English Essay

William Shakespeare crafted his play, Hamlet, so that the title character is the most complex character in literature. Shakespeare uses Hamlet to examine the human psyche while also challenging the religion by questioning the afterlife. After Hamlet’s father dies, his uncle marries his mother, setting up the main conflict of the play. Not long after, Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, telling him that Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, killed him and he must be avenged; ultimately furthering the conflict in the play. Hamlet wants to kill Claudius, but cannot because he does not know if he will spend his eternal life in Hell. This seems to make Hamlet mad, but he is able to snap out his madness just as quickly as he became mad. He also promises to his father that he will act immediately an avenge him but he does much more thinking instead. Many scholars and readers believe that Hamlet has truly gone mad, however he is only play-acting his insanity. Shakespeare shows that Hamlet plays acts insane through his ability to switch between normal and play insane and his behavior compared to Ophelia.
Hamlet’s has not lost a grip on reality but in fact acts insane in order to make a point to his parents and to the audience. Throughout the play Hamlet contemplates death and the afterlife. By acting insane, he seems to be suicidal, rather than debating constantly about killing his father. This is best exemplified during Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” speech. Many believe at first read that he is suicidal through the repetition of “to die: to sleep” but rather he uses the repetition to exemplify the struggle within his mind (Shakespeare 57). The imagery Hamlet uses helps explain his quest for avenging his father as well as well as truth about the afterlife. The insanity gives Hamlet an outlet to debate his future actions. But he is able to snap out of “insanity” in order to function in the real world. Hamlet’s “lost grip on reality” is caused by his search for an answer about the...