At the dawn of the play, the cause of Hamlet's madness
seems to be the death of his father; therefore Claudius uses the mild term of "distemper". However the progress of the story reveals the troublesome continuity of Hamlet's madness. Claudius therefore describes his madness as being "dangerous" and "turbulent" to reveal the state of his own mind. Claudius realizes that he has to explore intensely, the depths of Hamlet's thoughts and therefore regards him as a threat. Claudius is eventually the one who can translate Hamlet's strategies and therefore realizes that "madness in great ones must not unwatched go."
Later Gertrude describes his madness as "mad as the sea and the wind when both contend." Hamlet's madness seems to be evolving with the progress of the story and the audience understands that this occurs due to his inability to act. Hamlet inspires in everyone a unique feeling so that in spite of his madness, he is adored and respected. Hamlet, as a reflective scholar and prince has an indecisive attitude to women in the play. Therefore his loathing for his mother, moves on to his loathing in womanhood. Gertrude describes Hamlet as her "too much changed son" however she doesn't realize the change caused in him is partly her own contribution. Hamlet cannot accept his mother's "o'er hasty marriage" and it is this marriage which causes bitterness in his heart and sarcasm in his words.
Hamlet cannot accept the fact that she moves with "such dexterity to incestuous sheets." It is indeed such thoughts that stain Hamlet's language causing a philosophical scholar to carelessly utter the vulgarity in his thoughts through the use of overtone. Hamlet throughout the play has the continual desire for death. It is the load of the over-burdening responsibilities of taking revenge that causes Hamlet to be wistful for death. He, in one of his soliloquies raises the perennial question to mankind, "To be or not to be." It is a question that outlines his everlasting death wish. For a highly reflective scholar, the time for action never nears" According to Hamlet, life is full of a "thousand natural shocks" and he as a thinker, wants to give up in his conquest for revenge. By presenting Hamlet's persistent death wish Shakespeare suggests that that one has to face the downfalls of existence.
Hamlet is also seen delaying the decision of revenge when he orders the play 'the murder of Gonzago' to be enacted. Hamlet is caught up in a tornado of conflicting emotions tends to lose the trail heading to his ultimate goal. As the story progresses, Hamlet is shown to become more and more reluctant to pursue his revenge. He is unable to translate his thoughts into actions. For the tragedy to be prevented, Hamlet should have had the impulse of Laertes and the ambition of Fortinbras
Shakespeare raises the life in the play by the effective use of his language. The imagery of disease is present all through the play and describes the deterioration of human values. Denmark is described as an "unweeded garden."with an existence of "dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds." Shakespeare, through the sickness imagery describes Hamlet's central worries and despair. The play is packed with the imagery of disease, the most well-known being the phrase "there is something rotten in the state of Denmark."
Shakespeare, as part of his language has also included in the play references to spirituality to suit the Elizabethan. He shows awareness of the fact that there is "divinity that shapes all our ends" and towards the end only God can decide our ultimate destiny. He through his words gives out a few timeless messages, for instance "when sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions." Through the simple, yet effective use of imagery, Shakespeare establishes the fact that in the course of a lifetime one has to "grunt and sweat under a weary life" and that the ultimate truth is the womb of the "undiscovered country."