Hamlets Journey from Antic Disposition to Actual Insanity Essay

Hamlets Journey from Antic Disposition to Actual Insanity - Essay Example Since Hamlet is guided by the ghost of the previous king about his murder by poisoning him into the ear while sleeping in the orchard, the protagonist appears to be determined to retaliate to his uncle i.e. King Claudius and mother Queen Gertrude eventually. He this seeks relief in pretending insanity, but subsequently appears to be becoming real insane out of sheer rage and fury in the wake of the disclosure made by the ghost at the beginning of the play. However, his insanity, either pretended or actual, has been a matter of great interest for the critics and analysts alike, where it becomes very difficult whether his real mental disorder begins after the end of his pretending the same, or he is in full senses till he encounters his fatal end. In addition, the curiosity also arises about the temporary state of insanity he undergoes, which maintains close proximity with real mental retardation instead of the feign kind of lunacy. Hamlet’s insanity appears in the play in Act I Scene V, immediately after the revelation made by the ghost, which invites Hamlet’s arousal, who looks resolute to enquire whether the ghost is justified in its claim or not. However, he is confident about the truthfulness of the statement made by the ghost; it is, therefore, he declares the queen as the most pernicious woman and a villain as well (Act I, Sc. V, line 105), which would not wait for even few weeks to remarry with the new king after the assassination of her previous husband. One of his first soliloquies also elucidates the same that even a beast could mourn longer the death of a spouse than his mother has done (Act I, Sc. II, lines 150-151); consequently, he declares frailty as synonymous to the woman (I, ii, line 146). Consequently, the situation of his father’s murder and his mother’s second marriage disturbs Hamlet in such a way that everything looks drab, dull and dismal to him. Eventually, he decides to take any step, even committing suicide to bring his life to an end. However, he decides pretending insanity, in order to punish the culprits involved in the conspiracy of his father’s murder. Hamlet settles his mind on wearing black clothes while attending the royal court in order to demonstrate his melancholy over his father’s sad demise as well as make the protest against the assassination through his words, acts, and gestures. Since his inner sorrow is so great that his dour appearance is merely a poor mirror of it (I.ii.68), so he would prefer to stay in nightly color in order to realize the queen about the graveness of the sad incident. In addition, he also takes his friend Horatio into confidence by informing him that he would observe feign madness and be finding anything odd and strange in his behavior would be just putting on an act (I, v, 166-183). The play, arranged by Prince Hamlet within the play, reveals that he has not observed real madness till he had hired the services of the actors. It is, therefore, he states that the play is the thing where he would catch the conscience of the king (II, ii, 600-601) by keenly witnessing his expressions at the death scene of the player king. He also plays the same trick on the queen by noticing her expressions, while the player queen views: A second time I killed my husband died when the second husband kissed me in bed.