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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Hamlet: Sane or Insane?
Based on what we have read thus far, do you think Hamlet is sane or insane? Defend your response using specific evidence from the text.
I think Hamlet at the beginning of the book is sane, just very upset about his fathers death and his mothers hasty marriage. However at some parts of the book Hamlet does show signs of being crazy. For example, the way Hamlet acts with Ophilia, in act II scene II the way he just looked at her then started to yell. Overall though I do not think Hamlet is insane, I think that the environment that he is in is driving him to be a little more disabled then he really is.
I believe that at the begging of the book Hamlet was a very sane person. I think that he was just very upset by the death of his father and all of the things that came along with it, such as his mother marrying his uncle. As time passed, I think that Hamlet is beginning to turn insane. He thinks he sees his fathers shadow, and thinks that he can talk to it. I mean maybe he really is seeing the ghost of his father, but i doubt it. Also, I think that all of the issues that he is facing with Ophelia are making him go crazy.
I believe that Hamlet WAS a sane person in the beginning of the book. I think the events that happened when Hamlet came back made him into a very insane person. If anyones mother married their uncle I think they would be upset by it as well so i don't think that Hamlet was always insane. The fact his mother married his uncle obviously made him very uncomfortable. A part where Hamlet does not seem to be sane when he starts yelling at the ghost of his father to speak. Who is to tell that there is even a ghost there?
I believe that Hamlet has always been a sane person and that he never became insane. Hamlet does act very crazy at times and seem insane, but he is not. In act 1, Scene 5 Hamlet says to Marcellus and Horatio "How strange or odd so'er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on) That you, at such times seeing me, never shall...to note that you know sight of me-this do swear." In this quote Hamlet is telling them that no matter how crazy he acts to never reveal what happened with the ghost of king Hamlet. By saying this Hamlet shows that he is acting crazy on purpose which means that he is not truly insane.
I believe that Hamlet is completely sane. Although he may be acting crazy since his father’s death, it is understandable. He’s going through very tough times and would have never imagined that his uncle would murder his father than steal his mother. Anyone would act a little crazy if that happened to them. Also, when Hamlet talks to Polonius he uses very clever puns in order to insult Polonius. Almost everything he says, although it may seem crazy at first, has some type of meaning to it. Hamlet is definitely sane, but just mad at the world he lives in and the people he interacts with. He does not know how to handle what he is going through and is very confused with what to do.
After reading two acts of the play I believe that Hamlet is insane. When asked to answer simple questions he answers with the most innapropriate responses. For example when being questioned by Polonius, Hamlet called him a "fishmonger" which is an insult to both his appearance and his job. He also appears to be insane when in the presence of Ophelia when he grabs her by the arms and just stand there breathing heavily.
Jake Lerner Pd. 6 After reading two acts of the play I believe that Hamlet is insane. When asked to answer simple questions he answers with the most innapropriate responses. For example when being questioned by Polonius, Hamlet called him a "fishmonger" which is an insult to both his appearance and his job. He also appears to be insane when in the presence of Ophelia when he grabs her by the arms and just stand there breathing heavily.
i believe that hamlet is sane. he obviously had to have seen a ghost or else he never would have realized how his father died because that would have been an outrageous conclusion to make with no basis. although he is acting crazily, he still thinks clearly. this is evident when he plans to put on the play for his step father/uncle and his mother. he is very clever and analyzes just how to crack claudius and find the truth. if he was insane, he would have just figured out a way to kill him, rather than extract the truth.
Michelle Loguidice Period 1 After reading the first two acts I have come to the conclusion that Hamlet is insane. Hamlet is insane for a myriad of reasons. Some reasons being is that he beigns to talk to himself and yells, as if people are listening. Another reason he is insane is he turns on Ophelia. After he tells Ophelia he loves her she tells him she loved him to, and he immediately changes his mind and tells her that he has never loved her. Lastly, Hamlet is insane because he tells his friends he is only putting on an act to get back at Claudius (for the death of his father). If he was sane he would have wanted to get back at Claudius before, for marrying his own mother just a week after the death of his father.
