Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Insanity in Hamlet Essay

Insanity in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   A consideration of the madness of the hero Hamlet within the Shakespearean drama of the same name, shows that his feigned madness sometimes borders on real madness, but probably only coincidentally.    Hamlet’s conversation with Claudius is insane to the latter. Lawrence Danson in â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† describes how Hamlet’s use of the syllogism is pure madness to the king:    What Hamlet shows by his use of the syllogism is that nothing secure can rest on the falsehood that masquerades as the royal order of Denmark. From Claudius’s point of view, however, the syllogism is simply mad: its logic is part of Hamlet’s â€Å"antic disposition.† Sane men know, after all, that â€Å"man and wife is one flesh† only in a metaphoric or symbolic sense; they know that only a madman would look for literal truth in linguistic conventions. And Claudius is right that such â€Å"madness in great ones must not unwatched go† (III.i.end). For the madman, precisely because he does not accept society’s compromises and because he explores its conventions for meanings they cannot bear, exposes the flaws which â€Å"normal† society keeps hidden (70).    Phyllis Abrahms and Alan Brody in â€Å"Hamlet and the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy Formula† consider the madness of the hero to be completely feigned and not real:    Hamlet is a masterpiece not because it conforms to a set of conventions but because it takes those conventions and transmutes them into the pure gold of vital, relevant meaning. Hamlet’s feigned madness, for instance, becomes the touchstone for an illumination of the mysterious nature of sanity itself (44-45).    Hamlet’s first words in the play say that Claudius is "A little more than kin and less ... ...y Martin). On Some of Shakespeare's Female Characters. 6th ed. London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1899.    Felperin, Howard. â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. of â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis.† The Yale Review 63, no.3 (Spring 1974).    Foakes, R.A.. â€Å"The Play’s Courtly Setting.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet and the Court of Elsinore.† Shakespeare Survey: An Annual Survey of Shakespearean Study and Production. No. 9. Ed. Allardyce Nicoll. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1956.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Theme of Death in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

Theme of Death in Romeo and Juliet Slash, cling, clank these are the sounds that are heard in a sword fight as a man is killed. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare the theme death is portrayed many times by the characters Marcutio, Romeo, and Juliet. The first instance of the theme death was in act 3 when Marcutio challenged Tybalt to a sword fight. "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find a grave man."(Act three, scene 1, line 104.) Also as Marcutio is dying he says "Help me into some house, Benvolio, Or I shall Faint." (Act 3, scene 1, line 113.) Both these quotes show how Marcutio portrayed the theme death. Second, Romeo is the next to portray the theme death. Now in Act 5, this is the time that Romeo shows the theme death. He has heard of Juliet's death and is so heartbroken that he goes to an apothecary to get poison so he can join Juliet in heaven. "To Juliet's grave; for there must I use thee." (Act 5, scene 1, line 93). Second when Romeo is about to drink the poison he says, "Here's to my love! [Drinks.] O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. [Falls.]" (Act 5, scene 3, line 122). These quote show how Romeo loves Juliet. So much he will die to be with her." The next quotes show how Juliet's feelings are mutual to Romeo's. After Juliet wakes up from her death like coma she sees Romeo's dead corpse and notices that he had never got the message from the friar. "O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss his lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them. To make me die with a restorative." The next quote shows how the poison has no effect on Juliet, and how she is so desperate to be with Romeo she will stab herself. "O happy dagger! [Snatches Romeo's dagger.] This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. [She stabs herself and falls.