Crafty madness Essay

junctures speckle in the stage concerning family and love for Ophelia is plain going to affect him, as yet the term screwballness has been questioned as too dramatic and perhaps a more accurate condition to describe hamlets behaviour is melancholic behaviour. Melancholic behaviour is a condition causing randy insanity accompanied by extreme depression. Many incidents and speeches of small town ar similar to melancholic behaviourKing Was not like madness. in that locations something in his soul,Oer which his melancholy sits on brood.(Act 3, scope 1)Although this term is not commonly used these days, in the past and becalm in Shakespe bes period melancholic behaviour was a value condition.Further support that melancholic behaviour was commonly termed in the sixteenth century comes from Timothy Brights Treatise of Melancholy (1586) The perturbations of melancholy are for the most part sad and fearfulas distrust, doubt, diffidence or despair sometimes furious and sometim es merry in appearance, through a kind of sardonic and false laughter as the pander is disposed that procureth these diversions.Therefore not only would Shakespeare be familiar with this behaviour solely the audience of the time would also identify it.This condition could be identified by symptoms Hamlet shows for example, Hamlet with good reason dis contributes suits of woe, he sighs and hisdejected haviour of the visage(Act 1, candidate 2)In particular after Hamlet has spoken to his fathers ghost he begins to feel paranoid, he even distrusts the ghost at first not only that but the purity of Ophelia and his own inability to act.Other relevant symptoms include the choler towards his M another(prenominal) because of her marriage and his sardonic joking with the players from The Murder of Gonzago and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.The theory of melancholic behaviour is suggestible and rational especi wholey as it was a value condition at the time the play was written, however, it doesnt explain large of Hamlets behaviour or the language, which is used to portray it.In some parts of the play Hamlet talks to other characters and appears to be mad when he is obviously not. For example in Act 2, scene 2 Hamlet seems to patronize Polonius by answering his questions in a way he is clearly in control ofPolonius Do you crawl in me my Lord?Hamlet Excellent well, you are a fishmonger,Hamlet obviously knows Polonius, but as Polonius has asked him this question as if he were mad Hamlet answers as if he were mad, but clearly just to humour him. This is support by Hamlets statement as Polonius leaves the roomThese breezy old fools(Line 219)Hamlet also taunts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and leads them astray by what they satisfyingise as, slick madness. To add to this the way in which Hamlet expresses his feelings to his Mother all suggest his behaviour and the way he talks to people isnt madness but excuse to act how he feels and speak his spirit in a court where n o one speaks the truth.This style of Hamlets is allusively foundered in his language which also through his madness is allowed to be more rich and creative rather than aristocratic like the other characters. Hamlet uses many proverbial sayings and puns in the play.The authenticity of Hamlets madness is a mystery that cannot be solved, this is perhaps why the play is enjoyed by the audience so much, the huge sense of mystery and dubiety surrounding Hamlets madness is a main loss leader of the play.It is possible that Hamlet is suffering from madness of some sort as my essay suggests perhaps melancholic behaviour, or the anger and jealousy Hamlet feels is just too much for him to conceal. However it is also possible that Hamlets behaviour is madness put on by himself, there is evidence to support this theory as everyone in the play who states that Hamlet is mad has like himself got reason to imply this.Hamlet has verbalise that he would consider putting on an antic disposition as a disguise to conceal his revenge plot against Claudius.It is also a very significant point that the play of Hamlet is not a true story and consequently Hamlet is not a real character/personality in real life, therefore Shakespeare was able to reconcile him and make him seem however, he wished to. It is possible and likely that Shakespeare intended to present Hamlets madness in this ambiguous way giving almost equal reason for Hamlet to be genuinely mad as there is for him to be acting mad.