The Question Of Madness In Shakespeare's Hamlet
...In fact, his state of mind has been the subject of many articles, books and essays. They all ponder the question, is Hamlet truly mad or is he playing a part to unveil a horrific truth within his own family? The young prince's situation is complicated. Is it "unseemly", as Claudius and Gertrude suggest, for Hamlet to continue to grieve for his father's unexpected demise? Is it crazy for a son to be angry at the upheaval of his family and overwhelmed by the stress this unique experience has caused? Hamlet is not mad but sunk into a deep depression after losing his father.
Hamlet's depression is conveyed in the earliest scenes of the play. When Hamlet is first addressed by his Mother and Uncle he expresses contempt for the King when he mutters under his breath, "A little more than kin and less than kind." (A1, S2, L67). He is very depressed that his father is dead and his family is pretending not to care. They don't even acknowledge that Hamlet might feel uncomfortable with their union. The King asks him, "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?"(A1, S2, L68), and the Queen reasons to Hamlet, "thou know'st tis common; all that lives must die." (A1, S2, L4). Hamlet's mother and "Uncle Father" insist that he stop mourning his father and get on with his life. They imply that he is acting immaturely and not like a man. The Queen and King do not understand that Hamlet is very deeply affected by the recent events in his life and feels betrayed, not only because of his fathers' untimely death, but because his mother got remarried after only two months to his own father's brother. Hamlet feels alone in his sorrow, "trapped in his suits of woe" (A1, S2, L89).
Hamlet's friends, Horatio and Marcellus, come to him after seeing the ghost of King Hamlet. Hamlet is desperately seeking closure for the loss of his father and anxiously demands that Horatio...
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