Junior Varsity English (Prep for AP, Humanities, and Big Time University): madness and sanity

Friday, April 13, 2007

madness and sanity

madness and normalcy: 1.4.81-82, 1.5.90-91, 2.1.94, 2.2.104, 2.2.159, 2.2.202, 2.2.217, 2.2.385-386

15 comments:

Avery said...: "Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness? Think of it."

In this line, Horatio addresses his friend Hamlet. In this act Horatio attempts unsuccessfully to stop Hamlet from following the ghost of his father. Hamlet believes he has nothing to fear. Horatio, on the other hand, believes the ghost may be taking the form of his father and could potentially have corrupt intentions. He warns Hamlet that the ghost may make him umpulsive and mad.
This quote is important because it is the first time the idea of madness occurs in the play. It also forshadows Hamlet's future lunacy, whether it be false or actual.; April 24, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Avery said...: "Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason and draw you into madness? Think of it."

In this line, Horatio addresses his friend Hamlet. In this act Horatio attempts unsuccessfully to stop Hamlet from following the ghost of his father. Hamlet believes he has nothing to fear. Horatio, on the other hand, believes the ghost may be taking the form of his father and could potentially have corrupt intentions. He warns Hamlet that the ghost may make him umpulsive and mad.
This quote is important because it is the first time the idea of madness occurs in the play. It also forshadows Hamlet's future lunacy, whether it be false or actual.

"Madam I swear I use no art at all.
That he's mad, 'tis true; 'tis true 'tis pity, nd pity 'tis 'tis true"

In this quote Polonius tells the queen that Hamlet is mad. Polonius believes that he is in love with his daughter, Ophelia, which has lead to his strange behavior. These two line slightly contrast one another. Polonius first says that his language is natural and therefore normal. He then continues to tell the queen that her son has gone mad. The two lines illustrate the idea of normalcy and madness.
This quote also suggests that it is hard to draw the line between sanity and insanity. It is humorous in that Polonius sounds slightly crazy himself. Rather then getting to the point, he embellishes his sentences and repeats phrases such as 'tis true and 'tis pity. Polonius' language makes himself sound mad rather than normal. The reader may begin to wonder whether Hamlet is crazy or rather Polonius.

Question: What is Hamlet's reasoning for acting mad infront of Ophelia? How did his actions benefit him in any way? Or, was Ophelia exaggerating?
Also, is Hamlet truly mad or feigning it?; April 24, 2007 at 5:29 PM
Anniee said...: While being influenced by the conformity of Denmark himself, Horatio offers Hamlet his opinion regarding whether or not he should be persuaded by the ghost. He border line pleads with Hamlet to reconsider the consequences of his visit with the ghost implying that it may lead to his "madness" or "insanity for giving in to such a suspicious scene. Hamlet however, seems unaffected by Horatio's words and leans towards masking the power he possesses to obey logic . After Hamlet's conversation with the ghost he returns to his world with a tainted perspective on the situation pertaining to his father's death. He is confused as to whether or not he should risk accusing the king and acting on the ghost's information. Many people in Denmark begin to view him as changed and "Going out out of his mind." They seem to look past the fact that he has all the reason to be acting in a strange way while experiencing melancholic feelings after such a horrific incident. Hamlet also fails to see that this new invention that he created in attempt to test the king is far superior to the retaliation performed so frequently before him.; April 24, 2007 at 8:26 PM
Anniee said...: "Madam I swear I use no art at all.
That he's mad, 'tis true; 'tis true 'tis pity, nd pity 'tis 'tis true"

within this quotation Polonious is sputtering out fragments of sentences, while seeming to be lacking any form of believable evidence backing the point he is trying to make. All of his statements lead back to his harping on the fact that his daughter is indeed the cause of Hamlet's erractic tendancies. He begins to question his own assessment of Hamlet earlier in the play and though he had already told Ophelia to relieve herself of Hamlet, he asks the opinions of Gertrude and Claudius to reassure his confident beliefs. He refused to see any real sense in the way Hamlet is acting and therefore he gives no other thought to the matter other than he is certain that Hamlet could be nothing other than "mad."; April 24, 2007 at 8:44 PM
Kathi said...: "To speak of horrors - he comes before me..."

