What makes one person merely imaginative while another schizophrenic?

In the play
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare the protagonist is presented with the use of madness as a
strategy of disguise, unveil the state ’s corruptness.Hamlet uses it to shed suspicion from his
stepfather, Claudius, who he believes killed his father, the late King Hamlet. He gains this
information from a ghost, giving the first hint at possible madness. Over the course of the play
Hamlet’s sanity deteriorates as he continuous to act mad, in front of others and alone. This is
clear even on a very superficial level; there are over forty ocurrencies of the words “mad” and
“madness” in Hamlet, not even including numerous other terms referring to associated states of
mind. Madness rarely ever seems absent in Hamlet. Hamlet exhibits the characteristics of a man
losing his sanity and suicidal thoughts, caused by his acts of false madness.

Shakespeare begins to question the extent to which a lie may become truth if acted on for
long enough, creating a forwards for the audience and dramatic tension in Hamlet’s fate.

Hamlet’s madness throughout the play was caused and expedited by his acts of madness.
Hamlet truly becomes mad through his crazy false acts as his “bait of falsehood takes this carp of
truth” (Act II.1.63). Hamlet in turn embodies this line as he does the same thing, acting false but
becoming true; he learns the truth of his mental state by acting false. Falsehood will bring out the
truth eventually, as when done enough it will sound real and become real. Hamlet’s madness was
slight at the beginning, and had he not acted mad, he may have been able to save his sanity. With
him truly being delirious in private, his appearance deteriorating it shows his development into
madness.

Later on, in Hamlet’s most famous scene, the “to be or not to be” monologue, he
considers suicide. It is “Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep; to sleep, perchance to
dream”(Act III, Scene 1, 71-72) as he believes that living is a nightmare, and that he may gain
rest and solitude from death. Suicide is a grave sin in Christian culture, potentially landing
Hamlet a spot in Hell, means the situation must be dire for him. This really shows how far
Hamlet has come, and descended into his nightmare.

For the audience to understand this and then have Hamlet break that illusion by spewing
his inner thoughts. Hamlet and his descent into madness throughout the play, displayed through
his escalating bursts of fake madness, evolves into true madness. His willingness to commit
suicide, and his private outbursts show that Hamlet must be truly mad. This happens due to him
faking it, as it becomes him and consumes him. He becomes too much and truly becomes mad.
 Hamlet has been a intresting case study for manay psychiatrists in the past. Many have
diagnosed him as a “maniac and both maniac-depressive”. However other psychariatrists have
even dared saying he was sane. ( ​Bynum, W. F., and Michael Neve, ​391)

However, through his inner thoughts and the apparent reasons for his actions, it is
clear that he is not really mad and is simply an actor simulating insanity in order to fulfil his duty
to his father.

Hamlet only claims madness because it allows him to say and perform actions he
otherwise would be prohibited from, while keeping people from taking his actions seriously. T
his seems to be part of his initial plan that is first mentioned when he asks Horatio and Marcellus
not to make any remarks in relation to his “antic disposition (1.5.192).” Hamlet’s madness
allows him to talk to Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Polonius i n a manner unsuitable for a
prince. He is often disrespectful and insulting in his remarks. Although his acting backfires
during his speech to Gertrude, Hamlet is able to severely criticize her for her actions because she
thinks he is insane.

Hamlet the proceeds to have his first true breakdown, alone in his study, making no show
for an outside observer. He remarks on his inability do do anything about his father’s murder as
he “Must, like a whore, unpack [his] heart with words” (Act II, Scene 2, 558-559), taking no
action. He then proceeds to swear profusely, a characteristic that we have not yet appeared in
Hamlet, as he is usually the voice of reason. Seeing into the truth of Hamlet’s mental state is a
very important part of the story, showing his descent into true madness. As directors this key
scene would have to be very over-dramatic and drawn out, to really bring focus to the scene. It is
very important to us that there is no illusion that someone outside is watching,as Hamlet isn’t
performing this for someone else. A very private and clearly hidden study would be the best tool
in order to display this.

Additional proof that Hamlet must be sane is that even in his “madness” he is clever in
his retorts and speech, and has a full understanding of the situations around him. He plays his
madman character almost too well, and each phrase he utters appears to be an attempt towards
conveying his madness or confusing his adversaries. Not one of his remarks, although laden with
hidden meanings, made to Claudi us for example, is a normal statement that would not be
considered insane. When he talks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, not only is Hamlet clever
enough to realize their true purpose for visiting, he tells them he is not really mad – in a manner
that wou ld be considered insane! “I am but mad north - north - west. When the wind is
southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw. (2.2.401). Hamlet is able to toy with his two friends
through his illusory madness and, thus, free from their questioning, able to maintain t he secrecy
of his thoughts and goals. Later, he is even able to have them killed in his place using his father’s
seal, through the method cunning for even a sane man, let alone an insane one. In fact, Hamlet,
in the same conversation with Polonius mentione d above, is so creative in his responses made to
convey a countenance of madness that Polonius remarks on their ingenuity. “Though this be
madness, yet there is method in’t (2.2.223).” Hamlet’s wit and role - playing of a madman
combine to make too witty of an exaggerated madman, for him to actually be insane.