Explain theme of madness in Hamlet
Explain theme of madness in Hamlet
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The central struggle of the play is to decipher whether Hamlet is actually gone mad or just play acting to beguile Claudius into confessing his sin. After the encounter with his father Ghost’s, Hamlet suggests to Horatio about his intention of playing a fool.
However, through out the play he is not sure about his own sanity. His mistreatment of Ophelia and Gertrude, both loved him, also signify his loss of control with rationality.
Once he kills Polonius, he goes on a spree killing Laertes and Claudius. His madness also leads to Gertrude’s and Ophelia’s deaths. The fact that just before breathing his last, Hamlet directs Horatio to share his tale with others may suggest that he had not lost complete sanity but its still ambiguous.