John D p.1 I dont think Hamlet is insane, he is just going through very hard times. Between his relationship with Ophelia, and his fathers death, it puts a lot of stress and pressure on him. This can cause just the slightest things to make him get out of control, but that is normal, people get affected differently by things, and right now Hamlet is in a spot where everything isnt going as well as he had hoped.
I think Hamlet is completely insane. His mind is stuck in two worlds the real and the spiritual. The presence of his father's ghost has greatly impacted his life and affected his behavior in a concerning way. Hamlet is becoming obsessed with the concept of death. He is in a very fragile state of mind and the littlest thing throws him off. Hamlet is completely losing it.
Olivia Hymowitz Period 6 I believe that Hamlet is more sane then insane. I do not see how Hamlet could just make up seeing a ghost right off the top of his head that he is getting information from. Yes, he got a little crazy as the book went on. Hamlet in the beginning was very upset about what happened to his father and felt betrayed by his mother, and that made him a little crazy but I do believe he is still sane. It is hard for someone to go through all of this. If there was no ghost, how would he know exactly what happened to his father, he cant just make it all up. I think that everything Hamlet is going through is a way to get out his feelings and it comes out a little insane but thats how he has to handle it.
I believe that Hamlet was sane in the beginning of the book because he didn't know the truth of how his father died. But when he saw his father's spirit, Hamlet was compelled to why his father can't move on. When his father's spirit told him the truth behind his death, Hamlet became obsessed with avenging his father because he let his emotions get the better of him. So he became insane due to being overwhelmed with his emotions and revenge.
i think hamlet is sane. Hamlet has seen and went through many traumatizing events, but in the end, he's totally sane. seeing his father's ghost could have been made up, but from the guards like horatio saying they saw the ghost of King Hamlet too,it makes the story way more believable. from act II scene I and II readers can see that hamlet is sane as well. by hamlet acting insane to throw off the people around him,(polonius and King Claudius) is strategic and ingenious planning to find out the truth of his fathers death. being able to juggle all these different emotions and fooling others, and learning about your father's death is a lot but Hamlet is handling himself accordingly for just loosing a parent. so, i believe hamlet is sane.
I believe that Hamlet is not crazy. I think this because he was not the only one to have seen the ghost. As well, he did not murder his uncle as soon as he found out what he had done to the king. I think that in order to have thought of a plan such that he did, he would have had to be thinking straightly, otherwise, he wouldn't have regarded the fact that he had to be certain of what happened before he acted. As well, the insanity that he does show, is calculated, and it is seen that his inner thoughts remain sane.
I believe that Hamlet is insane. One specific example as to why I believe this is the way in which Hamlet carries himself and talks to others. For example no sane person calls a respected advisor like Polonius a "fishmonger." Another example can be seen in his conversation with Ophelia, during this he acted very strangely and seemed extremely troubled. The source of all this insanity I feel can be traced back to Hamlet's confrontation with his father's ghost. After this time he warned Horatio he may act crazy, but I think he became his role all too well in the end.
Melanie Singer, Period 1 In my opinion I believe that Hamlet is sane. Starting off, in Act I, Hamlets father dies of a mysterious and sudden death and directly after this incident, his mother marries his fathers brother and his own uncle. Then, in Act II, Hamlet decides to act crazy and distract the newly found king, his uncle. It was just an act for Hamlet but at the same time a lot happened in a short amount of time that is hard for some people to take in. Hamlet for example is a person who seems to like exactly like change. Therefore, it is understandable that Hamlet may act or seem slightly crazy although he is not. If i were in his shoes i would most likely be overwhelmed with everything going on in my life.
