Literary Analysis Essay on Madness Theme Present in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Introduction

Different characters have been acting mad especially Hamlet. This leads the reader to conclude that the character would be mad. Hamlet, for instance, some of his actions have been termed madness by many. Polonius says "though this be madness, yet there is method in't" (Act II, Scene II). This was after observing Hamlet while he was talking to Ophelia. Ophelia, on the other hand, has had her role in showing her level of madness from time to time within the play. Most of these actions by the characters have been driven, in part by the death of Hamlet's Father.

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One recognizable difference between the level of madness between the two characters is the nature of how they act out their madness despite the fact that the cause of their actions is one (Innes). In reference to there different ways of expressing their madness the end results of their actions are both tragic. In relation to the Elizabethan context, the theme has mainly majored on love which was evident during the Elizabethan era. Most of the literature work had a touch of romance as seen in Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet'. The play revolves around Hamlet the main character after the death of his father who has been killed by Hamlets uncle. Hamlet mother goes ahead and is married to his late husbands' brother who is responsible for his husband's death. Hamlet is filled with grieve and revenge which drive him down a rocky path and with him Ophelia the woman he loves is also dragged into the entire situation (Innes). Madness are behaviors and actions that can hardly be defined, and in the long run, they have their consequences, this has been witnessed in Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet' and helps the reader comprehend the magnitude of our actions.

In relation to Elizabethan culture, it is evident in Shakespeare's work the connection between the work and the culture; he has captured the social life of the people, during the Elizabethan era the wealthy- nobles were the elite men and women who held social titles. This is evident in Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Hamlet's family was from a noble family which ruled the people. Shakespeare uses this as the foundation of the plays to create the main theme of madness (Steggle). The death of his father starts a chain of event which motivates the mad actions witnessed in the play. The killing of Hamlet's father by his uncle starts off events that can hardly be justified. Shakespeare also implements the romance which was evident in Elizabethan culture.

In Shakespeare's work, Ophelia and hamlet help the reader relate to the culture of romance and its also seen with Hamlet's mother. The romance is seen in the play also acts as the main cause of madness within the play. Madness has had multiple motivation factors; Hamlet is mad at his mother for not seeing the true nature of his new husband and her actions drive him mad. Some of Hamlet's characteristics are indicative of madness (Steggle 48). He is so obsessed with killing Claudius that he ends up destroying the entire family. On the other hand, Ophelia also portrays her madness due to the loss of a key person in her life. It is evident that the work of Shakespeare has integrated the Elizabethan culture in different ways and they have played a considerable role in explaining the theme of madness throughout the play.

From Shakespeare's play, twentieth and twenty-first-century contemporary cultures have been represented. The lose of a family member has been a universal issue within the two centuries. The death of a parent has been seen to provoke different reactions by those closest to him. As Shakespeare demonstrates this using Hamlet character, it is evident that some of the actions many experiences in the 20th and 21st century can be termed as madness. The theme of madness within these dual centuries and the Elizabethan era are entirely shared. Shakespeare work is adaptive with the future cultural matters such as grieving. According to () people mourn differently, and the causes of death greatly influence the mental state of the person closes to them. The lose of a family member due to un-understandable circumstances greatly impact the people around them. Hamlets madness is seen to directly cause the death of his mother who drinks the poison that was meant for him.

Hamlet grieving process and reactions greatly influence his mad actions with little concern as to who is affected in the process. Hamlet considers taking his life "to be or not to be" Act III Scene I. All these are as a result of lacking the purpose of living or dying. The 20th and 21st generation take on death dramatically affects a person's perspective towards life (Neely). People tend to lose their purpose to living after the loss of there loved one. One may find this as grieve although this is hardly defined as grieving, psychologically this is a mental breakdown due to the inability to process the grieve. The precise situation faced by Hamlet. Ophelia, on the other hand, loses her identity after the loss of such an important person in her life. This led to her mad characteristics, the same is seen in the 20th and 21st century (Neely).

As seen from the different examples from the play it is evident that grieve has a way of affecting a person's cognitive states. The various actions seen from both Hamlet and Ophelia have had a significant impact on the people around them both directly and indirectly. Hamlets actions ultimately destroy the family (Williams). His erratic behaviors are a clear indicator of his state of mind. His craving for revenge leaves him at a confused state whether it's the ghost of his father or the devil himself who will end up betraying his soul. The confusion drives him mad. While when Ophelia losses all the important men in her life, she starts having illusions of the medieval Catholic forms of piety: St James, St. Charity and other pre-reformed religious folklore. She mentally breaks down, and she is entirely unable to hold herself together (Williams).

Conclusion

Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet' clearly paints the picture of the unexplained reactions of different people in times of grieve especially the madness many portrays. His work closely relates to the experiences seen in the 20th and the 21st century as well as a blend with the Elizabethan era and the well outlined flow of events within the play hardly loses the reader at any point although the theme of madness leaves many trying to comprehend the bases of some of Hamlet's actions and his speeches.

Work Cited

Innes, Michael. Hamlet, Revenge!. House of Stratus, 2010.

Neely, Carol Thomas. Distracted subjects: Madness and gender in Shakespeare and early modern culture. Cornell University Press, 2004.

Steggle, Matthew. Digital humanities and the lost drama of early modern England: ten case studies. Routledge, 2016.

Williams, Meg Harris. Hamlet in Analysis: Horatio's Story-A Trial of Faith. Karnac Books, 2014.