Monday, November 14, 2011

Is there a point that you believe that Hamlet has truly lost his sanity in Act 3? Or do you believe that he is still sane, and acting in a very calculated manor?

13 comments:

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  2. Despite many of the questionable actions that Hamlet takes throughout Act III, I still believe that Hamlet has his sanity. He is able to think deeply about subjects that many people would not if they were considered to be insane. In his most famous speech, he contemplates many different topics that would be affected if he were to take his own life, stating, “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether “tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles…With this regard, their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action” (Act III, Scene 1, 58-89). In this speech he considers the ideas regarding religion, morals, and even the uncertainty of what could occur. A person who is not sane would not take into consideration all of these topics, and therefore I believe that despite some of his actions, Hamlet is still sane in Act III of Hamlet.

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  3. I do not believe that Hamlet is insane at this point in the play. The actions that may lead us to believe that he could be insane can easily be justified given the fact that his father has recently died and he did not have the appropriate time to mourn this loss. Hamlet expresses deep thought of consequences in the famous lines, "To be, or not to be..." (Act 3, Scene 1, 57). It could be argued, however, that an insane person could still understand the implications of harm on themselves but not on another person. For this reason, I believe that Hamlet's use of procrastination further displays the idea that Hamlet is not at all insane. Hamlet also realizes the problems with harming another human being, and considers this long before the killing of Polonius. If Hamlet truly were insane, he would not have weighed his options so carefully.

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  4. It is really questionable from the way Hamlet acts in act 3 if he still has his sanity, but after some thinking and what I gain from the fishbowl about it I came to believe Hamlet isn't truly insane. Throughout the act Hamlet starts doing things that seem to make you question Hamlet's insanity like the way he acted with Ophelia and his mom. Then there are moments when you truly notice that Hamlet has not yet to lose his insanity. If Hamlet were to lose his sanity he would not have really thought through with his plans. Hamlet would not have considered about the ideas of morals or religion if he really was insane. The fact that Hamlet still has not taken any steps towards revenging his father shows to you that he still has enough sanity because Hamlet still has enough sanity to really think through with his plan instead of just killing Claudius on the spot.

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  5. Three events tell me that Hamlet has not yet reached the point of insanity. Firstly, the fact that he is wise enough to know the intentions of his friend, and of the people around him. He knows that everyone is curious about what is going on with him, so he puts on somewhat of a show to confuse them. He misleads Polonius by pretending he does not care about his daughter. He can tell that he and Ophelia are being spied on, and he knows that his two best friends only came to visit him because they were prompted to do so. Second, he puts on the play to be sure that the ghost was correct. If he was insane, he would have put all his trust in what he had been told and killed Claudius without thinking about it. He still has a consious mind and does not want to do anything that is not right or justified. Lastly, during the play, he asks Horatio to also watch the Kings reaction because he fears that he will only assume that he looks guilty. Backing up his witness shows that he does not quite trust himself, and realizing that he may be a little bit crazy, shows that he is not there yet.
    I think he will completely lose his mind shortly because he is fastly arriving to that point. His slaughter of Polonius, the father of the girl he loves, will speed up this process. He no longer has killed for a justifiable reason and does not have a clear concious any longer.

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  6. Hamlet seems to be loosing his sanity every time his major problems come up. But who is to say that if that happened to them that they wouldnt be a little messed up in the head after. The fact that he feels betrail from his whole family and friends is causing much stress and abandonment in his life. I dont think that he is making himself crazy but everyone around him is and he doesnt know how to channel his feelings without looking insine to other people around him. I feel if Cladius confessed to killing his father Hamlet would have a better time copping with his feelings. If his mother had actually talked to him before about her relationship with Cladius then I think things would turn out differently. Communication seemed to be lost between all the charactures in the book and that seems to be the downfall for them all.

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  7. I don't think Hamlet has lost his sanity, per say. He has become extremely infatuated with making sure he catches Claudius, but he is not distanced from reality. He still acts in a very calculated manner considering he asked for a trusted person to watch Claudius' reaction during "The Mousetrap". Would an insane man do the same thing? I think if he were insane he would be so sure he was right he would misconstrue his own perception of the world. If Claudius hadn't actually reacted, Hamlet would have made himself believe Claudius reacted in a suspicious way, that is if he were insane. Come to think of it, I don't think he would have thought of this elaborate plan to confirm his suspicions if he were insane. Also, Hamlet has a very philosophical mind. Hamlet tends to think of the effects of his causes. He decided not to kill Claudius when he was praying because he would have sent him to Heaven. He also thought about his options for courses of action to take with his own life, and thought of the effects they would have. I'm not sure insane people contemplate things very well, as Hamlet does. Therefore, Hamlet has not gone insane, yet.

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  8. I dont not think that Hamlet has become insane but it merely distressed by all the things happening in his life. I think Hamelet is giving us the impression that he is insane. I believe that Hamlet is also putting on an act so people think he's stressed to due love and not the horrible deed his father wants him to carry out on. Hamlet seems to be very precise about everything he does. The only mistake he made this whole time was not knowing who for sure was behind the curtain. It was just out of impulse, and now i feel he is going to be even more careful. Also Hamlet is considering all his options and thinks very intently about each one. Insane people would act out on their emotions and Hamlet has stayed very composed for this time, so i do not believe Hamlet has gone insane.

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  9. Strictly based on the book, I believe that Hamlet is still completely sane. He can still make rational decisions and plan out a revenge "program" logically. Although he is not insane, I could protest that he is crazy. He is so stuck on killing Claudius and acting insane that he is potentially driving himself crazy. He is so tunnel-visioned, that he can't see where the truth lies. In comparison to the Kenneth Branaugh version, though, Hamlet is completely INsane at this point in the act in the movie. I truly believe that Kenneth Branaugh wants us to believe Hamlet has gone insane. When the reality of it is, he is still thinking logically and making rational decisions, therefore, there is no WAY he could be insane at this point. I believe that the point when Hamlet makes one "crazy" decision, or stops thinking, that will be the point at which he becomes insane.

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  10. I believe that Hamlet has in fact lost his sanity in act three. All of the emotions that he has been keeping to himself he finally releases when he is meeting with his mother. Hamlet is so overwhelmed by this eruption of emotions that he stops thinking with reason. If he is willing to just start stabbing a figure behind a curtain due to a thought that it could be Claudius, proves that Hamlet has lost control. I believe that he will maintain his composure around others but if he lets his rage win out over his conscience again, then he will undoubtably drawn attention to himself and he could be in more trouble than he realizes.

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  11. In act 3 i believe Hamlet is acting in a very calculated manor to get claudius and Gertrude to feel guilt for their actions and admit to Hamlet face to face that he killed his father. I believe what Hamlet truly wants and needs in this whole situation is closure. hamlet needs assurance on something to keep his sanity.

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  12. I believe that Hamlet's actions are still based out of his sanity in act3 I don't think he has lost all sanity.

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  13. I think that Hamlet still has some sanity left. He is still logical in his thinking. Hamlet wants people to believe he is insane, like his mother, but I do not think he has gone insane yet. I think he might be on his way after killing Polonius, but is not completely insane yet. He wants his mother to think he is insane, because she married his father's brother and wants her to feel guilty for it.

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