Hamlet Madness Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.

From the play's beginnings, Hamlet is distressed. Here, his desire for his "flesh" to "melt" and dissolve into "dew" registers his anguish over his father's death and his mother's remarriage to his uncle. Clearly, Hamlet's thoughts here are suicidal and register some mental and emotionally instability. We also know from his earlier conversation with Gertrude and Claudius that he's been in a melancholy mood.

History Snack: Elizabethans believed the human body was made up of four basic elements, called humors: phlegm, blood, yellow bile, and black bile. These elements were supposed to influence a person's disposition and mood. Hamlet seems to be suffering from what Elizabethans referred to as "melancholy," which was associated with too much "black bile" in the body. This state led to lethargy, irritability, distorted imagination, and so on. Basically, it sounds a lot like what we call "clinical depression" today.

Textual Note: Some modern editions of the play read "sullied flesh" instead of "solid flesh." This is because the first folio (published 1623) edition of the play (which reads "solid") is slightly different than the first quarto (published 1603) edition, which reads "sallied." Modern editors who prefer the first quarto reading update the word "sallied" to "sullied." Both words seem to work so why are we making a big deal out of this? Well, the terms have slightly different connotations. Some editors and literary critics prefer "sullied" flesh because it suggests that Hamlet feels that he personally has been soiled, stained, or contaminated by his mother's incestuous relationship with his murderous uncle. This has some important implications for the play's theme of "Sex."

After the Ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet begins to plan his next steps. Here, he warns his friends that he will put on an "antic disposition," which results in the delay of Hamlet's revenge. What does "antic" mean, exactly? Well, it means "clown" or a performer who plays the role of a "grotesque," which means that Hamlet is going to pretend to be a madman. (This has some important implications for the play's ideas about theater and acting, which you can read more about in "Art and Culture.")

Here's something you might like to know. Shakespeare borrows the idea of feigned madness from one of the play's major sources, the story of "Amleth," a legendary Danish tale that dates back to at least the 9th century. In the source story, Amleth clearly pretends to be mad after his uncle kills his father and marries his mother, Gerutha. (The idea is that if the uncle believes Amleth has lost his mind, he won't suspect that Amleth knows the truth behind the murder. Amleth, then, will be safe from his murderous uncle.)

Famously, Hamlet's "antic disposition" is so convincing that we often wonder if he isn't truly mad. Audiences and literary critics have debated this question forever. Here's out position: there's plenty of evidence to argue either way, which seems to be Shakespeare's point. Like so many other issues in the play, the question of Hamlet's sanity is utterly ambiguous. So, if you're interested in taking up one side of the "is he or isn't he debate," just keep in mind the following things: 1) Hamlet says he's going to pretend to be mad ; 2) Hamlet's already "melancholy" at the beginning of the play ; 3) Elizabethan ideas about "madness" are unstable and they're different than modern notions of mental illness. As we'll see, the play itself offers multiple definitions of madness.

The last time we heard from Hamlet, he told his friends that he was going to play the part of a madman or "antic." This, as we know is a central component of the little game of cat and mouse he plays with Claudius, which ultimately delays Hamlet's revenge. In this passage, we see that Ophelia is genuinely frightened by Hamlet's disheveled appearance and disturbing behavior. Even Polonius is convinced that Hamlet is "mad for [Ophelia's] love" (1.2.8). This seems entirely plausible given that Polonius has forced Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet and to reject his letters. Some literary critics see Hamlet as a deeply disturbed guy in this moment, possibly because he's feeling rejected and betrayed by the hapless Ophelia.

History Snack: Elizabethans thought that love really could make a man sick and mentally ill. They called this state "love melancholy." Check out what a doctor, Bernard Gordon, had to say in Lilium Medicinale:

The illness called heroes is melancholy anguish caused by love for a woman. The cause of this affliction lies in the corruption of the faculty to evaluate… [men forget] all sense of proportion and common sense…it can be defined as melancholy anguish. (Cited in Ioan Couliano, Eros and Magic in the Renaissance.)

In light of Hamlet's plans to play the "antic," we can't help but notice that Hamlet looks and acts just like a guy who's playing the stereotypical role of an unrequited lover. Is he faking here? If so, why would Hamlet do this to Ophelia? One answer is that Hamlet seems to know that Ophelia will report his behavior to her father (Polonius is notorious for spying and sucking up to the king), who will then share the information with King Claudius. One could argue, then, that Hamlet is purposely playing the role of a melancholy lover.

