Part one of term paper
"Your noble son is mad — ‘Mad' call I it, for to define true madness, What is't but to be nothing else but mad?" (Wells and Taylor, 665) In Act two, scene two of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Polonius uses these words to inform Hamlet's parents of their son's insanity. He then continues on, telling Gertrude and Claudius that the ca ...

Part two of term paper
... the surface. Instead, both madness and the characters experiencing it are layered with meaning; like an onion, layer after layer can be peeled off, eventually allowing a glimpse at the core concealed within. Shakespeare's treatment of the character Hamlet is typically multi- faceted and complex—Hamlet appears insane, ostensibly over Ophelia, however, his madness is feigned—a cover for internal conflicts, rooted not in thwarted affection, but rather in desire to avenge his father's murder. ...