Shakespeares Hamlet - Observations of Madness Essay

Hamlet: Observations of Madness One of the most analyzed plays in existence is the tragedy Hamlet, with its recurring question: Is Hamlet’s antic disposition feigned or real? In truth, this question can only be answered by observing the thoughts of the main characters in relation to the cause of Hamlet real or feigned madness. In the tragedy Hamlet, each of the main characters explains Hamlets madness in their own unique way. To discover the cause behind the madness of Hamlet, each character used their own ambitions, emotions and interpretations of past events. Characters tried to explain Hamlets antic disposition by means of association to thwarted ambition, heartbreaking anguish, and denied love. In the†¦show more content†¦Continuing on, Rosencrantz: Why then, your ambition makes it one; tis too narrow for your mind. Hamlet: O God, I could be bounded in a nut shell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams. Guildenstern: Which dreams indeed are ambition, for the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. Hamlet: A dream itself is but a shadow. Rosencrantz: Truly, and I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadows shadow. (Act II scene II) From the start of the discussion, Rosencrantz believes that it is Hamlet’s denied ambitions that creates Hamlet’s negative view of everything around him, including his soon to be kingdom, Denmark. Guildenstern soon jumps onto this bandwagon, and joins Rosencrantz in explaining to Hamlet that it is denied ambition that is the cause of all his troubles. For their efforts, Hamlet latter uses the same â€Å"cause† to dismiss Rosencrantz’s questions: Rosencrantz: Good my lord, what is your cause of distemper? You do, surely, bar the door upon your own liberty, if you deny your griefs to your friend. Hamlet: Sir, I lack advancement. 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