As the plot begins to take form in the second act, we are reintroduced to characters baffled by the seemingly "mad" actions of Shakespeare's title character, Hamlet. In the first scene of the act, Ophelia is hysterically recounting a meeting she had with Hamlet, to her father, Polonius. She tells her father how she met her former lover, but he was not the same as before; Hamlet seems distant, frightening, and crazy. She tells her eager father that he seemed to be uttering nonsense to her, "horrors" that she couldn't understand. He had violently grasped her arm, and left with an unwavering gaze at some far distant - and unseen - object. To Ophelia, it seems that Hamlet had come before her merely to speak of the terrors that were plaguing him.

Polonius, true to his character's fashion, misinterprets Hamlet's "lunacy" for being stricken mad by love for his daughter. He realizes that the advice he had given her in the first act - to avoid Hamlet and not believe that his vows of love were true - had driven the Prince of Denmark into madness.

This misinterpretation plays into the hands of Shakespeare's overall beliefs in the use of his motif of madness and sanity. Cleverly and ironically, the playwright shifts the question of sanity into such a whirlwind that the question itself is bogged down under details, thus making the question crazy. It reveals the author's true motives: creating characters that misconstrue actual events into something different. By having the characters all on different wavelengths, it foreshadows future problems within their relationships. It also hints at the impending madness that could possibly burden Hamlet.; April 25, 2007 at 8:39 AM
Kathi said...: "...and that they have a plentiful lack of wit..."

In this line, Hamlet has entered the scene and is continuing to encourage the idea of his lunacy, as well as making a not-so-subtle joke at Polonius' expense. Hamlet has entered the castle with a book in hand, and reaches the foolish Polonius, seemingly troubled by the contents of his reading. Polonius politely asks him what is bothering his prince.

Hamlet begins a long-winded explanation that the book contains slander against old men. The joke, however, is on Polonius, who does not seem to consciously pick up that Hamlet is sarcastically pointing out all of the old man's poor qualities and declaring the falsehoods. Instead of questioning Hamlet's words (or being offended by them), Polonius takes Hamlet's sarcasm for madness, and tries to humor the "crazy" prince in order to find out more information about the former lover of his daughter. This scene and these lines continue Hamlet's plan of allowing others to think he is a lunatic, as well as prolonging Polonius' belief that his theories on Hamlet are true.

Again, Shakespeare employs the motif of madness and sanity, questioning the boundaries between what really exists and what the characters believe.

Question: It seems as if Shakespeare dares the reader to wonder: What if what many see as madness is just a misunderstanding or a diversion? With this motif, the playwright is commenting on situations that transcend time even to modern day, far outside the walls of Elsinore.; April 25, 2007 at 8:59 AM
Kathi said...: References to the motif of madness and sanity - found in acts three, four, and five:

3.1.4, 3.1.8, 3.1.39-44, 3.1.78, 3.1.203, 3.2.344-9, 3.3.2, 3.4.84, 3.4.121, 3.4.147, 3.4.209, 4.1.7, 4.1.20, 4.1.26, 4.1.35, 4.5.9-20, 4.5.26-79 (scene with Ophelia), 4.5.180-224 (scene with Ophelia), 4.7.187-217, 5.1.6-7, 5.1.155-185, 5.1.288, 5.1.302, 5.2.251-3; May 9, 2007 at 2:40 PM
Kathi said...: “Nor do we find him forward to be sounded / but with a crafty madness keeps aloof…”

In the opening scene of the third act, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern return back to the Kind and Queen to reveal all that they have learned about Hamlet’s accused lunacy. In turn, each replies that they have not learned anything new, but the Prince’s attitudes still seem to be off from usual. Rosencrantz begins by saying that Hamlet did confess to feeling distressed as of late, but he did not say why or from what event. Guildenstern reports in to the Kind and Queen with the quote, “Nor do we find him forward to be sounded/ But with a crafty madness keeps aloof/ When we would bring him on to some confession/ Of his true state.”

