Hamlet- The Madman(?)

When faced with a traumatic situation, some may handle things differently. Many people may be paralyzed, in a sense, while others may go crazy and have a breakdown. It's almost as if they don't have control of their mad ways. It's easy to see Hamlet, from Shakespeare's Hamlet, as the crazy madman. I, however, see Hamlet as a self-critical young man who knows exactly what he is doing.

Shortly after Hamlet's father's death, his mother and his uncle got married. When this news came out, Hamlet was enraged. Not only was he suffering from the loss of his father, but he now had to deal with his uncle taking his father's place, in the kingdom as well as in his mother's bed. Young Hamlet now had the responsibility of avenging his father's death and saving the kingdom. With such big responsibilities, Hamlet developed a plan. Pretending to be nuts would divert suspicion away from him and his plan. If people think he is mentally off, the characters with bad intentions won't see him as a threat. These characters will let their guards down around Hamlet, allowing him to cleverly gain the upper hand. Hamlet speaks fake madness when around others. For example when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Hamlet, he strategically talks mad, causing them to lose their guard and reveal information about Claudius.

Hamlet's strategy to pretend to be insane is quite clever. Everyone is worried about his state of mind, but in reality he is perfectly sane. It is all apart of his deceiving plan. This plan proves that Hamlet is wise and conniving, yet intelligent. He isn't a mad man. He is a man that is strategically getting revenge for his father. Hamlet sees right and wrong and wants Claudius, and Gertrude, to receive consequences for their actions. Having two personalities (so to speak) allows Hamlet to say what is on his mind and his "unstable mental health" is an excuse for it. He knows exactly what to say, but doesn't over think it. The scene about the play within the play is genius. Hamlet's whole plan is genius, and it proves that he is self critical and has control; he isn't a mad man like some may think.