Andrew Dennis 12B
The character of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is a frustratingly complex enigma who never really reveals himself completely. Though he does disclose his intentions of assuming an “antic disposition” there is an innate hint of suspicion over the validity of this statement. For it is not only Hamlets actions in front of the iniquitous and wicked people inhabiting the festering palace of Elsinore but also the people with whom he entrusts the secret of his father’s spectral image that seem to resemble that of a man who is on the border of sanity. Though there are times when it is palpable that Hamlet’s actions are contrived for the known alternative purposes, it becomes disturbingly obvious that Hamlet is affected by his decaying surroundings on a more psychologically damaging level.
It is certainly understandable for someone who has just lost their father, and gained a stepfather to maybe act somewhat out of the norm. However, it is not until sometime after his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage that he actually starts showing the symptoms of psychological trauma. In fact it is only after Hamlet has revealed that he is going to “put an antic disposition on”. In saying this statement it is implied that he is in fact feigning madness. To support this later, as Hamlet is speaking to Guildenstern, he makes the analogy that he is "but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw", again indicating that he is only shamming insanity. Also, in a heated conversation in which his mother is questioning his sanity, Hamlet says "I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft". Hamlet is putting on an act, an essentially deceiving performance which was conceived not only to reveal who was involved in his father’s murder but also to help him adjust to the festering environment he is surrounded by.