In this sense of the word, Hamlet’s madness seems to be more a more weary dodging of spies than an expression of lunacy. Guildenstern recognized Hamlet’s lack of eagerness to be questioned by his subdued or irritated answers. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern confess that Hamlet, though remaining distant in his answers, was all the while a gentleman during the interrogation.

It seems as though the two friend-spies of Hamlet have deduced that there is nothing seriously wrong with Hamlet; that he is just going through depression not madness. If this is so, Hamlet has distilled the idea of lunacy, making some repeal that judgement and others (such as Claudius) increasingly suspicious. Thus, once again, Shakespeare continues to influence his readers’ opinions of madness and sanity by questioning the line between the two, as well as questioning if such accusations of lunacy are based more in perception that fact.

Question: Why do the King and Queen so exhaustively seem to want to prove that Prince Hamlet is mad? Would the actions of Hamlet up to this point warrant such investigations?; May 9, 2007 at 3:25 PM
Avery said...: 3.1.203
“Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”

At the end of scene one, King Claudius states that Hamlet will be sent away to England. Due to Hamlet’s strange behavior Claudius seems to be aware that he Hamlet is apparently “mad.” Polonius seems to believe that Hamlet is acting oddly because of his current conflict with Ophelia. Neither the king nor Polonius believe Hamlet is acting differently because of the death of his father. Neither of the men show compassion or understanding for Hamlet. They both manage to connect their own lives to Hamlet’s madness.

This line demonstrates that the king is wary of Hamlet. He may see him as a threat to the crown as well as his life. Claudius regards Hamlet as “great,” which suggests that he has some appreciate of Hamlet.

This line also relates to the theme of spying in Hamlet. The king sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch Hamlet and detect any peculiar behavior. The king is determined to maintain control over Hamlet.

3.4.160

“Ecstasy? My pulse doth yours does temperately keep time. It is not madness that I have uttered. Bring me to the test and I the matter will reword, which madness would gambol from. Mother, for love of grace, lay not that flattering unction to your soul that not your trespass but my madness speaks.”

In this line, Hamlet denies his madness to his mother. Previously, when the ghost King Hamlet appeared Gertrude could not see him. As a result Gertrude accuses Hamlet of insanity. She believes Hamlet’s imagination has created the ghost and that he is hallucinating. This provides another insight into Hamlet’s apparition. Unlike Hamlet’s friends, Gertrude is not able to see the ghost. This illustrates the poor relationship and understanding between Hamlet and his mother.

Hamlet states that is heart beats the same as his mothers. It is surprising that Hamlet relates his heart to his mother after he insults her incestuous love and behavior. Hamlet challenges his mother to put him to the test. He states that he would be able to repeat his words, something madness would skip away from. Hamlet tells his mother not to flatter herself by blaming the problems at hand on his madness rather then her ill actions.

This quote further supports the idea that Hamlet may not be truly mad. He seems aware of his strange behavior and intentions. He is obsessed with proving to his mother that she is the one at fault.

4.5.180
“By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight,
Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May,
Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia!
O heavens, is 't possible a young maid's wits
Should be as mortal as an old man's life?”

When Laertes discovers that his sister has gone mad, he threatens to get revenge. Once again Laertes comes across as brash and irrational. Unlike Hamlet, he does not seem conscientious or thoughtful. Laerte’s connects Ophelia’s madness to the death of his father, Polonius. Upon hearing of these tragedies he declares revenge in both instances. Laertes seems only to be able to deal with his conflicts through violence and vengeance.

Laertes asks whether it is possible for a young girl’s mind to be as fragile as an old man’s life. This connects the death of Polonius to the madness it inflicted upon his sister. Both instances cause Laerte’s emotional turmoil. He hides his grief by threatening the lives of other, which is in keeping with the hiding theme in Hamlet. The death of Laerte’s father as well as Ophelia’s mental condition stir up Laerte’s anger and his drive for revenge. By asking this question he also seems to doubt whether Ophelia has truly reached irreversible insanity.; May 9, 2007 at 4:13 PM
Avery said...: References to madness and insanity:
(a few of these are most likely wrong)
3.1.4
3.1.8
3.1.172
3.1.202
3.2.338
3.4.83
3.4.121
3.4.157-160
3.4.162-167
4.1.8-11
41.20
4.1.20
4.1.26
4.1.35
4.3.2
4.5.9
4.5.22
4.5.180
4.5.202
4.7.28
4.7.203
5.1.153-155
2.1.160-164
5.1.181-184
5.2.246-253
5.2.438; May 9, 2007 at 5:28 PM
Avery said...: Answer to question:
Why do the King and Queen so exhaustively seem to want to prove that Prince Hamlet is mad? Would the actions of Hamlet up to this point warrant such investigations?

