Hamlet's Melancholy and Depression Essay Example

There are a multitude of perspectives about the play Hamlet. Many people believe different theories about Hamlet including, he was a victim to his surroundings, he was angered by the loss of his throne, he was a romantic dreamer and idealist, and even that he suffered from the Oedipus complex. Out of all these theories, the best evidence supports that Hamlet suffered from profound melancholy and depression eventually leading him to insanity. This theory can be shown through the loss of his father, his thoughtless actions, and his encounters with the ghost of his dead father. 

At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is grieving the death of his father and the remarrying of his mother to his uncle, Claudius. This is the beginning of his road to insanity. In his first soliloquy of the play, Hamlet states, “O God! God! how weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!”(1.2. 1.132). This statement shows that Hamlet is grieving the death of his father far more than he puts it off to be. Not only is he grieving the loss of his father but he also shows anger for his mother choosing to marry Cladius. This quote also shows a part of Hamlet that displays he might be suicidal which suggests he already struggles mentally. Hamlet states, “I have that within which passeth show– These but the trappings and the suits of woe.”(1.2. 1.85). This line demonstrates how passionately Hamlet feels his feelings towards the loss of his father and the anger he has towards his mother and everyone around him who seemingly got over the death too quickly. 

As Hamlet continues to grieve, he becomes overwhelmed with everything going on and begins to lose control of his thoughts and coordinating them. The first time Hamlet appears to be mad and can’t control himself is after seeing the ghost of his father for the first time with Horatio and Marcellus. Horatio states,“He waxes desperate with imagination.”(1.4.1.87) after Hamlet decides to follow the ghost into the woods without a second thought. He even threatens to kill Horatio and Marcellus if they don’t let him follow the ghost. This suggests that Hamlet is becoming mad out of desperation for the need of meaning in his life. It also shows how emotionally damaged Hamlet is about the loss of his father that he would follow a ghost into the woods to try and succeed in the request of avenging him. Another example of Hamlet’s thoughtless actions would be when he killed Polonius. After killing Polonius, and the Queen stating what an awful deed Hamlet has just committed, Hamlet responds with “A bloody deed–almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king, and marry with his brother.” (3.4. 3.29). This reaction shows how hurt Hamlet still is about the murder of his father and remarrying of his mother that even though he just killed someone, he is still overwhelmed with grief that he cannot see any wrong in what he has done. Hamlet then argues with his mother violently which makes the ghost appear once more. 

After the ghost appears, it proves how truly insane Hamlet has become. The ghost begins to talk to Hamlet to make him remember the goal of avenging him and to leave his mother out of it. As Hamlet responds, the Queen states, “To whom do you speak this? Do you see nothing there?” (3.4. 3.32). This response indicates that Hamlet is the only one seeing this ghost and that he is talking to himself  making him look insane. Lastly, Hamlet listening and acting on what the ghost wanted makes him insane. Hamlet did not know if the ghost was good or evil but listened to him anyway because the ghost was in the shape of his father. Both times the ghost appeared, Hamlet obeyed and listened without a second thought, proving he was acting on pure emotion and desires, not truly thinking about his actions. 

Overall, Hamlet’s actions and inner thoughts throughout this play display how he was suffering from depression and true insanity. Although this is a common theory on who Hamlet truly is, many believe Hamlet acted this way because the loss of his throne angered him severely. However, Hamlet did not care about getting the throne back from Claudius, he cared about avenging his father and discovering the truth. While doing this, he got lost in his depression eventually leading him to insanity because of the loss of his father, his thoughtless actions, and his seeing of the ghost of his dead father.