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Hamlet: Feigned Madness - College Essay

Hamlet: Feigned Madness

William Shakespeare’s drama Hamlet is full of fascinating characters. The most interesting and complex character is the main character, Hamlet. Hamlet delays in killing his uncle and this delay could be taken as a sign of weakness and cowardice, and that he must be truly insane. Hamlet is neither weak nor a coward by any means. Hamlet does not lose his sanity at any time; he feigns madness and delivers image-laden speech so as to confuse his opponents and to hide his true feelings toward them until he has the proof needed to act. This feigned madness allows him to rant and rave with his images of sickness and disease, all the while trying to unmask those who are guilty.
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the death of his father to the revelation of the ghost has profoundly disturbed Hamlet. He realizes it himself and fears that the excitement within him may betray his secret. He knows well that it is beyond his power to suppress it altogether, and so he pretends to be mad. Any slip of the tongue about his secrets will seem like the uttering of a mad man, and his real thoughts will be unknown to those around him. Hamlet must have time to think, time to perfect a plan of action, and in the meanwhile he must protect himself from any involuntary betrayal of the inner workings of his mind. He needs time to ensure that the king is truly guilty. He is smart enough not to go by the word of the ghost alone and uses the players and their presentation of The Murder of Gonzago to ensnare the king with the betrayal of his own guilty conscious. This motive, so clear and strong and understandable, is convincing proof that Hamlet’s madness is feigned, but there are others to substantiate ...

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Hamlet: Feigned Madness. (2007, October 23). Retrieved January 13, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hamlet-Feigned-Madness/73152

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/23/2007 12:04:33 AM
Category: Arts
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 727
Pages: 3

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