Claudius seems to want to prove that Hamlet is mad because Hamlet is a threat to Claudius' power. Hamlet is revered and venerated by the public, and is therefore the only person who can stand in the way of Claudius and the throne. Claudius also seems to detect that his life may be in jeopardy. Hamlet has demonstrated through the "Mouse Trap" and his strange behavior that he is aware of Claudius' crime. Claudius wants to prove Hamlet's insanity and ship him off to England before Hamlet has a chance to do any harm.
Gertrude, on the other hand, does not seem as persistant in proving Hamlet's madness. She is passive and seldomly objects or states her own opinion. She may want to prove Hamlet's madness in order to draw the attention away from her own actions (marrying Claudius shortly after her husband's death). Gertrude seems want a reason to blame the recent conflicts and events within the castle on Hamlet's madness. It seems oblivious to the idea that she may be the source of these issues.
It is understanable for parents to be concerned about their child if he/she is acting strangely, but it is not understandable for parents to spy on their child. Hamlet's odd behavior should have prompted a response and concern not deception and trickery.; May 9, 2007 at 5:40 PM
Kathi said...: "By heaven, thy madness shall be paid with weight/ Till our scale turn the beam!"

This line, from Act 4, Scene 5, follows the return of Laertes to the Kingdom of Denmark. He had been attending university in France, but at the news of his father's death, came back to seek revenge on the murderer. As he spills his hateful words to King Claudius and Queen Gertrude, his sister, Ophelia, enters the scene, driven mad by the traumatic events that have recently unfolded.

Laertes is further devastated by this revelation, and the line, "thy madness shall be paid with weight till our scale turn the beam" is delivered by him in his anger. He intends to punish whoever is responsible for his father's death, as well as his sister's loss of sanity. Laertes plots to seek revenge to the point that the evils that have fallen upon the shoulders of his kin are less than the pains that will plague his victim.

This quote is especially important in the development of Laertes as a character, creating a contrast to the indecision of his intended victim, Hamlet.

"How came he mad?" - "Very strangely, they say."

In the opening of Act 5, (scene 1), Hamlet and Horatio approach a cemetary and two gravediggers, and interested in who the grave is for, begin a conversation. During the conversation, the topic veers toward the Royal family, and the scandal that arose over Prince Hamlet being sent to England. Unbeknownst to the gravedigger, he is speaking directly to the Dane himself.

Hamlet, humously interested by hearing what would be said about him, provokes the gravedigger into explaining how he perceives the Prince's madness. He muses the question, "how came he mad?" To the cryptic answer of "very strangely, they say."

This quote - and conversation - is important for several reasons. First, as a play, it gives the audience another viewpoint, as well as some comic relief. It also creates a break in actual plot to remind the views of some of the events that have previously occured. On the note of character development, it shows Hamlet's interest in finding out how other's perceive his Royal kin, as well as himself.; May 10, 2007 at 8:56 AM
Kathi said...: Answer to Question: What is Hamlet's reasoning for acting mad in front of Ophelia? How did his actions benefit him in any way? Or, was Ophelia exaggerating?

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, we rarely see the character interactions between the two previous-lovers, Hamlet and Ophelia, but watch the repercussions of both their separate and joined actions. Although the audience never sees their first mentioned encounter, Ophelia recounts a story of a "mad" Hamlet acting irrational and disturbing in her prescence.

What she sees at first as random lunacy (and then later, with the provocation of her father, a cry of love lost), is actually a deliberate attempt to seem crazy by Hamlet himself. It seems as though Hamlet believes that acting crazy will buy him time to create a plan of action against his murderous uncle, Claudius. He believes that people will not suspect him of plotting if they believe he is unstable.

