Janithza Guevara

Meghan O’Keefe

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A.P. English Literature

Throughout Hamlet, we come across the theme or idea of death driving people to

madness and seeking revenge. Hamlet’s father has recently passed; however, Horatio comes and

tells him that he saw the ghost of his dead father. Hamlet is shocked by such news and questions

if Horatio’s vision could be true. It isn’t until the ghost comes to Hamlet that he truly believes

Horatio. The ghosts tells Hamlet to seek revenge on his uncle because his uncle killed him.

Claudius and Gertrude start to investigate why Hamlet seems to be going crazy. They come to a

conclusion that he is just in love with Ophelia!! There’s different theories going around, and the

King and Polonius believe that Hamlet isn’t in love... he’s just going crazy.

Act III, scene i we see Hamlet begin to question the need for his life. His famous “to be or

not to be” speech shows how Hamlet enters a depressive mindset that he cannot escape. His

speech represents his troubled mindset, and in that instant we see that he fears death just as much

as he fears living. Hamlet states, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the

native hue of resolution is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, and enterprises of great

pitch and moment with this regard their currents turn awry and lose the name of action” (Act III.

Scene I. 91-95). We see that he knows the outcome of his suicide will be much worse than the

harms of living; however he still dreads his existence.

Hamlet and Ophelia have carried on a romance; however, Ophelia begins to fear that Hamlet

has gone mad. She questions his sanity by saying, “Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled, Ungartered, and down-gyvèd to his ankle, Pale as his

shirt, his knees knocking each other, And with a look so piteous in purport As if he had been

loosèd out of hell To speak of horrors—he comes before me” (Act II, Scene i, 87-94). Ophelia

notices that Hamlet’s appearance is extremely agitated, and he doesn’t seem like the same

person.

We see Hamlet’s descent into madness as he no longers speaks as eloquently as before. We

see his conversations with other use direct language; however, in his solitude his diction

becomes more intense.

Hamlet’s losing his mind!! His whole life continues to be switched around. Gertrude

begins to believe that Hamlet is becoming a danger to those around him. She also states that

Hamlet killed Polonius. Claudius realizes that Hamlet was most likely trying to kill him, and he

suggest that Hamlet be sent to England in order to avoid seeing Hamlet in court. Hamlet disposes

of Polonius’s body. Gertrude tells Hamlet that Claudius plans to execute Hamlet in England.

Claudius tells his attendants of Polonius’s death. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz meet with

Hamlet to uncover where Polonius’s body is. Hamlet is told to leave for England at once, to

which he enthusiastically agrees to.Hamlet is amazed by such bloody conflicts, but then he

recalls his own desire to seek revenge of Claudius. Gertrude and Horatio question whether they

should check on Ophelia, only to discover that Laertes is sailing back from France. Laertes is

outraged by his father’s death. Claudius asserts that Polonius is dead; while Gertrude adds on

that Claudius had nothing to do with it. Claudius tells Laertes to seek revenge; and Laertes

agrees to. Claudius and Laertes continue to discuss Polonius’s death and how Hamlet was exiled

for his crime. They both agree that Laertes should kills Hamlet to avenge Polonius’s death.
Ophelia drowns in the river. Hamlet attends the funeral not knowing its Ophelia’s. Laertes is

struck by grief and follows after Hamlet when he leaves. Claudius tells him to be patient.

Claudius wants Hamlet and Laertes to fence. Horatio tells Hamlet to refuse, but Hamlet agrees

anyways. Gertrude drinks from a poisoned cup leading to her death. Laertes jabs Hamlet with his

sword, in which Hamlet realizes he has actually been stabbed and Laertes isn’t using an

appropriate sword. Hamlet steals Laertes sword and stabs him with it injecting him with the

poison in the sword. The two are dying and exchange their apologies to each other. Previously,

we see Hamlet in a distressed mental state. He begins to question his ability to carry on with life.

Gertrude announces that Hamlet has gone made. She describes his mental state as, “Mad as the

sea and with when both contend” (IV, i, 6). When Hamlet is exiled to England he shows no

remorse for his actions. Hamlet agrees in an enthusiastic manner.

Hamlet becomes obsessed with the idea of death. After discovering Yorick’s Skull, Hamlet

recounts how death is inevitable. Such implications on the idea of death can only prove that

Hamlet’s true desire is to die.

Throughout the majority of the play, Hamlet is fixated with the idea of avenging his father by

killing Claudius. Such deceitful thoughts can implicate why Hamlet ended up killing Polonius.

Hamlet’s drive to avenge his father instilled fear in others. This led to Claudius call for a duel

amongst Laertes and Hamlet; which would then lead to Hamlet, Laertes, and Gertrude’s death.

The events leading up to his death were ultimately the result of his own depressive mind

acting impulsively. Hamlet become mad at one point and it drove him to become a different

person, as Ophelia noticed. Death can change people and have no control of their emotions or

how to deal with it.