet loved Ophelia. In addition to Gertrude and Ophelia, Hamlet turned his back on his two friends that he had known his whole life and had them killed. All that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were supposed to find out what "unknown afflicts [Hamlet] thus" (II.ii.17). But Hamlet’s insanity and Claudius’ greed and skepticism led to the death of these two innocents who were only serving their king and queen. Just like Ophelia only wanted to serve her father and Polonius only wanted to serve his king for his own …show more content…
However, the castle guards along with Horatio see the ghost, but that may have just been a minor coincidence because they could not speak to the ghost. But Hamlet had a full conversation with him. K. Deighton wrote in his article [The Question of Hamlet 's Sanity] “Dr. Ray goes on to note Hamlet 's "bad dreams" as one of the symptoms of impending insanity” which can support a theory of seeing the ghost was a dream of Hamlet’s that he turned to reality. However that theory does not explain how Horatio knew so much about the Ghost unless, Hamlet explained it to him so well he as well perceived it as a reality. “The spirit that I have seen/ may be the devil, and the devil hath power/ t ' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps, out of my weakness and my melancholy,/ as he is very potent with such spirits,/ abuses me to damn me.” (II.ii.627-632) Hamlet was arguing with himself to decide if the ghost was actually the ghost of his father of the devil here to tempt him. Which led me to the conclusion that Hamlet was insane and a danger to all of his family and