A Major Source Of Discussion Concerning Shakespeare 's Hamlet

This quote reveals to us that Hamlet, throughout the play has only shown hints of his emotions but never expressed them to the full extent. The small jokes to Polonius clouds the true emotion within Hamlet. Hamlet masks his emotion by putting on a fun and joyful character through the eyes of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Polonius. " The levity of Hamlet, his repetition of phrase, his puns, are not part of a deliberate plan of dissimulation, but a form of emotional relief." (Eliot, Thomas Stearns)

Hamlet is a smart character in the play, because for someone who just recently lost his father, acting crazy would seem normal, and no one will think he is actually preparing to seek revenge on the king. When Hamlet is talking to his mother, he says “I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft”, Hamlet admits to his mother that he is pretending to be mad (3.4.189-190). He also tells Gertrude not to tell King Claudius because then there is no point of his “antic disposition” act if Claudius knows this is all for show. Hamlet is only pretending to be crazy, but when it comes down to it he knows that is right and what is going on.

In other words, he tells them that he will merely act "antic" but not be truly mad. He then tells them, still there in the graveyard, that they should note they "know aught of (him)" (Shakespeare Act I, Scene v, line 205) so that no one will know of his secret willingness to act crazy. By telling them this he ensures that he will not be exposed by their testimony, since they have been sworn to secrecy. This also explains why Horatio, very close to Hamlet and always by his side, never questions Hamlet's sanity, because he knows it is merely a means to an end, a show that will serve his purpose. Yet there is one that strongly questions Hamlet's mental state; King Claudius. Claudius is unsure of Hamlet's mental state. Even he, the audience for whom the show is put up for, doubts Hamlet's madness because he knows Hamlet is a man of greatness; someone perfectly able of achieving what he sets his mind to. The King doubts him because he knows of his great capacity; clearly shown when he says to Polonius "Madness in great ones must not unwatched go" (Shakespeare Act III, scene i, line 199) meaning that they should beware of Hamlet's madness. The reader is informed by Claudius's words that Hamlet is perfectly capable of putting on this antic disposition at his own will. Proof of this is when he is speaking to Horatio and the audience to his show appears (the King,

Throughout Shakespeare?s play, Hamlet, the main character, young Hamlet, is faced with the responsibility of attaining vengeance for his father?s murder. He decides to feign madness as part of his plan to gain the opportunity to kill Claudius. As the play progresses, his depiction of a madman becomes increasingly believable, and the characters around him react accordingly. However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfill his duty to his father.

The most noticeable demonstration of Hamlet's intelligence shows in his fondness for puns. Breaking out of commonly accepted speech patterns and delving into deeper meanings takes a lot of mental effort. Hamlet does this every time he talks with someone who would hinder him in realizing his objectives. Let us look at a particularly poignant example. Observe:

Hamlet’s sanity has made many people question him. “Hamlet certainly displays a high degree of mania and instability throughout much of the play, but his “madness” is perhaps too purposeful and pointed

Throughout the Shakespearian play, Hamlet, the main character is given the overwhelming responsibility of avenging his father’s "foul and most unnatural murder" (I.iv.36). Such a burden can slowly drive a man off the deep end psychologically. Because of this, Hamlet’s disposition is extremely inconsistent and erratic throughout the play. At times he shows signs of uncontrollable insanity. Whenever he interacts with the characters he is wild, crazy, and plays a fool. At other times, he exemplifies intelligence and method in his madness. In instances when he is alone or with Horatio, he is civilized and sane. Hamlet goes through different stages of insanity throughout the story, but his neurotic and skeptical personality amplifies his

Although he is depressed, Hamlet is a sane man pretending to be mad for a very specific purpose, to solve the murder of his father. The beginning of the play Hamlet gives the impression he is insane. Anytime he interacts with the characters he acts out of control and mad. On the other hand, when Hamlet has his alone time or with Horatio he is composed and sane. Furthermore, Hamlet is not mad, he is acting as though he is mad to formulate his feelings, new plans, and to gain evidence.

