Essay Example on Hamlet: Madness at the Centre of All Problems

In Hamlet, William Shakespeare's poem, the most important and evident theme is that of madness. The idea is played throughout the poem through the thoughts and action of Laertes, Ophelia and Hamlet. Insanity is the condition or quality of disorder or mental illness. Madness, in this case, is at the centre of all problems and conflicts of the play. Shakespeare uses it to elaborate more on the parallels and manipulation between Polonius, Ophelia and Hamlet. Every example in this poem on madness begins and ends with death (Shakespeare, 1997). The essay will elaborate more on how madness will lead to death.

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The outlying idea of whether to fight and live through the hardships of life that makes a person to end with a suicidal act shows the contemplating decision made, taking into the account the unknown and unpredictable fear of death (Simon, 2011). The beginning of the play shows that Hamlet is suicidal. He even wished that he could die to avoid seeing the corrupt world around him. However, the challenge is that during that time, suicide was sin before God. Hamlet had debates on whether to commit suicide or go to purgatory-like his father, or keep on fighting (Shakespeare, 1997). Usually, it is common for everyone worldwide to fear life unpredictable life after death. As seen, Hamlet sees ghosts and fears what will happen if he commits suicide, what would happen, and the place he would go.

The essential theme of suicide, as seen in the play, relates to how people today struggle and go through hardships. It is challenging when someone wakes up in the morning, noticing that the struggles of that day may be similar to what he faced yesterday, more or less (Simon, 2011). That is why Hamlet is seen having a debate with his mind that besides the struggles, is life better when he dies? In Shakespeare stance, he also says, "Till her garments are heavy with a drink, and pulls the poor wretch from the melodious lay, it will eventually lead to death" (Shakespeare, 1997).

Claudius is another character that believes that Hamlet's madness will end up becoming dangerous. Polonius, on the other hand, knows that Hamlet behaviour is strange because of the love he has for Ophelia. However, since Claudiu fears Hamlet's action, she said that "Madness in someone great should not be left unwatched" (Shakespeare, 1997). Due to this, Hamlet was sent to England. Hamlet never denied instead admitted that he is made and also assured them that a mad person could do something wrong to attract everyone.

The reason as to why Hamlet became insane, was to prove his point by spreading the madness. He even says, "How odd or strange some'er I bear/ hereafter might think/ to put on the antic disposition." Hamlet said this to show that he was furious (Shakespeare, 1997). The demise of characters like Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, for instance, does not have the same degree of moral heft because they are represented as insincere and fawning.

The death of Hamlet, in this case, indexed the growing disarray at the Danish court. Since Hamlet views everyone in court as disposable, because everyone's end does not come in the same way. No other character in the play continues suffering Hamlet's disregard other than Polonius. Hamlet, however, explains to Polonius that when a person dies, they turn into worms (Shakespeare, 1997). The point of life before death, in other words, is to fatten the demons for the maggots' people also eat to have food

The end of the play shows how Hamlet becomes responsible for Ophelia's death the only woman she loved. He also realizes how the suicide case of Ophelia has affected others. Hamlet later realizes that suicide is not a good thing and that it's better to be noble to stand up and fight through the normal struggles than fighting with the ideas of committing suicide (Shakespeare, 1997). However, the devaluation is traceable directly to the way Hamlet mistreated Ophelia. Hamlet's disrespect for Polonius makes the young man enter into a virtuous cycle of revenge.

Ophelia's destruction, on the other hand, proceeds to her former suitor's disrespect for the death of her father. She later finds herself in a scene where she realizes everything wrong Polonius did. After this, Hamlet also killed Polonius, vanishes his body and unleashes the events that show Cascade's death. Without the inability to mourn someone whose body is not found makes Laertes return to Elsinore (Shakespeare, 1997). As seen, suicide has unpredictable fear of the kind of life someone will see (Simon, 2011). The image is also terrifying knowing that bodies are left behind to be eaten by worms which later live bones and empty skulls like that of Hamlet, Ophelia and Polonius.

Conclusion

The tragedies of the play show how sometimes people assume roles that can destroy human beings. It is vital to detect the habit of greatness to avoid ending up as a by-product of revenge, similar to Hamlet's condition. The play can present people that are conscripted into realizing the importance of life and how people should examine the stratagems that overwork people's emotions. If the example of Hamlet is used, it shows what could happen to human beings when the matter is not taken seriously. However, most people never care when someone else's life is rendered disposable. The reason behind this is that in the digital world, the retaliations makes things to be out of control, and this pushes someone to do bad things like committing suicide.

References

Simon, B. (2011). Hamlet and the Trauma Doctors: An Essay at Interpretation. American Imago, 58(3), 707-722. DOI: 10.1353/aim.2001.0017

Shakespeare, W. (1997). Hamlet. New York, NY: Acclaim Books.