Throughout the play, the presence of the Ghost is associated with the possibility of Hamlet's insanity. Here, Hamlet is concerned that the Ghost may be "the devil" and is trying to tempt him to murder Claudius without just cause. What's interesting to us about this passage is the way Hamlet (who is alone on stage at this point) wonders if his melancholy state has left him vulnerable. As we know, many Elizabethans thought that those who suffered from melancholy were at risk for experiencing hallucinations (thought to have been caused by too much "black bile" in the body). This could leave them vulnerable to the devil's power and deception.

We see a similar idea at work earlier in the play, when Horatio (who is supposed to be an educated skeptic) warns Hamlet that the Ghost could "deprive [Hamlet of his] sovereignty and reason / And draw [him] into madness"(1.4.9).

Polonius is convinced that Hamlet is "far gone, far gone" in his love for Ophelia. But, if we take a close look at the passage in which Hamlet calls Polonius a "fishmonger," it seems clear that Hamlet is mocking Polonius and merely playing the part of an "antic" (a madman but also a "grotesque" or "clown" figure). Polonius believes that Hamlet simply doesn't recognize him, but Hamlet is likely making a bawdy joke at Polonius's expense. A "fishmonger" is slang for "pimp," and Hamlet seems to be saying that he knows Polonius is using his daughter (like a pimp would use a prostitute) to spy on Hamlet and curry favor with King Claudius. Hamlet's crude suggestion becomes even more apparent in light of the fact that just a few lines earlier, Hamlet compared Ophelia to a "dead dog" that "breeds maggots" while rotting in the sun (2.2.5). When Polonius walks away, Hamlet calls him a "tedious old fool." These are just the kinds of things an "antic" would say and you can read more about this kind of "role" by going to "Art and Culture."

Hamlet admits to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that even though he's acting like a raving lunatic, he definitely has his wits about him. In other words, he knows they've been sent by Claudius to spy on him.

What's striking about this passage is the fact that Hamlet is the only one who can see and hear the Ghost when it appears in Gertrude's bedroom. (Earlier in the play, the castle guards and Horatio could see the spirit but Hamlet is the only one who has ever spoken with it.) So, what's going on here? What's changed? One possible explanation is that the Ghost chooses to appear only to Hamlet. (This kind of thing is common in the literature of the period.) Another possibility is that Hamlet's the only one who can see the Ghost here because it's a figment of his imagination, which would mean that Hamlet has broken down and has lost his mind.

This is an incredibly interesting passage. In the previous passage, Hamlet tells Gertrude that he isn't crazy but he asks her to lie and tell Claudius that he is in fact mad. As we can see here, Gertrude tells the king that Hamlet's as "mad as the sea and wind." Why does she do this? Is she trying to protect her son by lying to Claudius? Or, does she really think Hamlet's gone off the deep end? Where do Gertrude's loyalties lie at this point in the play?

When Ophelia enters a room in the castle in Act IV, scene v singing seemingly nonsensical songs, it's obvious she has gone mad. Ophelia's clear mental deterioration, then, seems to stand in stark contrast to Hamlet's feigned madness.

But what causes Ophelia to go mad? The easy answer is that she loses her mind because her ex-boyfriend has murdered her father. But, the issue seems to be much more complex. Several critics suggest that Ophelia "cracks" under patriarchal pressure, which seems to make a lot of sense. Throughout the play, Ophelia is ordered around by her brother and her father and has no control over her social or love life. Her own father uses her carelessly in order to spy on Hamlet, which leads to Hamlet's ruthless attack on Ophelia's "honesty." These issues have major implications for the play's portrayal of "Gender," so be sure to check it out.

Ophelia's mad ramblings are a source of major concern in the royal court, as we see here when Claudius orders Horatio to keep a close eye on her. The fact is that Ophelia's babblings about her father's murder could have important political implications – "for she may strew / Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds" (4.5.2). Later, we see just how volatile the realm can be when Laertes leads a rebellion and finds many eager supporters who would help him overthrow King Claudius.

Hamlet Revenge Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.

Prince Fortinbras's attempts to reclaim the lands his father lost to Old Hamlet in a bet is the first of three revenge plots in the play, all of which involve sons seeking revenge for a father's death. (For more about the implications of this, check out the theme of "Family.") Here, we see that Fortinbras acts like a traditional revenge tragedy hero – he takes swift and forceful action. This, as we soon learn, establishes him as a foil to Prince Hamlet, who notoriously delays taking action to avenge his own father's murder.

