Hamlet 7 Essay, Research Paper

At the begging of the play, when we first meet Hamlet, he is portrayed as a sad yet kind of a mad man. The reason for this is because his father had died no more than 2 months ago and already his mother had married and worst of all she married his uncle. But two months dead-nay, not so much, not two. So excellent a King, that was to this hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother/ Why, she would hang on him as if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on. And yet, within a month, A little month, or ere those shoes were old with which he followed my poor father s body, like Niobe, all tears-why she married with my uncle. (1:2, lines 142-156) Throughout the play, Hamlet s mood changes very often and the way he acts towards some of the people change very often too.

Hamlet is very insane in act two and three. He takes a group of actors and has them put on a play called The Murder of Gonzoga. The whole purpose of the play is for Hamlet to watch his uncle and see if he would make any expressions or if he moved around in his seat like he was uncomfortable. When everyone arrived he made his way to his seat and sat next to Ophelia. As Hamlet sat next to her he made bawdy and bitter comments to her. When he was done the actors then perform the dumb show and then went into the dialogue that Hamlet wrote for them. The story that was being told included many elements of Claudius s alleged seduction of Gertrude and the murder of King Hamlet. Towards the end of the play right when the actor, that is playing the King, dies in the garden at the hands of his nephew, Claudius stopped the play and rushed out. When Hamlet saw this he realized that what the ghost had said was really true.

Another part in the story that shows Hamlets insanity is when he was talking to Ophelia, in the room that was surrounded by glass doors. At first Hamlet was courteous to Ophelia, but suddenly he turned on her: he denied having loved her and tells her that she should enter a nunnery and that he will not marry her. Go to, I ll no more on t. It hath made me mad. I say we will have no more marriage. (3:1, lines 158-160) One of the reasons why he said this to her is because he suspected that they are being watch by someone, specifically the King and Polonius, and wanted them to believe that he was mad and crazy. Later that night Polonius went to see Gertrude to tell her that Hamlet was going to stop by and talk to her. When Hamlet arrived Polonius hid behind a tapestry so he couldn t see him. Hamlet s entrance alarmed Gertrude so bad that she cried out for help and when Polonius echoed her cry Hamlet yelled out, How now a rat? Dead for a ducant, dead. (3:4, line 28) Thinking it was Claudius he ran over and stabbed the person that was behind the tapestry. Hamlet didn t care that much that it was Polonius because he knew that he was in on the plan with his uncle. Hamlet continued his verbal attacks on his mother about how she could just marry another man 2 months after her husband s death. In the middle of Hamlets attack the ghost appears again and tells him not to forget what his main purpose was, too revenge his father s death. As the ghost was speakin to Hamlet you can see that once again his mood changes. It changes from being mad and hysterical to a very sad mood. The ghost also tells Hamlet not to be so hard on his mother.

Hamlet was so into killing his uncle that he decided that he was going to kill him when he was in confession. Not knowing that Hamlet was in the booth next to him, Claudius began to confess to God about how he killed King Hamlet and hopes that God will forgive him. My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder? That cannot be, since I am still possessed of those effects for witch I did the murder. (3:3, lines 55-58) Hamlet drew his sword and was ready to kill Claudius when he stopped to think that if he kills him in confession then there is a chance that Claudius will go to heaven instead of hell. Hamlet then decides to delay the killing and said that he will do it when commits a sin.

When Claudius found out that Polonius is dead he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet and have him show them where the body is. The only problem is that Hamlet won t tell them where he hid the body. Whenever they ask him where the body is he makes a smart remark that makes it seem like he is going to send them on a scavenger hunt if they want to find the body.