Madness, By William Shakespeare - 1160 Words

Madness is one of the central themes of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and has many effects on the characters and the complexity and depth of the plot. Insanity is apparent in small amounts in almost all of the characters in the play. It can range from full on insanity, to only shades of madness. Madness occurs in a character when he or she breaks the social norms, and acts oddly or rashly when spoken to or asked to carry out a task. Hamlet’s storyline revolves around the recurring theme of madness, which influences the characters and plot by adding intrigue to the character of Hamlet, causing death and drama, and spreading itself throughout the characters like a virus. The character Hamlet is the principal character of the play. All the†¦show more content†¦He is implying to them that he recognizes that they are spies and that he may seem mad, but he has everything under control. Again, this suggests he is just pretending to be insane, and can really be sane whe never he needs to be. On the other hand, his relatives think otherwise. Gertrude, his mother believes that he genuinely is off the deep end, when she says Hamlet is â€Å"Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend which is the mightier† (IV.1.7-8). The audience is faced with a dilemma: who can be trusted? Does Hamlet actually have the control over his insanity that he assumes he does? This tension adds a remarkable amount of intrigue to Hamlet’s character and is the largest and most important reoccurring question throughout the play. Madness in this sense is one of the main reasons the plot is so interesting. The next way that madness affects the plot and characters of Hamlet is by being the foremost reason for death in the play. A good example of this is Polonius’ death. Polonius becomes curious about Hamlet when he is ordered by the King to investigate the cause of Hamlet’s insanity. He concludes that â€Å"Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t (II.2.205-206). He becomes even more interested about the cause and type of madness that overcomes Hamlet. He devises a plan to spy on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude, by standing behind an arras in Gertrude’s room. When Hamlet’s violent and rash entrance startles the Queen, Polonius