Discussion of Potential Hamlet’s Madness

Subject: Literature
Pages: 2
Words: 302
Reading time:
< 1 min

Although Hamlet pretends he is mad, a psychological analysis of his actions shows that he is only ferocious because of the betrayal he has undergone. He feigns the madness to divert the king’s attention away from him. In reality, a mad person can never discover a death trap planned for him.

However, Hamlet evades Claudius’ trap and eventually leaves behind Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to die. Surprisingly, his presentation as a mad person prepares him to avenge his father’s death. To find out about Claudius’s guilt, he secretly monitors his reaction during a play, which focuses on his father’s death. More so, he goes to exile to prepare for his revenge, and in return, he presents a different character. For instance, Hamlet acts quietly, rationally and decides to seek peace through a battlefield where he intelligently achieves his mission of killing King Claudius. In the process of accomplishing his father’s promise, he loses his life. Furthermore, Hamlet declares Fortinbras as the king of Denmark. An intuitive study of his madness shows that Hamlet was not only buying time to punish Claudius but also looking for an opportunity to prove his actions. Authentically, few mad people give a plan on how to execute a crime while some of them do not fight for their rights as Hamlet did.

Therefore, Hamlet’s weird character originates from both the abrupt death of his father and the sudden realization that his uncle is behind his death. When he escapes from the death trap planned by Claudius, he swears to die by the sword. He even writes a letter to Claudius and his mother informing them of revenge. Thus, although Hamlet seems mad to the people, his mind is set on a higher goal that none of them suspected.