Emily Cho
ENGL 227
Dr. D. Stymeist
Prince Hamlet:
the Vanishing Line Between Genius and Madness
Hamlet in Shakepeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of
With his famous line "frailty,
thy name is woman" (I, ii. 146), Hamlet descends into an abyss of
emotional turmoil. He loses faith in his mother Queen Gertrude and in his lover
Ophelia. Feigning madness, Hamlet is able to make his innermost anguish known
to these two important women in his life. Still grieving at his father's death,
Hamlet is shocked when his mother Queen Gertrude marries Claudius two months
after the King's death. At this point in the play, Hamlet does not feign
madness but is genuinely and openly melancholy. As Hamlet explains to his
mother, his "inky cloak" shows his grief, but the pain is much
deeper. Grief is not a sign of madness. Gertrude feels that her son has greatly
changed, for he no longer views her as his mother . Instead, he calls her his
“good-mother” - his step mother. Gertrude marrying her husband's brother is
incestuous, and this bestirs feelings of bitterness in Hamlet. However, since
Gertrude is the Queen and she is his mother, Hamlet cannot denounce her
"pernicious" behaviour without hiding behind the mask of madness.
While he muses to himself about Gertrude's conduct, Hamlet hears Horatio,
Marcellus, and Barnardo arrive. Hamlet quickly says, "But break, my heart,
for I must hold my tongue" (I, ii. 159). He realizes that it is best for
him to keep his thoughts and plans to himself, because to do otherwise is to
breach the rules of hierarchy. Soon, Hamlet does appear "mad" in his
appearance by looking unkempt, and Queen Gertrude attributes this to her
husband's death and to her "o'er-hasty marriage" to Claudius (II, ii.
56-57). Thus, when Hamlet rebukes her in public and in private, Queen Gertrude
does not become angry. Instead, she feels sorry for him and feels somewhat
guilty about her remarriage. When Hamlet suggests for her to take a look in the
mirror, Gertrude admits that Hamlet has "turn'st [her] eyes into [her]
very soul" (III, iv. 79). Had she
thought that Hamlet was sane, Gertrude might not have been as tender towards
her son as she was. Hamlet at this point is sane but also very bitter. He says,
"I will speak daggers to her, but use none" (III, ii. 366). A madman
would have used a real dagger and carried out the rash action of murdering his
own mother. When Hamlet speaks to the ghost in Gertrude's room, the Queen
believes that her son has truly gone mad. Gertrude pities Hamlet, but even if
the ghost only exists in Hamlet's imagination, the apparition functions as his
conscience. The ghost reminds Hamlet not to stray from his goal, which is to
avenge his father's death. This is not evidence of insanity in Hamlet, but is a
reminder that he should not harm his mother despite her unworthy conduct.
Having "importuned [Ophelia] with love in honourable fashion", Hamlet
rightly feels depressed when Ophelia obeys Laertes and Polonius' instructions
to avoid him (I, iii. 110-111). Ophelia, like Gertrude, disappoints Hamlet and
causes him grief. Hamlet is unable to gain access to Ophelia when he is deemed
"sane", so with his feigned madness, he is able to demonstrate his
interest in her with his lewd yet witty comments. When Hamlet enters in II, ii,
he is "madly attired, reading on a book." It is suggested that Hamlet
might have overheard Claudius, Gertrude, and Polonius' plans to place him under
surveillance. Thus, Hamlet plays upon the others' belief of him as
"mad" and slightly exaggerates his absentmindedness. Polonius
especially wishes to believe that Hamlet is genuinely mad for his daughter
Ophelia, and he even speaks about the Prince's madness in the latter's
presence. Hamlet's condemnation of Ophelia does not show his insanity. Hamlet
is a scholar and a romantic, so it is not surprising that he is heartbroken
when Ophelia returns all his love tokens and letters. He is in anguish and he feigns madness to
earn Ophelia's attention and pity. Hamlet also tells Ophelia that he never
loved her even though he evidently did. Hamlet is not mad, however, for he did
this to test Ophelia's love and loyalty to him. Some say that Hamlet is mad
because he jumps into Ophelia's grave. Laertes, too, jumps into his sister's
grave. Does this make Laertes' sanity questionable? Hamlet is not insane, but
he wishes to prove both his courage and his love to Ophelia by duelling
Laertes. Under the guise of madness, Hamlet reveals the thoughts and emotions
to Gertrude and Ophelia that he is otherwise unable to express.
