Ophelia's Insanity In Hamlet

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In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the title protagonist struggles with his inner sanity once he finds the truth behind his father’s sudden death. When Hamlet’s dead father appears to him to reveal that the cause of his death was murder at the hands of Claudius, Hamlet’s new step-father, his mind clings onto the idea of needing to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet begins the play seemingly ‘playing’ mad, but for most sane minds, they can only pretend to be mad for so long until the insanity becomes a part of that individual. Unfortunately for Hamlet, his facade morphes into his reality, taking hold of his psyche and rooting itself into his true mind, infecting his own mind with his insane charade. Hamlet’s mental state remains intact when he first…show more content…
Even though Hamlet clearly loves Ophelia and has expressed his feelings for her on many occasions, when he finds out that both Claudius and Polonius are using Ophelia as bait to prove that Hamlet is faking his insanity. Hamlet becomes enraged and attacks Ophelia, exposing her impurity and ordering her to get herself to a covenant proclaiming, “Get thee to a nunnery” (III.1.123). He really reaches the peak of his anger and his insanity when he throws Ophelia around like a ragdoll and proclaims that he no longer loves her. This scene shows how he is slowly letting his charade invade his true feelings by not being able to calm himself enough to deal with Ophelia civility. He could have maintained his appearence of madness without emotionally and physically hurting Ophelia. Hamlet falls prey to his deteriorated so much so that he lets it effects the woman he loves. His declaration of no longer loving Ophelia not only proves just how mad Hamlet has gone, but also his own effect on Ophelia’s mental…show more content…
Although he begins this mad journey as a way to avenge the death of his father, he ultimately causes his own demise, thinking that his mind could survive the act that he put on for months. Even in death, Hamlet knew that he had gone too far with his charade, begging Horatio to stay alive so that he would not only be known for his descent into insanity and the fall of the royal family, but his successful plot in exposing his father’s murderer and his true life story. Luckily for Hamlet, Fortinbras and Horatio hold him at a high standard and in the end talk of giving him a funeral suitable for a soldier, and set off cannons in his honor. In the end Hamlet is honored the way he had hoped, and will be remembered and revered for all of his good deeds and heroic qualities throughout his

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