Madness is the mental incapacity caused by an unmentionable injury, and in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist exhibits a duplicitous, almost insane nature. Hamlets father is murdered by his uncle, Claudius, the new king. After much grief, Hamlet starts to plot his uncle's death, and due to the stress some think, "Alas! He's mad" (3.4.107). The pressure of vengeance are too much for Hamlet and his constantly trying to determine what is real and what appears …showed first 75 words of 856 total…

…showed last 75 words of 856 total…the guilt of Ophelia's suicide, his father's murder, and his torn relationship with his mother and friends. His judgement between what is real and what appears to be real is fully intact but his reckless behaviour and antics prove that his mind was clouded. William Shakespeare uses Hamlet to show how death and vengeance can put such stress on the mind and body, that eventually it will do one considerable amounts of damage. Word count: 857