This paper discusses the mental status of the character Hamlet from William Shakespeare’s play, `Hamlet`, one of the most widely read and debated plays in the world.
This paper discusses Hamlet’s mental health that fluctuates greatly throughout the play. The author concludes that Hamlet’s madness was genuine and was the consequence of a prolonged exposure to an unstable environment. The author believes Hamlet’s fall from sanity was the result of his hesitation, indecision, the stress put on him by the constant caution and imitation of madness and by the loss of Ophelia.
Hamlet’s uncertainty as to Claudius’ guilt in the murder of the King, Hamlet’s father, was what originally started Hamlet on the path to madness. He spend a great deal of time hesitating and wondering whether killing Claudius to avenge the King’s death was indeed the right thing to do. Hamlet was unsure as to the authenticity of the ghost and the validity of its statements.