Feigning madness in the presence of
his peers, Hamlet avoids the estrangement that may arise from his emotional
turbulence. Not only is Hamlet deeply bitter at his relationship with Queen
Gertrude and with Ophelia, he is also guilt-ridden because of his plan to
avenge his father's death by murdering his uncle King Cladius. To mask his guilt
and bitterness, Hamlet appears to fluctuate between bouts of sanity and
insanity. An early indication of
Hamlet's mental instability, according to his friends, occurs at Hamlet's first
meeting with his father's ghost. Horatio thinks that Hamlet's words are
"but wild and whirling" (I, v. 137). This, however, only indicates
Hamlet's turbulent emotions at discovering the cause of his father's death, and
he only has thoughts of revenge on his mind at the time. Hamlet does not wish
to reveal his emotions and plans, so he attempts to hide his feelings under the
guise of madness. It is a sane Hamlet who tells Horatio that every man should
tend to his own business. Keeping mum and making Horatio and Marcellus swear
secrecy is not a sign of madness. Hamlet hints to his friends that he may act
strangely or oddly; someone who is not in the correct frame of mind would not
speak in this manner. In his mind,
Hamlet is already conjuring plans to avenge his father's death; the Prince is a
genius, for he is both quick-witted and inventive. He knows that the best
method to accomplish his task is to go about it in a secretive manner. By
feigning madness, Hamlet deflects suspicion. Polonius is correct in noting that
"though this be madness, yet there is method in't" (II, ii. 203). In
fact, Hamlet speaks in puns with Polonius in II, ii. His repartees are witty
banter, not nonsensical. Nevertheless, Polonius continues to believe that
Hamlet is insane due to his disappointing relationship with Ophelia. Polonius
remarks, "How pregnant sometimes his replies are! A happiness that often
madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered
of" (II, ii. 206-209). This is untrue, for although Hamlet is depressed,
he is not mad. Hamlet clearly understands the situations at hand and recognizes
the consequences of his actions. Madmen
do not reflect rationally upon their lives, but reflecting is exactly what
Hamlet does: “Ay, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may
come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause” (III, i.
67-70). Madmen do not possess
conscience; if they do, they do not heed it. Hamlet, on the other hand, notes
that “conscience does make cowards of us all” (III, i. 85). Hamlet is also well
aware that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent for by his uncle to spy on
him. Therefore, when Claudius hastily leaves the Gonzago murder play, it can
easily be imagined that Hamlet has a twinkle in his eyes as he tells
Guildenstern that his “wit's diseased” and that Guildenstern should repeat his
requests in simpler words (III, ii. 294). Hamlet pretends to be mad so that
Guildenstern and Rosencrantz can report back to Claudius inaccurately about his
supposed “madness”. At another point, however, Hamlet seems to return to sanity
as he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern defiantly, “Call me what instrument
you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me” (III, ii. 340-341).
He treats these two schoolmates as “fanged adders” and later explains to
Horatio that he is not moved by the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
because “their defeat doth by their own insinuation grow” (V, ii. 59-60). Although Hamlet feigns madness in the
presence of his peers, he drops many hints to his friend Horatio that indicate
his sanity. In III, ii, Hamlet discusses with Horatio about flattery and
feigning, and he also tells the latter to observe King Claudius closely during
the Gozango play. This play about the murder of Gozango is a clever trap used
to prove Claudius' guilt, and Hamlet is ingenious in developing it. Some say
that Hamlet is insane for hiding the corpse of Polonius. Hamlet, however, feels
no pity for the scheming Polonius, but he does feel some guilt in murdering
someone other than King Claudius. Thus, guilt-ridden, Hamlet hides Polonius'
body. It is advantageous that some see this act as an act of insanity, because
Hamlet is then able to hide under this guise to avoid estrangement from his
peers. Even as he dies, Hamlet is sane
and he asks for Fortinbras to succeed him as the king of Denmark. Only a sane
Hamlet would think about the welfare of the nation and request Fortinbras to
retell the history of Hamlet's revenge tragedy.
