Essay On Mental Illness In Hamlet - 765 Words

In the play, Hamlet, Prince Hamlet endures the tragic loss of his father, the King of Denmark, and the ultimate betrayal of his uncle, Claudius, who is throned king following his father’s death and marriage to Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet begins to show signs of depression and emotional instability from the beginning. As the play progresses, Hamlet becomes more and more mentally unstable until he begins to border insanity. Hamlet’s mental health is a recurring theme in the play and there are many signs of his suffering. Hamlet’s father’s death, betrayal of his uncle and resentment of his mother are causes for Hamlet’s troubled frame of mind and subsequent actions. The play begins with Hamlet’s mourning of his father. He is summoned†¦show more content†¦He agonizes over what to do next and goes back and forth on whether to kill Claudius to seek revenge for his father though it is not in his nature to do so. He delivers a soliloquy that highlights his inner struggle and the hatred toward his uncle saying, â€Å"O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! My tables, - meet it is I set it down. That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain:† Hamlet determines he must get at the truth and comes up with a plan to do so. He enlists the help of a troupe to put on a play that depicts the way he believes his father was murdered. At this time, Hamlet contemplates the hardships of life and whether death is easier than life. â€Å" To grunt and sweate under this weary life, When that he may his full Quietus make, With a bare bodkin, who would this indure, But for a hope of something after death?† As Hamlet believed, Claudi us reacts to the play by showing guilt. He leaves the room unable to breathe and Hamlet resolves to kill him. His mental health deteriorates as he finds himself feeling like a coward, unable or unwilling to avenge his father’s death. As his inner struggle rages, he begins to yell at his mother and ultimately kills Polonius who he had no intentions on doing so. Hamlet is sent away but is able to make his way back where his uncle has set him up for a duel that he cannot win. Hamlet directly and indirectly causes six deaths including that of his mother and uncle. He is killed as well, butShow MoreRelatedEssay On Mental Illness In Hamlet860 Words   |  4 Pagesmany characters in Hamlet that have mental disorders? Hamlet has a few characters that could possibly be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. At the beginning of the story, Hamlets dad is possibly murdered and Hamlets uncle, Claudius, takes over the king spot. Hamlets fathers ghost arrives in the castle, it causes su spicions with the whole remarrying right after the death. He becomes very confused on how and why his father passed away. Due to the confusion and questions Hamlet wants answered,Read MoreMental Illness In Hamlet Essay992 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history, mental illness has always been prevalent. As far as time goes, there have been murders and crimes that could not of been committed by a healthy mind. In the play of Hamlet, the story is based around crimes, lies, and deceiving others. Claudius has murdered King Hamlet, causing a chain reaction of other crimes. After realizing the real fate of his father, Hamlet set out to seek revenge for his father. He wanted to murder Claudius for killing his father, but mistook Polonius forRead MoreEssay On Mental Illness In Hamlet1050 Words   |  5 PagesA mental illness is described as the alteration in ones behaviour or actions according to their mental stability. For many people around the world, this so called illness, has taken over a part of their lives. It can be argued that Hamlet was accustomed to such illness throughout the play. While portraying confused mindset and thoughts, becoming increasingly more violent and developing suicidal thoughts, the strongest symptoms of his illness become evident. As a result of Hamlet’s constant desireRead MoreHamlet And Hamlet By William Shakespeare2065 Words   |  9 Pages Every play has its own psychology and every author is a psychologist. Like many other plays, Hamlet is a very complex one. It includes various families and portrays their problems to one another. Some of these families with problems are: Hamlet and Claudius, Ophelia and Hamlet and Laertes and Hamlet. I am mentioning Hamlet in all of them, because Hamlet is the source of all the troubles that those families encounter. The problems the characters encounter can be real and the solutions are not practicalRead MoreDeath of a Salesman vs Hamlet: Tragic Heroes The Essence of Fragile Dreams1151 Words   |  5 PagesEach human mind invents a hero as someone they could not measure up to, no matter how much they hope and dream. In the plays â€Å"Hamlet† by William Shakespeare, and â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller, the main characters, Hamlet and Willy Loman, possess several heroic qualities, but unfortunately their fates rest with tragedy. In William Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet, additionally known as the main character, begins with a noble mission to seek revenge on his father’s murderer. A troubled,Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Master Of Tragedy2257 Words   |  10 PagesShakespeare was a master of tragedy. In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare spins a tale of murder, madness, and lies. The character of Prince Hamlet is burdened by the assassination of his father and must avenge the King’s death while protecting his own life. Many have contemplated whether or not Hamlet’s sanity was flawed. Hamlet told the audience that he was not insane, but it is clear that his mourning and melancholia were taking over his world. Hamlet, in a stagnant state of mourning, strugglesRead MoreMadness in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Hamlet Essay example2151 Words   |  9 PagesThe issue of madness has been touched by many writers. In this paper I will focus on two important writings which deal directly with the mental illnesses. The first one is One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey first published in 1962. The second is Hamlet written by Shakespeare approximately in 1602. Ken Kesey worked nights in a mental institution in California and his novel has a lot of truth in it. 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Beautiful Ophelia†¦sweet maid†¦poor wretch. Poor Ophelia. (Vest 1) All of these names for Ophelia can be found in Shakespeares The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Since Shakespeares incarnationRead MoreThe Beatles, The Musical Hair And Pink Floyd1491 Words   |  6 Pagesother. However, I don’t agree this statement and it’s not correct at all. I’m going to use the Beatles, the musical Hair and Pink Floyd as examples (as they gained success in both aspects) to explain how these two elements can coexist in the following essay. The Beatles are originated in Liverpool in 1960, and become the iconic figure of the city and the British pop music (Britpop). As one of the most popular band in the world, the Beatles gained unprecedented commercial success. According to the Recording