3.1.3
Hamlet's State of Mind
Hamlet's Emotion & State of Mind
Hamlet's Emotion & State of Mind
We first see Hamlet in A1S2 as a gloomy, brooding figure incapable of hiding his feelings of grief and resentment.
Hamlet's disgust & melancholy
Hamlet's disgust & melancholy
- Hamlet is disgusted by his mother’s decision to remarry and the sarcastic responses he gives to Claudius (e.g. in the pun that he is “too much in the sun”) shows nothing but contempt for his stepfather.
- His first soliloquy reveals his suicidal feelings and, deep into the play, he suffers from what he describes as “melancholy”.
Hamlet's view of women
Hamlet's view of women
- To the very end, Hamlet is unable to reconcile himself with his mother’s remarriage. This colours his attitude to all women in the play.
- Hamlet is sickened by the sexuality of women (what John Dover Wilson termed as his ‘sex-nausea’) and many critics see a powerful misogynistic strain to his abuse of Ophelia, Gertrude and womanhood in general.
- He criticises them for what he sees as their lustfulness and propensity to deceive.
Critics on Hamlet's 'madness'
Critics on Hamlet's 'madness'
- Hamlet’s madness is another point of fierce debate.
- Critics have long argued the extent to which Hamlet’s behaviour is simply a performance of feigned madness (his “antic disposition”) or if it is symptomatic of a mind poisoned by knowledge of his father’s murder, his mother’s incest and the Ghost’s call for revenge.
Hamlet's view of "madness"
Hamlet's view of "madness"
- Hamlet himself blames his “madness” for his wrongs towards Laertes.
- As a result, many critics debate where Hamlet’s “antic disposition” ends and his genuine “madness” begins.
1Introduction
2Plot Summary
2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas
2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas
2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas
2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas
2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas
3Character Profiles
3.1Hamlet
3.3Gertrude
3.4Ophelia
4Key Themes
4.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2Madness in Hamlet
4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet
4.4Settings in Hamlet
5Writing Techniques
6Context
6.1Social & Historical Context
6.2Literary Context
6.3Performance & Textual History
7Critical Debates
7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet
7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
2Plot Summary
2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas
2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas
2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas
2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas
2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas
3Character Profiles
3.1Hamlet
3.3Gertrude
3.4Ophelia
4Key Themes
4.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2Madness in Hamlet
4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet
4.4Settings in Hamlet
5Writing Techniques
6Context
6.1Social & Historical Context
6.2Literary Context
6.3Performance & Textual History
7Critical Debates
7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet
7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet
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