I believe that although it may seem as if Hamlet is hallucinating and acting like a lunatic, he is completely sane. Hamlet’s encounter with the spirit of his father is proven to be true as he is not the only one who has witnessed the ghost. Hamlet’s guards have also seen the spirit, and were the very people that introduced Hamlet to the spirit. Therefore it is unlikely for Hamlet to have imagined the encounter with the spirit. Likewise, Hamlet acts like a madman when talking to Ophelia and Polonius. However, in reality, he is pretending to be mad that so his step father and uncle will not be suspicious of his plan of revenge. Therefore, Hamlet’s acts of insanity are only an aspect of his master revenge plan to end the life of King Claudius. Hamlet’s ability to develop a plan to kill King Claudius proves his rationality.
Hamlet is going insane though he has every right to be. After learning about the death of his father and his mother's incestuous act of marrying his uncle, Hamlet should go mad in grief. His craziness in shown in two scenes. One was with the ghost where he Hamlet imagined the ghost of his father. Though his friends claim to have saw it too, Hamlet's insanity imagined the words of his father and his mind made a story so Hamlet would have something to live for. Another scene where Hamlet displayed his insanity was when Hamlet was talking to Ophelia. He denied is love for Ophelia and acted very strange with her. Hamlet's insanity is seen through his crazy actions.
Toni Ann Abbatantono period 1 As far as I can see, I don't think a reader has enough information about Hamlet to discuss if he is sane or not. I think personally why would Shakespeare use a character who isn't sane in one of his plays. Though, I think its a very important ambiguity that Shakespeare loves to put in his writing where he tries to force a reader to wonder exactly what the real answer is. Like in Romeo and Juliet we also weren't quite sure of the "extremes" Romeo and Juliet took to be together and let their love conquer. The same way Hamlet is portrayed. Hamlet is almost a giant ambiguity himself. Though if he is smart enough to use the "play as the thing to catch the conscience of the king" I think he has to be thinking logically and using his brain or else he wouldn't be able to come up with a plan.
I feel that Hamlet is still sane at this point just because he isnt the only one seeing the ghost at night. If his friends hadnt seen the ghost then i would think that he is insane. His behavior around Ophelia is also explained by his grief over the death of his father not his insanity. He probably had a very good relationship with his father and that is why he is grieving so much
Grace tobin period 6 I personally feel that hamlet was sane in the beginning, however through the course of the story he had gradually become more and more of an "insane" person. This is evident in act II scene ii when he yells at Ophelia for no real reason. This random and sudden act shows the reader that hamlet is slowly losing his grip on reality and is letting the situation with his fathers ghost and the murder commuted by Claudius effect his mental state.
Sarah Vallarelli period 6 I believe that Hamlet is starting to become insane. His father just passed away and his mother just married his uncle so he is is not in a very good mental state right now. He says he sees a ghost when in reality i dont think you can actually see ghosts. HIs friends who are telling him they saw a ghost are just provoking his insane behavior probably because they think it is funny. Hamlet is obviously not in a good mental state right now.
Grant Wissak Period 1 I believe that Hamlet started out sane, but now is beginning to turn to the insane side of life. Towards the start of this whole conflict, Hamlet was focused on the goal, and that was finding out about the truth of how his father actually died, weather to be believe the ghost or to not. But now he is becoming obsessed with the idea of the truth. He is willing to go to any limits to figure this truth out. For example Hamlet will approach Ophellia way to aggressively, put on a play and other things just to figure out what is really going on. Hamlets actions and the people surrounding him reactions show that he is surely becoming insane.
Hamlet has totally gone insane at this point because he claims he has talked to ghosts at night. Hamlet's behavior around Ophelia is explained by his grief over the death of his father not really his insanity. He is just saddened by the loss of his father and the fact that his mother has fallen in love with his uncle. He probably had a close relationship with his father and that is why he is so affected by it.
