Hamlet – Madness

hamlet putting on antic disposition “to put an antic disposition on”
gertrude, unable to see ghost, questioning hamlet, making him look mad “upon the heat and flame of thy distemper sprinkle cool patience! whereon do you look?
gertrude lying to king about hamlet’s madness, questionable loyalties “mad as the sea and wind”
ophelia describing hamlet’s madness, like a performance “head thus waving up and down”
hamlet warning laertes that he has something strange within him “something dangerous / which let thy wisdom fear”
the king on O’s madness “the poison of deep grief”
hamlet in closet scene saying he’s not mad “i essentially am not in madness / but mad in craft”
final scene, hamlet takes on “split” personality
ophelia’s song shows obsession with “young men’ who break their promises as soon as girls “come to bed”
polonius convinced of hamlet’s madness he knew me not at first; he said i was a fishmonger”
hamlet not sure if ghost is trustworthy or real “the spirit that i have see may be the devil”
guildenstern accuses hamlet of “crafty madness”
polonius on hamlet’s madness though this be madness, yet there is method in’t
hamlet arguing he can separate himself from his madness “never hamlet…who does it then? his madness”
claudius on watching over hamlet and his madness 1 madness is great ones must not unwatch’d go
claudius on watching over hamlet and his madness 2 i like him not, nor stands it safe with us / to let his madness rage
claudius on ophelia’s madness – she becomes “divided from herself and her fair judgement”
horatio fears the ghost will “draw” hamlet “into madness” and “deprive” him of the “sovereignty of reason”
hamlet on his dep depression act 1 quote 1 “o that this too too sullied flesh would melt / thaw and resolve itself into a dew”
hamlet on his dep depression act 1 quote 2 “how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world”
gertrude on his state in act 5 “mere madness”
Dr Emma Smith on hamlet’s madness “the audience has to move between awareness of the actor as character and the character as actor”
August 30, 2019