In Act 2, Scene 2, there is ambiguity whether Hamlet is pretending to be mad in this conversation or if he really is mentally ill. In this essay I shall explore the possibilities to suggest Hamlet is sane or insane.
Hamlet talks very highly of the actors, “for they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the time”. Lines 459-470 highlight Hamlet’s passion for the stage and the respect he shares for the actors, a characteristic that audience had not seen before now, suggesting this part of the play should be played with genuine enthusiasm and excitement. This could suggest that Hamlet could not be mad, as he remains intellectual enough to later write a scene for the actors to perform.
Later in the same scene, Polonius engages in a conversation with Hamlet, although for completely selfish reasons - to “find where truth is hid”. Some people may think that because his words still contain depth and meaning, he is therefore sane. For example, when Polonius asks if Hamlet knows who he is, Hamlets reply is “excellent well, you are a fishmonger”. Whilst this may seem a completely unstable reply, it is possible that Hamlet could have overheard the plan between the King and Polonius; Hamlet is perhaps calling him a fishmonger as an insult, hinting to Polonius that he knows what is going on. However, Hamlet could also be purely playing into Polonius’s hands, by taking advantage of the fact he is believed to be mad.
It may also be thought by some that Hamlet isn’t mad because he drops subtle warnings into the conversation, which although Polonius appears not to realise them, the audience may as Hamlet uses words he has already used earlier on in the play. An example of this is when Hamlet refers to the sun breeding “maggots in a dead dog”, which could be viewed on a deeper level to symbolise himself (as he has already been referred to a son by Claudius earlier on) and Ophelia. Hamlet then asks “have you a daughter”, which could be seen as a warning for Polonius not to use his daughter for power. However, this could also be viewed by the audience as a sign of Hamlet’s madness, as Hamlet’s responses aren’t well fitting to Polonius’s questions, making his sanity seem somewhat questionable. This may be thought when Polonius asks Hamlet what he’s reading, and Hamlet’s answer completely misses the answer; “words, words, words” is very literal and creates ambiguity whether or not Hamlet is still control of his own mind.
Personally, I am still unsure whether Hamlet is pretending to be insane, or whether he really is mad. This is because his madness does seem to have a method, by using words with underlying meanings and making it clear to the audience that he does not trust Polonius, making it doubtful that Hamlet would be able to do such things if he was in such a delicate state of mind. However, I do also wonder if Hamlet is slightly mad, or at least beginning to lose his sanity, as he presents very literal answers in some instances, and I wonder why a sane person would willingly choose to ‘pretend’ to be mad, unless of course, he already was insane.
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