English: Shakespeare:
                     Hamlets Sanity
                                                                                         February 26, 1999

                     Hamlets Sanity In arguably one of the most renowned novels of all time, a
                     prince of Denmark undergoes a mental struggle with his family, friends, and
                     self. This causes an indefinite belief that Hamlet might or might not become
                     insane because of prior events that affected his mental status. This can be
                     looked at in two ways, one, he is in fact insane, or two, he is in fact not insane.
                     Textual evidence from both of these standpoints will acknowledged in following
                     paragraphs, as well as a reasoning for the acquisition of Hamlets degree of
                     sanity. Hamlets mental status during Hamlet underwent a drastic change.
                     From his father's death to his own friends betraying him, his mind was pulled
                     around like a dog on a leash. These events that he went through would
                     undoubtedly cause him to go insane. When Hamlet first encounters his father
                     ghost, (Act one scene five) His father reveals to Hamlet the way in which he
                     died. Ghost: "But soft methinks I scent the morning air. Brief let me be.
                     Sleeping within my orchard, My custom always of the afternoon, Upon my
                     secure hour thy uncle stole with juice of cursed hebona in a vial, And in the
                     porches of my ears did pour the leperous distilment, whose effect holds such
                     an enmity with blood of man that swift as quicksilver it courses through the
                     natural gates and alleys of the body, and with a sudden vigar it doth posset."
                     After Hamlet heard this coming out of his own father's ghostly mouth, he
                     became angry with his uncle and his mother. He became angry with Gertrude
                     because the fact that she would go ahead and marry Hamlets uncle after the
                     death of his father. "How stand I then, that I have a father killed, and a mother
                     stained." All of this domestic issues with his family is making hamlet start to
                     feel like he cannot trust anyone, not even his own mother. Following the loss
                     of trust of his family, Hamlet starts to loose his next most important thing in his
                     life, his friends. Hamlet: " Why, anything - but to th' purpose. You were sent
                     for, and there is a kid of confession in your looks, which your modesties have
                     not craft enough to color. I know the good king and Queen have sent for you."
                     Rosencrantz: "My lord, we were sent for." At this point in the story, (Act 2
                     scene 2) Hamlet finds that two of his friends have arrived at the castle. He
                     suspects that the king and queen sent for them to find out something about
                     Hamlet. Hamlet was right in assuming this. Now, Hamlet lost another aspect of
                     his life, the trust of his friends. This also adds to the theory that Hamlet is in
                     fact insane. The ghost told Hamlet that Hamlet was to avenge his father's
                     death. Hamlet has not done anything midway through the novel to avenge his
                     fathers death. Hamlet: "How stand I then, that I have a father killed, a mother
                     stained, Excitements of my reason and my blood, and let all sleep, while to my
                     shame I see the imminent death of twenty thousand men that for a fantasy and
                     trick of fame, go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot, whereon the
                     numbers cannot try the cause, which is not tomb enough and continent to hide
                     the slain? O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!"
                     On the contrary, it could be argued that Hamlets sanity was in the normal
                     operating range of sane. Speeches such as "to be or not to be, that is the
                     question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of
                     outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by
                     opposing them, to die, to sleep-no more-and by a sleep to say we end the
                     heartache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to." might
                     indicate that Hamlet was looking for the easy way out. "To sleep-perchance to
                     dream; ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come."
                     This indicates that he might not of been insane enough to not think about
                     what the consequences are to suicide. Another example that proves that
                     Hamlet is not so insane that he does not know what is going on is the ghost of
                     his father. Although this was early in the play, Hamlet still proved to the
                     audience that he was sane enough to listen to the ghost, (which could have
                     been thought by readers that the ghost was all in Hamlets head.) Hamlet
                     listened to what his father had to say, not telling anybody about the ghost. By
                     analyzing many aspects of the famous play Hamlet, one can determine on
                     their own wither Hamlet is sane or Insane. Many supporting details and textual
                     evidence are provided in the play to back up ones theory. Although more
                     examples of Hamlets insanity are shown than sanity, readers of this play can
                     decide on their own what they think about Hamlets mental state.