Madness in Hamlet

[Kevin Chen]

Hi! A question on madness in Hamlet

Hamlet is sane throughout the play. If he were not sane, he could not have stopped being insane when he chooses.

That part I have it down.

BUT at the end of the play, Hamlet pleads madness as an excuse for causing the death of Ophelia, this madness has a different meaning. Hamlet is alluding to his inability for self control, his slavery to passion and revenge. With an outburst of anger, he kills polonius, thinking he were the king.

But are there any other places where I can prove that Hamlet is indeed mad, in his lack of control and habitual unbalance.


Thanks

[Anglika]

Have you searched for this topic? There must be hundreds of references.

To start you off, look here: Was Hamlet Mad: Arguments FOR and AGAINST.
and here: Hamlet
and here: The Real or Assumed Madness of Hamlet

[gegeegeee]

trust i have searched for this topic. the only source i found that even touched on this topic was blackmore's essay on real and assumed madness

[Anglika]

Trust I have searched for this topic. The only source I found that even touched on this topic was Blackmore's essay on real and assumed madness

Maybe a library would be of more help, then. All the sites I looked at discussed this topic.

[Tdol]

hamlet madness - Google Scholar

[Batfink]

One must refer to the quotation "There in method in his madness".