Is Hamlet Insane?

William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is considered to be a great tragedy in the eyes of many. In it the main character Hamlet is on a quest to avenge the death of his father. At the start of the play Hamlet is upset that his mother has married his uncle only two months after his fathers death. Further into the play he is confronted by the ghost of his father and told that his father was murdered by his uncle. When the ghost tells him to take revenge for his murder Hamlet takes on the task whole heartedly. Many speculate as to whether Hamlet remains sane throughout his escapade of revenge, when there are many things that seem to make the audience think otherwise.

“Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!”(I, ii, 129-132). This line is especially good because it give you a clear clean view into what Hamlet is thinking about. It has only been about two months since his fathers’ death and he is already thinking about committing suicide. By this point his mother has already married his uncle rather quickly, and so this leaves Hamlet to suspect something might have been taking place between the two before his fathers’ death.

When the ghost of Hamlets father makes his appearance on stage everyone is horrified but Hamlet himself. When the ghost beckons Hamlet to follow him Hamlet does without thinking. When his friends try to stop him for fear of his life he quickly draws his sword and threatens them, “By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me. I say, away!—Go on. I'll follow thee.”(I, iv, 85-86). Why he threatened his friends when they were just looking after his well being seems a little crazy.

Jumping forward quite a bit in the play to Gertrudes private chamber where here and Polonius are talking when Hamlet begins to come to speak with her. Polonius hides and while Hamlet is ridiculing his mother and she screams for help Polonius also screams...