The Decision Of Hamlet s Mental State - 939 Words

A theme of ‘madness’ is carefully and creatively manifested within Hamlet. A question that I intend to get out of the way fairly quickly would be the decision of Hamlet’s mental state. There is much controversy surrounding the idea of Hamlet’s madness, and textual evidence can support either side of the argument. However, madness is still at the heart of this play, whether it be real or feigned. Since we cannot prove Hamlet’s sanity, we may still act under the assumption that he has lost his hold on reality. In the case of Ophelia, there is no doubt clouding the decision of her mental state. She is, indeed, insane. In order to examine these cases of insanity, we will not only find differences between Hamlet and Ophelia’s loss of sanity,†¦show more content†¦When alone, or around Horatio, it is portrayed that Hamlet is very in control of his actions. Ophelia, on the other hand, appears to have lost all sense of self-awareness and it is inconclusive as to whether she drowned intently or by accident. Neither of them may have had serious intentions of ending their lives, but it is still true to say that neither of them did much to avoid their endings. Polonius is easily able to cause Ophelia to lose her trust in Hamlet and agree to stop seeing him, without giving any substantial justifications in his reasoning. Ophelia blindly follows Polonius’ orders, because she doesn’t have her own sense of direction (Gerwig 14). Hamlet, in a similar manner, follows the words of the Ghost. He, however, hinders taking action in result of his uncertainty. The two of them can both be swayed due to their â€Å"weakness of will† (Shucking 74). They are also both perceived as â€Å"sensitive souls†, which made them vulnerable to losing holds on reality. The idea of guilt also plays an interesting role in their mental faculties. Guilt over what she did to Hamlet could arguably be where Ophelia’s mind b egins to unravel, but she completely deteriorates with the death of Polonius. Hamlet’s fit of madness at Ophelia’s funeral can also be explained as guilt. This theory is justified by Hamlet’s own words: â€Å"make mad the guilty† (II.ii.541). Ophelia has the burden of