Murdering a king - even if it is for
the revenge of another king's death - is a serious offence, both socially and
morally. Hamlet demonstrates superb self-control under this stressful
situation. To prevent moral estrangement, Hamlet pretends to have lost his mind
so that no one is able to guess his murder plans for King Claudius. Some may
question Hamlet's sanity at seeing his father's ghost, but the ghost also
appears before Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo even though it does not speak
to them. The revenge quest is for Hamlet only. Even before meeting his father's
ghost, Hamlet is shrewd enough to remark that Claudius is “a little more than
kin and less than kind” (I, ii. 65). And, during his “madness”, Hamlet muses to
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that “there is something in this more than
natural, if philosophy could find it out” (II, ii. 350-351). Hamlet, although
dishevelled and walks about the palace grounds seemingly unaware of his
surroundings, is in fact very much aware of
his own thoughts and feelings. As Hamlet says, "I am but mad
north-north-west; when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a
handsaw" (II, ii. 361-362). Later, in V,ii, Hamlet tells Osric that
"the wind is northerly"(95). This confirms that Hamlet is
clear-minded throughout the play and can recall his past thoughts and actions
even though he always seem to speak to others in riddles. The culmination of
Hamlet's genius is the setting up of the play about the murder of Gonzago.
While others believe that the “insane” Hamlet simply wishes to watch a play to
divert himself from his grief, Hamlet himself knows that “the play's the thing
wherein [he]'ll catch the conscience of the King” (II, ii. 581-582). Though he
behaves erratically in the presence of most of the other characters, Hamlet
discusses the art of acting with the travelling players rationally. This hints
at Hamlet's own acting skills and Hamlet also speaks to Horatio about flattery
and feigning in III, ii. Hamlet cleverly tells Horatio to observe King Claudius
closely during play. To Claudius, Hamlet says enigmatically and seemingly
innocently, “Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung” (III, ii.
221-222). Claudius is somewhat suspicious of Hamlet and finds it dangerous to
have him around even if he is “mad”. The King does not dare to kill Hamlet,
however, because Hamlet is well-loved by the people. Therefore, Claudius sends
Hamlet to England. There, Hamlet again demonstrates his cleverness by sending
two letters back to Denmark: one to Horatio explaining his situation, and
another to Claudius that makes Hamlet appear insane. Hamlet is far from insane.
He deliberates on his courses of action and thinks very well. Hamlet does not
kill Claudius while the latter is praying, for the Prince does not wish for
Claudius' soul to go to heaven. Someone who has lost his mind would not think
of possibilities such as this. Hamlet also reflects on his hesitation at
avenging his father's death, believing that his hesitance is "one part
wisdom and ever three parts coward" (IV, iv. [9.32-33]). In the end,
Hamlet's sanity remains intact and he realizes that he is morally correct in
wishing to avenge his father's death by killing Claudius, for Claudius
"hath killed [Hamlet's] king and whored [his] mother, popped in between
th'election and [his] hopes, thrown out his angle for [his] proper life, and
with such coz'nage"(V, ii. 65-68). Claudius is a villain and Hamlet is
brilliant in knowing that by feigning madness, he will be able to escape the
radar of moral and social responsibility.
Although he may avoid suspicion, Hamlet does remain morally and socially
responsible, because he does what is right for his father and for his country.
Examining and analyzing every
thought and action he makes, Hamlet demonstrates that he has complete control over his heart
and mind throughout The Tragedy of
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Unable to speak freely before Queen Gertrude and
Ophelia, Hamlet exaggerates his emotional turmoil so that these two women will
soften their attitudes towards him and listen to him. Not only does Hamlet wish
to win back the hearts of Gertrude and Ophelia, these two women also serve to
verify Hamlet's supposed madness to the other characters. Furthermore, Hamlet
must hide his rationality and cunning from his peers and from King Claudius so
that he may proceed with his revenge plan. Freed from the suspicions of his
mother, his lover, his peers, and King Claudius, Hamlet succeeds in avenging
his father's death and in remaining sane throughout the play.
WORK
CITED
Shakespeare,
William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In The Norton
Shakespeare: based on the Oxford
Edition. Edited by Stephen Greenblatt. New
York: W.W. Norton & Company,
Inc., 1997.