Group+8

Group 8: Joey DiSanza Devin O'Grady Becca Whiting 6/4/09 __To Be Insane, Or Not To Be Insane? __

"My wit's diseased," says Hamlet in Act 3, scene 2 to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Is it really or is he saying this only as a part of his intricate scheme? Hamlet's actions can certainly make him seem crazy, but at other times his madness appears to be planned or feigned, which suggests that Hamlet could be sane after all. Hamlet is not mentally unstable due to his doubtfulness, coherent soliloquies, and wit, but it is understandable that some believe him to be insane.

A reason why Hamlet is believed to be sane is because he has doubts about killing his uncle. A person who is truly mad might have killed Claudius directly after speaking with the ghost, but Hamlet devised a plan to make sure he was guilty of the crime first. Hamlet deduces, “The spirit that I have seen may be a devil and the devil hath power t’ assume pleasing shapes,” (Act 2 scene 2). If Hamlet were crazy, he might have trusted the ghost immediately, because the ghost was telling him what he wanted to hear. Hamlet has an intense dislike for Claudius, and the ghost coming to him and saying that Claudius is a murderer might seem too good to be true to Hamlet. Since Hamlet has doubts that the ghost is telling the truth, this may mean that Hamlet doesn’t want revenge like he thinks he does. The fact that Hamlet has doubts makes him all the more sane. Throughout the play, Hamlet is constantly questioning himself over why he isn't driven enough to kill Claudius. When the actors perform the play about Hecuba, Hamlet marvels at the fact that an actor can feel so strongly about someone he doesn’t even know, while Hamlet doesn't even feel half as passionate about his dead father. Hamlet asks himself if he’s a coward because he can’t stir up enough of his emotions to get revenge. In Act 4, scene 4, Hamlet’s soliloquy also mentions this problem. He speaks of how Poland is more passionate about defending a piece of worthless land than Hamlet is for revenge on Claudius. Hamlet says “My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!” which tells us that he might have finally set his heart on revenge.

Another scene which exemplifies Hamlet's lack of insanity is Act 2, scene 2, where he is walking about the castle reading his book and Polonius addresses him. In this scene, Hamlet realizes he is being spied upon and, as a result, toys with Polonius. He admits he is pretending when he says, "These tedious old fools." He uses sarcasm to mock him. Hamlet calls him a fishmonger, asks him if he has a daughter, and makes a few cheap shot towards his age. Polonius even acknowledges this behavior when he says, "There's a method to his madness." He understands that Hamlet is merely putting on an act. Later in the same scene, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive and Hamlet quickly realizes that King Claudius and Gertrude have sent them to watch him. Because of this, Hamlet shows that he still maintains his presence of mind. He is still sharp enough to deduce facts out of lies.

Another aspect to take into account is that Hamlet is very witty. An insane person would not be so clever with their word choice. He uses this skill of his on many separate occasions. At one point he uses it while talking to Ophelia when he says "Good heavens, he died two months ago and hasn't been forgotten yet? In that case, there's reason to hope a man's memory may out live him by six months. But he's got to build churches for that to happen, my lady, or else he'll have to put with being forgotten." He says this in order to convey the point that he is furious with his mother and uncle for getting married. Another instance where Hamlet uses this crafty wit of his is when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to speak to Hamlet about his actions during "The Mousetrap." They try and talk to him about how the play upset King Claudius, but Hamlet replied, "Your wisdom should show itself more richer to signify this to the doctor. For, for me to put him to his purgation would perhaps plunge him into far more choler." Hamlet is implying that he cannot help Claudius, but that a doctor could, even though Claudius's ailment has nothing to do with being sick. Then towards the very end of the story, Hamlet banters back and forth with Osric. On numerous occasions Hamlet uses his cleverness to make fun of him. Both of these scenes help further the point that Hamlet is not crazy. He is too articulate a person. It can also be argued that Hamlet is not crazy because he feels guilt after killing Polonius. He says, “I do repent” (Act 3 scene 4), and it is clear that he knows he’s subject to punishment because of his actions when he says, “But heaven hath pleases it so to punish me with this and this with me, that I must be their scourge and minister”. Hamlet knows the seriousness of what he did when he compares killing Polonius to his mother marrying his uncle. It’s obvious that Hamlet is very disturbed by his mother’s marriage to his uncle, and to compare Polonius’s death to his mother’s marriage shows that Hamlet understands the magnitude of the situation.

Hamlet’s craziness is supposedly feigned throughout the play. There are many instances when Hamlet tells this to the people around him. In Act 2 scene 2 when he’s talking with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he tells them “I am but mad north-north west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw”. This proves that only in certain situations will Hamlet act crazy. He also say to Horatio “How strange or odd some’er I bear myself (As perchance hereafter shall meet to put an antic disposition on)” and goes on to tell Horatio to think nothing of his change in personality. Hamlet warned his friend that he was going to be acting different; this designates him as sane because his acts of madness are planned out. Guildenstern tells the King and Queen “But with crafty madness keeps aloof when we would bring him on to some confession of his true state” (Act 3 scene 1). Guildenstern seems to think that Hamlet’s madness is covering up his true feelings. Since Hamlet is visibly upset about his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle, faking madness to hide his anger makes sense to Guildenstern.

Hamlet is a sane, witty human-being, but others believe that he demonstrates many signs of insanity with his words as well as his actions throughout the play. During the scene when Hamlet is telling his mother how angry and upset he feels about their situation, he loses all sense of judgment to his anger. Without thinking twice about the consequences of his actions he murders Polonius. After killing this unsuspecting victim, he looks to his mother and asks if the person he has just stabbed is King Claudius. This is an act of someone who truly has no sense of sanity. His paranoia, fear, and anger cause him to make irrational and unfortunate decisions throughout the play. Hamlet also tells Ophelia that he never loved her, and insults her multiple times. This is an example about how Hamlet's madness is present. It is clear the Hamlet did love Ophelia because of the love notes that he gave her, but once she approaches him, he denies it. Hamlet also is considered by other people to be crazy when the ghost appears to him a second time while in the queen's room. The queen couldn't see the ghost, but Hamlet could. Was it the real ghost, or Hamlet's madness acting up?

Hamlet's insanity seems to progress throughout the play. His obsession over the revenge of his father's death pushes him progressively further from logic. He begins to question himself as to why he cannot build up the courage to kill King Claudius. The fulfillment of his father's task controls his every action he makes throughout the entire play, and yet it is not until his own death that it is certain he is able to kill his uncle. Another example of why Hamlet's sanity is questioned occurs when he goes so far as to have his own two childhood friends killed to ensure his own safety. It could be argued that he was acting out of pure survival instinct, but repeatedly he makes it clear that he has no value for his own life. This is obvious because Hamlet brings up the idea of suicide more than once during the play.

Hamlet is not crazy due to a myriad of reasons, but others maintain that he in fact is crazy. There is much evidence to support either side of this case. For instance, Hamlet can be considered crazy because of his rash behavior in murdering Polonius. This certainly would make it seem that he is completely insane. But in Act 1, scene 5, Hamlet states that he will be acting abnormal and strange. Many of Hamlet's rash actions point towards his insanity. However, Hamlet also mentions numerous times througout the play that he has put on an antic disposition. Hamlet is a complex character and from textual evidence it is clear that he is sane, but there are many who insist he is insane due to various reasons.