Prince Hamlet is one of the most enduring characters in literature, and one of the most hotly debated topics surrounding him is whether or not he was truly mad. Was his behavior a result of the stress of his situation, or were his actions caused by a genuine mental illness? This essay will explore the idea that Hamlet was not just pretending, but he truly was insane. Prince Hamlet was truly insane due to his numerous erratic outbursts and thoughts, his inability to decipher reality from fantasy, and his willingness to take drastic actions. Hamlet was not acting on his mental illness, he truly was insane.
Prince Hamlet’s outbursts and insane thoughts that can be seen throughout the play were caused by his insanity. The insanity brought to him from the murder of his father caused him to have these irrational thoughts and actions. On top of this, the actions and thoughts become increasingly insane, and he appears to be more and more unhinged as the play progresses. For example, in his famous ‘To be or not to be’ speech, Hamlet is contemplating suicide and questioning the worth of life, which is a clear sign of mental instability. He questions whether it would be more noble to suffer in his thoughts, or to die so he no longer has to think. “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;” (Shakespeare 3.1.56-60). Hamlet’s actions and words towards Ophelia could also be seen as insane and outburst-like. He speaks to her in a cruel way, and his behavior towards her is erratic and unpredictable. He calls her a “breeder of sinners” and tells her that he never loved her. He also insists that she should go “to a nunnery” instead of getting married. He also tells her to “Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny.” (Shakespeare 3.1.135-136) This could be seen as an insane rant, as it is irrational and does not make sense in the context of their relationship. Outbursts and insane thoughts are a heavy indication of irrational thinking which is tied to insanity, and these irrational thoughts display Hamlet’s insanity.
Prince Hamlet’s inability to decipher reality from fantasy has been another proof of his insanity. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, which could indicate that he is already delusional. The ghost of his father that he sees sets him on the revenge plot after it tells him that Claudius was the one that killed him. Hamlet is also under the impression that the ghost of his father is actually the devil: “The spirit that I have seen/May be the devil: and the devil hath power/To assume a pleasing shape” (Shakespeare 2.2.572-574). This belief that the ghost of his father is not actually his father, rather the devil taking on the form of his father in order to trick him into avenging his father, confuses him and causes more insanity (Wilber, 2017). Along with this, he speaks to a skull as if it were alive, referring to it as “Yorick” and talking to it about how it used to laugh and smile in its life (Shakespeare 5.1.179-183). This is a clear indicator of his inability to distinguish reality from fantasy, as he is speaking to a dead person as if it were alive. Not being able to decipher reality from fantasy is a definite sign of insanity, which helps indicate Hamlet’s true insanity.
Prince Hamlet’s willingness to take drastic actions is another sign that he truly was insane. He plans to avenge his father by killing Claudius, despite the fact that it is a crime punishable by death. Suicide is another drastic action, although he did not actually do it, he contemplated it heavily, signifying insanity. Along with these actions, he had other actions that affected other people negatively due to his irrational thinking. A prime example of this was in his mother’s room when he killed Polonius for eavesdropping on their conversation. “What, ho! help, help, help!/How now! a rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!/O, I am slain!” (Shakespeare 3.4.22-24). Hamlet’s immediate thought when he found out there was an eavesdropper was to kill them, which is insane and irrational thinking. It could also be considered insane that Hamlet waited to kill Claudius instead of killing him when he had the chance. Instead of killing him while he was praying, he wanted to wait because if he did so in the moment his soul would be sent to heaven. “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;/And now I’ll do’t. And so he goes to heaven./And so am I revenged. That would be scanned:/A villain kills my father, and for that,/I, his sole son, do this same villain send/To heaven.” (Shakespeare 3.3.73-78). These examples show that Hamlet was not in his right mind, and his willingness to take drastic actions is an indication of his insanity.
In conclusion, the evidence is clear that Prince Hamlet was not merely pretending to be mad, but was suffering from an actual mental illness. His outbursts and insane thoughts, inability to distinguish reality from fantasy, and willingness to take drastic actions were all symptoms of his mental instability. Although some may argue that Hamlet was simply feigning madness, it is more likely that he was truly insane, and this helped drive his actions. The truth of Hamlet's mental health is ultimately up to interpretation, but the evidence suggests that he was indeed suffering from a mental disorder.



Works cited
Wilber, Jennifer. "The Madness of Hamlet and Ophelia: Mental Illness in Shakespeare." Owlcation, 6 July 2022, owlcation.com/humanities/The-Madness-of-Hamlet-and-Ophelia-Mental-Illness-in-Shakespeare . Accessed 2 Nov. 2022.