Hamlet

One of the major themes throughout the play is madness. There are many parts in the play when Hamlet appears to be mad. In the first act Hamlet seems to be in a perfectly rational state of mind throughout all five scenes. The audience begins to see a change in Hamlet’s character in the second scene. One of the major hints that Hamlet was mad. This was shown by his erratic and violent behavior in many major parts of the play. His bizarre tone is especially evident in his chat with Ophelia. Hamlet states, “I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between heaven and earth! We are arrant knaves, all; believe none of us.” (Act III, sc. i, line123) The one minute Hamlet tells Ophelia that “I did love you once.” Then in his next line he ...