To do this, he has to appear crazy to every person he encounters, even his previous flame, Ophelia. His actions do not truly benefit him in any way; he alienates and scares his past lover and shrouds himself in suspicion, instead of avoiding it.

To some extent, we enter the debate of whether or not believing Ophelia's words (like we must during Gertrude's in-depth description of Ophelia's later drowning), or that the girl is merely exaggerating in passion. The latter would make sense, since Shakespeare could have easily staged the meeting instead of just reporting later (staging a fight between lovers is more easily accomplished than a drowning onstage).; May 10, 2007 at 9:09 AM
Annie said...: 3.1. 131-140

"Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me:"

In this particular scene Hamlet is yet again making another mockery statement in attempt to confuse the mind of Ophelia. He has just previously delivered his "To be, or not to be." speech and afterwards he and Ophelia began to converse about their true feelings towards one another. Ophelia, being guided by her father's confindence, explains to Hamlet that she does indeed know why he is behaving in this certain manner. Just like many others in the play, Ophelia was making an effort to almost express Hamlet's feelings for him. Hamlet responds to Ophelia with a very sarcastic and conviluted array of word choices. He speaks of the paradox pertaining to beauty and honesty implying that if she were an honest woman than her mannerisms and physical appearence shall never be "discoursed" or affected in a negative way. IN other words Hamlet believed that Ophelia's inner evaluation would dictate her outward take in regards to the world.
In this excerpt Hamlet also claims that he did not deceive Ophelia because he did love love her at one point in time, however he was not as infactuated with her in such a deep way in which the love could hinder him mentally. Hamlet turns the insanity accusation over onto her and says "Get thee to a nunnery." meaning to a convent where she could be examined after her false assessment of the love she thought Hamlet possessed for her. Ophelia's passive personality lead to Hamlet's contradictory statements during her confrontation.; May 16, 2007 at 8:27 PM
Annie said...: 4.5 18-20

"Twere good she spoken with, for she may strew
Dangerous conjectures in ill breeding minds."

Ophelia reacts to the death of her father by completely avoiding her concious state of mind. In the line above Horatio is alerting the Queen that Ophelia is coming and acting very odd. Everyone begins treating her as they did Hamlet and giving her the title of being "insane." Ophelia attempts to deal with the situation through reciting poems relating to both her father and Hamlet. It is not very clear whether of not Ophlia chooses to act this way to dodge the pain, or if she really is not control of the repostioning of her mind.
Ophelia takes a different route than that of Hamlet because she blocks out the grieving process to greatest extent possible. Where as Hamlet is acting strange contemplating how to address his father's death in the most respectable manner, while at the same time in some way satisfying his own feelings.

5.1.302-306

"This is mere madness;
And awhile the fit will work on him.
Anon, as patient as the female dove
When that her golden couplets are disclosed
His silence will sit drooping."

Hamlet's realization of Ophelia's death leads to him revealing himself at the burial. Everyone is watching as he gives his farwell to her and his mother makes comments on what he speaks of. As he gives meaningful parting words Gertrude seems almost embarassed and tired of listening to him. She begins to say that his words compliment his lunacy. Gertrude also seems to believe that Ophelia's poetic expressions made valid points in regards to Hamlet and now that she has past away his efforts are surely lost.
In the words of Hamlet's mother there is a definite contrast between the two that Hamlet so desperately tried to escape facing. It saddens Hamlet very much to learn the harsh perspective of his mother and also have to clearly see how drastically their views differ from one another. Hamlet feels even more distanced for his surroundings as his mother's accusations become more thoughtlessly severe.

Sources within the text where motif is dominant.

1.4.81-82
2.1 20-22
2.2.433
3.1.3-4
3.1.37-40
3.1.131
3.1.140
3.1.148
3.1.178
3.1.202
3.2.94-99
3.4.99-102
3.4.121
3.4.157
3.4.162
4.1.7-12
4.1.35
4.5.18-20
4.5.29-32
4.5.34-37
4.5.79
4.5.180-184
4.5.202
4.7.28-29
5.1.302-305
5.2.381-382; May 31, 2007 at 8:00 PM