Madness in Hamlet Handout

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Hamlet

  • Gets mad due to the incestuous marriage between his mother Queen Gertrude and King Claudius.
  • The revealing of King Hamlet’s death from the ghost agitates Hamlet as he seeks for revenge.
  • Nevertheless, he tells Horatio that he is not mad but is acting mad to avenge his father’s death.
  • Madness is obvious around Queen Gertrude, Ophelia, King Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
  • His madness results in the suspicions of his behaviours of many people around him.
  • In his meeting with Queen Gertrude, she reasons with him about the play within a play. As Hamlet’s reaction goes beyond his control, his mom says “ Alas, he’s mad” (III.Iv. 121)
  • His madness causes him to lose trust between his mother and his friends (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as they pretend to be nice to him just so that they can get the reasons of his madness).
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Ophelia

  • Is a naïve character which predisposes her to corruption as her brother and father contaminates her mind by saying how Hamlet is just trifling with her affections.
  • The corruption of her character results in her insanity.
  • Her madness has caused her to sing love songs when she learns that her father, Polonius has died.
  • She commits suicide by drowning herself.  This is confirmed as Queen Gertrude says “…As one incapable of her own distress/ or like a creature native and endued…” (IV.Vii.204-205)

Laertes

  • Madness is influenced by his quest of ...

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