Hayley Kronthal period 6
ReplyDeleteI think Hamlet at the beginning of the book is sane, just very upset about his fathers death and his mothers hasty marriage. However at some parts of the book Hamlet does show signs of being crazy. For example, the way Hamlet acts with Ophilia, in act II scene II the way he just looked at her then started to yell. Overall though I do not think Hamlet is insane, I think that the environment that he is in is driving him to be a little more disabled then he really is.
Sarah Berman - 6th period
ReplyDeleteI believe that at the begging of the book Hamlet was a very sane person. I think that he was just very upset by the death of his father and all of the things that came along with it, such as his mother marrying his uncle. As time passed, I think that Hamlet is beginning to turn insane. He thinks he sees his fathers shadow, and thinks that he can talk to it. I mean maybe he really is seeing the ghost of his father, but i doubt it. Also, I think that all of the issues that he is facing with Ophelia are making him go crazy.
I believe that Hamlet WAS a sane person in the beginning of the book. I think the events that happened when Hamlet came back made him into a very insane person. If anyones mother married their uncle I think they would be upset by it as well so i don't think that Hamlet was always insane. The fact his mother married his uncle obviously made him very uncomfortable. A part where Hamlet does not seem to be sane when he starts yelling at the ghost of his father to speak. Who is to tell that there is even a ghost there?
ReplyDeleteSam Guarnero pd 6
I believe that Hamlet has always been a sane person and that he never became insane. Hamlet does act very crazy at times and seem insane, but he is not. In act 1, Scene 5 Hamlet says to Marcellus and Horatio "How strange or odd so'er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on) That you, at such times seeing me, never shall...to note that you know sight of me-this do swear." In this quote Hamlet is telling them that no matter how crazy he acts to never reveal what happened with the ghost of king Hamlet. By saying this Hamlet shows that he is acting crazy on purpose which means that he is not truly insane.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet is completely sane. Although he may be acting crazy since his father’s death, it is understandable. He’s going through very tough times and would have never imagined that his uncle would murder his father than steal his mother. Anyone would act a little crazy if that happened to them. Also, when Hamlet talks to Polonius he uses very clever puns in order to insult Polonius. Almost everything he says, although it may seem crazy at first, has some type of meaning to it. Hamlet is definitely sane, but just mad at the world he lives in and the people he interacts with. He does not know how to handle what he is going through and is very confused with what to do.
ReplyDeleteSteven Jacobson Period 6
After reading two acts of the play I believe that Hamlet is insane. When asked to answer simple questions he answers with the most innapropriate responses. For example when being questioned by Polonius, Hamlet called him a "fishmonger" which is an insult to both his appearance and his job. He also appears to be insane when in the presence of Ophelia when he grabs her by the arms and just stand there breathing heavily.
ReplyDeleteJake Lerner Pd. 6
ReplyDeleteAfter reading two acts of the play I believe that Hamlet is insane. When asked to answer simple questions he answers with the most innapropriate responses. For example when being questioned by Polonius, Hamlet called him a "fishmonger" which is an insult to both his appearance and his job. He also appears to be insane when in the presence of Ophelia when he grabs her by the arms and just stand there breathing heavily.
i believe that hamlet is sane. he obviously had to have seen a ghost or else he never would have realized how his father died because that would have been an outrageous conclusion to make with no basis. although he is acting crazily, he still thinks clearly. this is evident when he plans to put on the play for his step father/uncle and his mother. he is very clever and analyzes just how to crack claudius and find the truth. if he was insane, he would have just figured out a way to kill him, rather than extract the truth.
ReplyDelete-kate faxon, period 1
Michelle Loguidice
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
After reading the first two acts I have come to the conclusion that Hamlet is insane. Hamlet is insane for a myriad of reasons. Some reasons being is that he beigns to talk to himself and yells, as if people are listening. Another reason he is insane is he turns on Ophelia. After he tells Ophelia he loves her she tells him she loved him to, and he immediately changes his mind and tells her that he has never loved her. Lastly, Hamlet is insane because he tells his friends he is only putting on an act to get back at Claudius (for the death of his father). If he was sane he would have wanted to get back at Claudius before, for marrying his own mother just a week after the death of his father.