Hamlet constantly flaunts his superior intelligence while conversing with certain characters. Hamlet constantly mocks and criticizes Polonius— like when he calls him a fishmonger — which is slang for someone like a pimp — in ways that signify that Hamlet is aware of the poorly set traps that Polonius has laid out for him. Not only does that insult serve as proof that he’s cognizant of traps set for it, but it’s also Hamlet’s way of shaming Polonius for using his own daughter as some type of pawn in his plan. Mott also praises the complexity of Hamlet’s intellect and his “To Be of Not to Be” soliloquy, which is when Hamlet contemplates suicide, and claims that Hamlet must be sane if he’s able to show such a great sense of discernment and articulateness while philosophizing mortality. Hamlet, undoubtedly, experiences some traumatic event, such as his father being murdered and the death of his love Ophelia, that would drive the average person to insanity and, in extreme cases, suicide.

  Well aware that several hours of unrelenting angst would be a bit much for his audience to take, William Shakespeare strategically placed several humorous scenes throughout his masterpiece, Hamlet.  In particular, the character of Polonius fills the role of the comic fool; he is in two essential comedic scenes, one with his own children and then one with Hamlet.  Shakespeare's acute ability to weave humor into this very heavy play is noteworthy, as his use of comedy goes beyond merely providing much-needed comic relief.   In fact, the rather numerous comedic scenes serve as a foils to, as well as reflections of, the intense action of the play.   In every case where humor is used in Hamlet, it is

As with many plays, actors in Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, are at liberty to alter the portrayal of their characters. Because of this, the significance and subtleties of various characters can be lost in varying adaptations of the play. This holds true for the character Polonius, who is often incorrectly portrayed as a oblivious and foolish yet caring father. Rather, Shakespeare implicitly and explicitly establishes Polonius as a character in full control of his wits. Polonius’ interaction with other characters throughout the play highlights his cunning, wit, and selfishness.

Polonius is a prideful man who takes his position on the court as the Chief Counselor of the King more seriously than it actually is. He regards himself as witty and infallible, yet he is neither of these. He wishes to prove his wit and intelligence to his peers, but by attempting to do so, he only reveals just how much wit and intelligence he lacks. Throughout the play, Polonius “is presented as a busybody who misinterprets almost everything” (Bloom 19). Hamlet’s use of metaphors and pregnant responses cause Polonius to realize he is not nearly as witty as he thought he was, or as Hamlet is. This drives him into anger and frustration, and could possibly be the cause of his decline into dotage. In Act II scene II, the audience witnesses Polonius’s realization and how he reacts to it.

After developing a plan to find the root of Hamlet’s madness with the king, Hamlet walks in, and Polonius attempts to converse with him. At first, Hamlet’s remarks seem insane, but his words are laden with insults to Polonius. The prince comments that he agrees with his book which describes “that old men have… a plentiful lack of wit,” directing his jab at Polonius (II.II.193-195). His mocking shows that class is very important in the kingdom; because Polonius is of lower rank than Hamlet, Hamlet believes he has the right to insult Polonius. However, Polonius mistakes the affront on his age and intelligences as further proof of the prince’s insanity and leaves to exact his plan to find the source of the prince’s madness.

True to the bone, Hamlet is an intellectual scholar. Born to the throne, it is not surprising that he thinks through all his actions and is wary of even his friends. It is from his thoughtfulness and calculated approach that one recongnizes his sanity while he acts mad. In Hamlet’s third soliloquy he gets angry at himself for not being able to conjure as much emotion for the revenge of his father as the actor has for his forged cause. After going through a trial of self-hatred he says, “Hum, I have heard, That guilty creatures, sitting at a play, Have by the very cunning of the scene Been struck so to the soul that presently They have proclaim’d their malefactions,” (2, ii, 586-590). Despite his emotional state he resolves how he shall advance in his plans against Claudius; that is to

His use of complex language to increase his intelligence is both farcical and comical in nature. The most obvious example of this satirical self mockery in the play comes in Act two scene two “Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief.” In this single sentence Polonius proves to himself and the world that he his does not have “the soul of wit” due to the fact that even though he is trying to talk about being short winded, Polonius cannot help himself from embellishing his point and therefore showing that he cannot be brief. Polonius’s inability to use decisive and precise diction is a major factor in the animosity that grows between him and Hamlet in the play and provides the basis for that particular subplot. However Polonius still manages to make a mockery of himself when he interrupts a player claiming that the speech was “too long”. This is an allusion in itself to the contradictory nature of the upper classes. Where one law applies to everyone else and another to themselves, his clear lack of consistency is used by Shakespeare to further enhance Polonius’s comical