The Dual Nature of Hamlet’s Sanity
One of the most popular claims that is made when looking at Hamlet’s psychological well-being is that he was both sane and insane at the same time. In this case, the key issue that has to be addressed is that sanity is not always a consistent notion, especially when a person goes through various hardships. Thus, there might have been periods of lucidity, forcing Hamlet to experience insanity occasionally.
For example, Hamlet could be deemed sane because he intended to catch his father’s killer but was not consistent enough to do everything reasonable to accomplish that mission. It can be noted that the best interpretation of Hamlet’s sanity would be that he was sane at the beginning and almost completely insane by the end of the play. The decision to act crazy affected Hamlet deeply, resulting in the loss of rationality and sane behavior.
Feigning Madness and Its Psychological Toll
One of the most important claims is that Hamlet’s proper behaviors fade over time because he gets too comfortable trying to feign madness and act insane. His problems tend to overlap, and his strange behaviors are blown out of proportion by the incredible amount of stress that Hamlet has to endure. Therefore, when Hamlet tells Horatio that he is putting on an act (Act I, Scene 5, 147-165), he tries to prevent himself from crossing the line of insanity for the first time (Shakespeare, 1601).
Hamlet’s strange behaviors seem to represent a man trying his best to fake insanity. Hence, only when certain characters are around does Hamlet tend to turn into an insane person. The most irrational behaviors can be seen in Hamlet when he is around Polonius, Ophelia, and Claudius.
External Observations of Hamlet’s Mental State
One of the vital sources of evidence regarding Hamlet’s sanity is that Polonius points out Hamlet’s method. During Act II, Scene 2 (lines 223-224), Polonius reinforces the idea that Hamlet’s behaviors are logical. In Act III, Scene I (lines 148-150), Claudius does not judge Hamlet either, as he mentions that actions are strange but do not resemble madness (Shakespeare, 1601).
At the same time, it cannot be ignored that Hamlet saw the ghost in the chamber, and his mother did not, making it safe to say that Hamlet’s sanity was questionable. During Act III, Scene 4 (lines 118-124), Shakespeare (1601) displays the mother’s disbelief, making it harder for the audience to distinguish between Hamlet’s rationality and insanity. Knowing that the mother did not see the ghost, it is easy to assume that Hamlet was no longer faking his insanity at that moment.
Hamlet’s Self-Awareness and Final Justification of Sanity
Ultimately, Hamlet tells his mother he is “mad in craft” (Act III, Scene 4, lines 209-210). It is easy to believe him because Ophelia’s madness is much different than Hamlet’s efforts to appear insane (Shakespeare, 1601). Hamlet sees no problem with his behavior throughout the play, meaning he never loses control over his psychological well-being.
Even though there are instances of irrational behavior throughout the play, it can be concluded that Hamlet fakes his madness while trying his best to learn the identity of his father’s murderer. It appears as if Hamlet gradually becomes insane, but he completely differs from characters who lose their minds and become truly irrational. It means that Hamlet can be deemed sane throughout the play, even if with reasonable doubt in place.
Reference
Shakespeare, W. (1601). Hamlet. Web.