Feigned Madness

In William Shakespeare’s suspenseful play, ​Hamlet,​ Prince Hamlet’s complicated

behavior leads to arguments regarding the mental state of the prince. Even though people have
argued that Prince Hamlet has truly gone mad, clearly his madness is only intelligently feigned
with a purpose of reaching his goal.
Rather than genuine, Prince Hamlet’s actions are fabricated. He portrays his intelligence
through his outstanding ability to fool others into believing that he has sunk into insanity. First of
all, in the first part of the play, Prince Hamlet has mentioned to his friend Horatio about his plan:
Here as before, never, so help you mercy,
How strange or odd soe’er I bear myself—
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
To put an antic disposition on—
That you, at such time seeing me, never shall,
With arms encumbered thus, or thus head shaked,
Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase,
(1.5.176–82)
With this prose, Shakespeare has not only foreshadowed future events but illustrated Prince
Hamlet as a remarkable and smart young man. Right after learning of the truth behind his
father’s death, he quickly comes up with a plan in his mind. He also displays his prudence by
telling Horatio and the soldiers that he may act odd, and that they must swear to him and the
Ghost that they will say nothing of this encounter. Through his words, it clearly appears that he
has a plan in mind that may have something to do with his behavior and he wants to ensure that
Horatio and the soldiers will not mention this event and expose his intention. Prince Hamlet
starts acting insane not long after the encounter as Ophelia tells Polonius about his odd behavior
in the next scene: “And, with his head over his shoulder turned, He seemed to find his way
without his eyes, For out o’ doors he went without their help, And to the last bended their light
on me.” (2.1.98–101). It’s also revealed that Hamlet also acts crazy around Claudius as Claudius
says “Our hasty sending. Something have you heard, Of Hamlet’s transformation—so I call it,
Since not th’exterior nor the inward man, Resembles what it was. What it should be,” (2.2.4-7).
At this point, Prince Hamlet’s motive has become more clear. It can be assumed that he wants
his weird behaviors to be talked about and maybe investigated. Although this may cause others
to keep eyes on him, it also lets down Claudius’s guard which strongly benefits Prince Hamlet.
Prince Hamlet is a threat to the corrupted king as long as he lives due to his royal blood and ties
to the late king. Not only does Claudius have to worry about Prince Hamlet’s birth right but also
the possibility of the prince finding out about his corruption and dethroning him. Prince Hamlet
can be murdered anytime, but it is unthinkable that such a mad and unstable man will be a threat.
It’s highly unlikely that such a man will be capable to plot against the divine throne and the
possibility that Prince Hamlet will be deemed unfit to rule rises. Thus, the prince ensures his
safety and time to plot against Claudius. Hamlet is sane and stays true to his goal and this is
emphasized even more when Shakespeare introduces Ophelia’s lunacy.
Ophelia and Prince Hamlet have a striking similarity. Both of their fathers have been
killed and they started to act crazy. The difference, however, is obvious. She is demonstrated by
Shakespeare to be completely insane. She can hardly think or talk to anyone normally. She
always sings in conversations with everyone and there’s no underlying purpose of her actions.
She only seems to be grieving, for example, she sings:
And will he not come again?
And will he not come again?
No, no, he is dead,
Go to thy death-bed,
He never will come again.
(4.5.190–94)
Her mental state is only shown for a short while before she passes away. Although her insanity
can be interpreted as an unimportant part that drags the play, Shakespeare chooses to include it in
the play. There must be a purpose to her story and it’s highly possible that Shakespeare wants to
demonstrate a truly insane person. It’s inevitable to compare Prince Hamlet and Ophelia as they
are the only two characters who act oddly, and when compared, it’s apparent that Prince Hamlet
is not insane. While Ophelia seems to lose her sense of mind, Prince Hamlet still talks to specific
people rationally, Horatio being one of them.
 His act of insanity has a purpose. It always has. He never forgets his goal and he doesn’t
let madness absorb him. A possible argument that can be raised is that he has lost to insanity
since he has killed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Again, there are always logical reasons behind
the prince’s actions. Rather than becoming mad, it shows Prince Hamlet’s determination to serve
justice for his dead father. When Prince Hamlet is escorted by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to
England, he discovers a letter that will get him killed. Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
appear to have no idea about this plot, Prince Hamlet doesn’t know that. To make things worse,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have betrayed Prince Hamlet’s trust before. He doesn’t know
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s intention for sure and to avoid his death and failure in avenging
his father, he kills them. It appears that he believes that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern plot
against him as he answers Horatio’s question regarding Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: “They are
not near my conscience. Their defeat Doth by their own insinuation grow.” (5.2.59–60).
Prince Hamlet’s insanity has always been fabricated. Many of his bizarre and irrational
actions are committed with his strong wish to avenge his father’s death. Rather than insanity, it’s
his strong desire for justice that drives him to extreme lengths and in the process, he gets
misunderstood by many. Sometimes, a person with brilliance may be interpreted by others as
insane for doing something that’s out of ordinary or doing something with great passion.
 Ophelia
In William Shakespeare’s dark play, ​Hamlet,​ the representation of the female characters
is controversial as they are only portrayed with negative qualities and certain stereotypes. One of
the only two female characters in the play, Ophelia, is characterized to be weak and inferior to
men.
Ophelia is constantly displayed as a weak woman and flat character with no other traits
throughout the play. Ever since the beginning, Ophelia is introduced to readers as a woman who
obediently follows people’s orders. When her father, Polonius, instructs her to stay away from
Prince Hamlet and accuses him of not truly loving her, instead of continuing to stand up for her
relationship with the prince, she simply accepts his command: “I shall obey, my lord.” (1.3.136).
Her weakness is shown once again when Polonius is murdered. While it’s completely normal
and understandable to grieve, Ophelia’s sadness develops into something extreme. She has
become wholly insane and unable to talk rationally. Even though Prince Hamlet and Prince
Fortinbras have gone through similar experience of losing their fathers, instead of consistently
grieving and turning crazy, they try to avenge the deaths of their fathers. Even her brother,
Laertes, wants to avenge Polonius’s death. Revenge may not exactly be impressive or
applaudable, the striking difference between the men and Ophelia’s reactions highly suggests her
weak nature. Adding to her weak characteristic, she is oppressed and sexually objectified by men
but never stands up for herself. In the first act, Laertes tells Ophelia:
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon.
Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes.
The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft before their buttons be disclosed,
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
(1.3.36–42)
While this can be interpreted as a message said by her worried brother with goodwill, it is toxic
and supports the expectation of women being sexual objects for men. He puts a strong emphasis
on keeping her value which is apparently virginity. Certainly, a woman’s value is not dependent
on sex but Laertes feeds this stereotype to Ophelia, his sister. The fact that Ophelia doesn’t
appear to be offended that he seems to suggests that a woman is mostly valued for sex indicates
her submission and obedience to men, and the kind of society they live in: women are
objectified. In the third act, Prince Hamlet tells Ophelia: “That’s a fair thought to lie between
maids’ legs.” (3.2–110). It is an outright verbal sexual harassment that can cause discomfort.
Again, Ophelia doesn’t show any dissatisfaction. She says nothing, indicating her inability to
prove or believe herself to be something more than a mere sex object for men.
It can be clearly seen that Ophelia, the only young woman in the play, is portrayed to be
lesser than men. While Shakespeare’s intention is debatable, it shows how women are
wrongfully treated in the past, and that this problem still continues to these days. It’s undeniable
that in present days, women are still victims of stereotype and objectification. While some may
be able to stand up for themselves, some are fed with old-fashioned and insane expectations,
leading them to become weak and dependent on the other gender.