Angry, upset, reckless, foolish, uncontrolled, are just a few words that coincide with the word mad, and then there's the word, man. It's a simple word with a simple definition, a male human being. On one end of the spectrum there's a word with multiple meanings and on the other there's one that can be a one word definition. Just by hearing the word man or mad people can automatically give close to the same explanation of what both words mean. By going more in depth, and thinking about each word and either the emotion or person they are connected too makes a simple meaning turn into a complex one. Then the tables are turned a man is no longer just a male human being, he is a person with thoughts, emotions, actions, and words. Then the word mad is just a word that can be used as an adjective for describing a man. Combining two separate words that when said are the complete opposite of what their true meanings resemble, goes to show that a madman is not just a simple word to describe a crazy person. A madman is a person that is extremely reckless and has an intensity that can't be explained without going more in depth and knowing the story leading up to how that person became one. Hamlet in many ways can be seen as a madman for his thoughts, emotions, actions, and words that he uses in the play, but there are many outside factors that have contributed to him being a man that's mad. Searching and going beyond the bounds of Hamlet, is necessary to uncover the truth about the person Hamlet really is.
A lot of people believe Hamlet to be a madman because of his irrational behavior and that he tends to be impulsive, and nobody can quite figure him out or what he's going to do next. We as readers just know the background story and as we read can only place our judgments and opinions from the context we are given. Hamlet is portrayed through his soliloquies, dialogue, and actions, but that is all. A reader can never truly get into a character's head because the reader isn't the character. A viewer can act and become the character in the way that they see fits. Nobody can ever fully know the way Hamlet felt in certain scenes or the way he carries out certain actions, besides the writer who makes the character up. Nobody can never truly know Hamlets though process because Shakespeare is dead and all we have to go off of are the words and reenactments that have been captured throughout the years.
It's not very valid to call Hamlet a "madman" it is all based off of opinions and whether the reader takes a side of Hamlet thinking and acting rationally or irrationally with everything that he has gone through. Although I may not agree with the way Hamlet is dealing with his father's death because my morals are different from his. I wont ever know how Hamlet feels until I am put in his situation. For Hamlet to seek revenge upon Claudius and his mother in a way seems pretty rational to me. Even though some of his actions such as killing Polonius because he mistakes him for Claudius and how he talks in a very provocative and demoralizing way toward and to Ophelia, seem to be wrong, Hamlet is mad, confused, rebellious, and those are all normal feelings for the pain he has endured. He contemplated suicide and has many questions about life after death, which is a pretty low point. For all the information he has gained about the people he loved the most, it's hard to be able to think straight and try to understand their thoughts and actions, when he is trying to control his own. He seeks answers to try to fulfill his fathers wishes, which may or may not be Hamlet's subconscious trying to talk to him and have him do what he truly believes will bring justice and pride to his father. He tries to avenge his father's death while trying to keep himself from completely giving up.
A madman can be interpreted in many different meanings, from a person that is mentally ill to a person who is foolish and reckless and to a person who does something very fast and intensely. As a readers all we can do is characterize Hamlet as either a madman or just a man whose mad because both use the same words but take on two totally opposite meanings. Everybody has a little bit of madness in their life and everyone gets mad once in a while. Then there is this idea of a madman who acts recklessly and uncontrollably and cant be helped and who is spinning out of control. I believe Hamlet to be someone who is trying to seek justice through what he believes is right based on the knowledge of the one person he truly loved, his father. Love makes a person to do crazy things and obviously Hamlet has gone off the road a bit. In a way Hamlets sane for acting out is this subtle yet flamboyant way because wouldn't it be even stranger if he was calm and didn't have this intense revenge seeking attitude about him. Hamlet is a very round character who is unexpected and mysterious. He himself doesn't even know what he is going to do next but yet it seems like he has a plan but then he acts irrational. Hamlet's a mystery that everyone is trying to figure out and he might not even know it, but Hamlet knows who he is and what he is meant to do aside from every distraction and obstacle that's thrown at him. Hamlet may be portrayed as mysterious and uncontrollable, yet the real mystery is that Hamlet is the only sane one and everybody else is isn't. Only a rational and sane person would be able to act the way Hamlet does. So in the end can Hamlet actually be seen as the craziest person but be the sanest out of them all.
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