John D p.1
ReplyDeleteI dont think Hamlet is insane, he is just going through very hard times. Between his relationship with Ophelia, and his fathers death, it puts a lot of stress and pressure on him. This can cause just the slightest things to make him get out of control, but that is normal, people get affected differently by things, and right now Hamlet is in a spot where everything isnt going as well as he had hoped.
I think Hamlet is completely insane. His mind is stuck in two worlds the real and the spiritual. The presence of his father's ghost has greatly impacted his life and affected his behavior in a concerning way. Hamlet is becoming obsessed with the concept of death. He is in a very fragile state of mind and the littlest thing throws him off. Hamlet is completely losing it.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Hymowitz
ReplyDeletePeriod 6
I believe that Hamlet is more sane then insane. I do not see how Hamlet could just make up seeing a ghost right off the top of his head that he is getting information from. Yes, he got a little crazy as the book went on. Hamlet in the beginning was very upset about what happened to his father and felt betrayed by his mother, and that made him a little crazy but I do believe he is still sane. It is hard for someone to go through all of this. If there was no ghost, how would he know exactly what happened to his father, he cant just make it all up. I think that everything Hamlet is going through is a way to get out his feelings and it comes out a little insane but thats how he has to handle it.
I believe that Hamlet was sane in the beginning of the book because he didn't know the truth of how his father died. But when he saw his father's spirit, Hamlet was compelled to why his father can't move on. When his father's spirit told him the truth behind his death, Hamlet became obsessed with avenging his father because he let his emotions get the better of him. So he became insane due to being overwhelmed with his emotions and revenge.
ReplyDeleteMariana Galeano
Pd. 6
i think hamlet is sane. Hamlet has seen and went through many traumatizing events, but in the end, he's totally sane. seeing his father's ghost could have been made up, but from the guards like horatio saying they saw the ghost of King Hamlet too,it makes the story way more believable. from act II scene I and II readers can see that hamlet is sane as well. by hamlet acting insane to throw off the people around him,(polonius and King Claudius) is strategic and ingenious planning to find out the truth of his fathers death. being able to juggle all these different emotions and fooling others, and learning about your father's death is a lot but Hamlet is handling himself accordingly for just loosing a parent. so, i believe hamlet is sane.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet is not crazy. I think this because he was not the only one to have seen the ghost. As well, he did not murder his uncle as soon as he found out what he had done to the king. I think that in order to have thought of a plan such that he did, he would have had to be thinking straightly, otherwise, he wouldn't have regarded the fact that he had to be certain of what happened before he acted. As well, the insanity that he does show, is calculated, and it is seen that his inner thoughts remain sane.
ReplyDeleteDevin Ullerick Period 1
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet is insane. One specific example as to why I believe this is the way in which Hamlet carries himself and talks to others. For example no sane person calls a respected advisor like Polonius a "fishmonger." Another example can be seen in his conversation with Ophelia, during this he acted very strangely and seemed extremely troubled. The source of all this insanity I feel can be traced back to Hamlet's confrontation with his father's ghost. After this time he warned Horatio he may act crazy, but I think he became his role all too well in the end.
Melanie Singer, Period 1
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion I believe that Hamlet is sane. Starting off, in Act I, Hamlets father dies of a mysterious and sudden death and directly after this incident, his mother marries his fathers brother and his own uncle. Then, in Act II, Hamlet decides to act crazy and distract the newly found king, his uncle. It was just an act for Hamlet but at the same time a lot happened in a short amount of time that is hard for some people to take in. Hamlet for example is a person who seems to like exactly like change. Therefore, it is understandable that Hamlet may act or seem slightly crazy although he is not. If i were in his shoes i would most likely be overwhelmed with everything going on in my life.
Serena Takada pd.1
ReplyDeleteI believe that although it may seem as if Hamlet is hallucinating and acting like a lunatic, he is completely sane. Hamlet’s encounter with the spirit of his father is proven to be true as he is not the only one who has witnessed the ghost. Hamlet’s guards have also seen the spirit, and were the very people that introduced Hamlet to the spirit. Therefore it is unlikely for Hamlet to have imagined the encounter with the spirit. Likewise, Hamlet acts like a madman when talking to Ophelia and Polonius. However, in reality, he is pretending to be mad that so his step father and uncle will not be suspicious of his plan of revenge. Therefore, Hamlet’s acts of insanity are only an aspect of his master revenge plan to end the life of King Claudius. Hamlet’s ability to develop a plan to kill King Claudius proves his rationality.
Anshul Doshi pd. 6
ReplyDeleteHamlet is going insane though he has every right to be. After learning about the death of his father and his mother's incestuous act of marrying his uncle, Hamlet should go mad in grief. His craziness in shown in two scenes. One was with the ghost where he Hamlet imagined the ghost of his father. Though his friends claim to have saw it too, Hamlet's insanity imagined the words of his father and his mind made a story so Hamlet would have something to live for. Another scene where Hamlet displayed his insanity was when Hamlet was talking to Ophelia. He denied is love for Ophelia and acted very strange with her. Hamlet's insanity is seen through his crazy actions.
Toni Ann Abbatantono period 1
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can see, I don't think a reader has enough information about Hamlet to discuss if he is sane or not. I think personally why would Shakespeare use a character who isn't sane in one of his plays. Though, I think its a very important ambiguity that Shakespeare loves to put in his writing where he tries to force a reader to wonder exactly what the real answer is. Like in Romeo and Juliet we also weren't quite sure of the "extremes" Romeo and Juliet took to be together and let their love conquer. The same way Hamlet is portrayed. Hamlet is almost a giant ambiguity himself. Though if he is smart enough to use the "play as the thing to catch the conscience of the king" I think he has to be thinking logically and using his brain or else he wouldn't be able to come up with a plan.
I feel that Hamlet is still sane at this point just because he isnt the only one seeing the ghost at night. If his friends hadnt seen the ghost then i would think that he is insane. His behavior around Ophelia is also explained by his grief over the death of his father not his insanity. He probably had a very good relationship with his father and that is why he is grieving so much
ReplyDeleteTyler Hart
Grace tobin period 6
ReplyDeleteI personally feel that hamlet was sane in the beginning, however through the course of the story he had gradually become more and more of an "insane" person. This is evident in act II scene ii when he yells at Ophelia for no real reason. This random and sudden act shows the reader that hamlet is slowly losing his grip on reality and is letting the situation with his fathers ghost and the murder commuted by Claudius effect his mental state.
Sarah Vallarelli period 6
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet is starting to become insane. His father just passed away and his mother just married his uncle so he is is not in a very good mental state right now. He says he sees a ghost when in reality i dont think you can actually see ghosts. HIs friends who are telling him they saw a ghost are just provoking his insane behavior probably because they think it is funny. Hamlet is obviously not in a good mental state right now.
Grant Wissak Period 1
ReplyDeleteI believe that Hamlet started out sane, but now is beginning to turn to the insane side of life. Towards the start of this whole conflict, Hamlet was focused on the goal, and that was finding out about the truth of how his father actually died, weather to be believe the ghost or to not. But now he is becoming obsessed with the idea of the truth. He is willing to go to any limits to figure this truth out. For example Hamlet will approach Ophellia way to aggressively, put on a play and other things just to figure out what is really going on. Hamlets actions and the people surrounding him reactions show that he is surely becoming insane.
Hamlet has totally gone insane at this point because he claims he has talked to ghosts at night. Hamlet's behavior around Ophelia is explained by his grief over the death of his father not really his insanity. He is just saddened by the loss of his father and the fact that his mother has fallen in love with his uncle. He probably had a close relationship with his father and that is why he is so affected by it.
ReplyDelete