Hamlet's initial reaction to the Ghost's news that Old Hamlet was murdered is rather ironic, don’t you think? Here, he seems willing to "sweep" to revenge what the Ghost calls his "foul, strange, and unnatural murder." But, as we know, Hamlet takes forever to get things done. We should point out that, here, the Ghost hasn't yet named the murderer. Could it be that Hamlet will later hesitate to avenge his father's death because it is Claudius he must murder? (It's not easy to kill a relative, much less a king, right?)

In revenge tragedies, the appearance of a murder victim's ghost is common and straightforward. (Check out our discussion of "Genre" for more on the conventions of revenge tragedy.) But, in Hamlet, things are a bit more complex. Here, the Ghost claims that he's doomed to suffer in Purgatory (often imagined as a fiery place where souls had to "purge" their sins before they could move on to heaven), until young Hamlet avenges his "foul and most unnatural murder" by killing Claudius. (A few passages later the Ghost says he was killed while he slept in his orchard so he didn't have the benefit of a death-bed confession – 1.5.9).

As fascinating as all this sounds, there are some major problems with the Ghost's story. First, the doctrine of Purgatory doesn't say anything about murder helping Purgatorial souls get to heaven – prayers on behalf of the deceased help, yes, but not vengeance. Second, after the Reformation, Protestants rejected the idea of Purgatory as a "Catholic superstition." (In fact, at the time Shakespeare wrote the play, practicing Catholics were persecuted in England.) As we know, Hamlet is most definitely a Protestant. You can check out our discussion of "Religion" for more on the play's religious crisis but the point we want to make here is this: in light of the fact that Hamlet is a Protestant, it makes sense that, in Hamlet's mind, the seemingly Catholic Ghost would be totally suspicious. Even though Hamlet says it appears to be an "honest" spirit, the Ghost's shaky credibility seems to be one major reason for Hamlet's hesitancy to kill Claudius for the murder of Old Hamlet.

Even though the Ghost is concerned with Gertrude's "damned incest," he tells Hamlet to keep Gertrude out of the revenge plot and "leave her to heaven." Hamlet agrees and yet, he seems completely incapable of keeping his word to the Ghost. He obsesses over his mother's sexual relationship with Claudius throughout the entire play (while he should be taking action against Claudius). Hamlet's obsession with Gertrude is so problematic that the Ghost returns in Act III, scene iv, to remind Hamlet that his "purpose" is to kill Claudius, not to verbally abuse his mother.

After watching one of the traveling players (actors) deliver a moving speech, Hamlet berates himself for his inability to avenge his father's murder. If an actor can move himself to tears (to "weep") for a fictional character ("Hecuba"), why can't Hamlet spur himself into action for a very real and personal figure, his father? Hamlet tries to place himself in the actor's position as he wonders what the actor would do "had he the motive and the cue for passion." Does this mean that Hamlet is also aware of the fact that he must play the "role" of a typical hero from a revenge tragedy?

We've already seen how the Ghost is an unreliable figure that seems to dramatize the play's religious crisis (see 1.5.5. above). In this passage, Hamlet confirms that the spirit "[m]ay be the devil," who has lied about Old Hamlet's death in order to lead young Hamlet astray. Hamlet wants to be sure that Claudius is guilty so he devises a plan – the traveling actors will perform a play, The Murder of Gonzago (also called The Mousetrap), which has a plot that's similar to the Ghost's story about Old Hamlet's murder. Hamlet hopes to gauge Claudius's reaction to the play in order to determine if he's guilty of fratricide (killing a brother). This has major implications for the play's ideas about theater so be sure to check out "Art and Culture" if you're interested in this.

This passage, as you can guess, also has serious implications for the theme of "Madness." Hamlet voices a common concern that a "melancholy" disposition (like being clinically depressed) has made him prone to hallucinate, which could in turn, leave him vulnerable to the devil's trickery.

Once again, Hamlet finds a reason to not kill Claudius. His rationale? He says he doesn't want to murder him while the man is praying because he's afraid he'll send Claudius's soul straight to "heaven." Revenge, for Hamlet, is not simply about killing Claudius – it's about making sure he suffers in Hell. So, Hamlet would much rather take him out when he's doing something sinful, like sleeping with Gertrude in "th'incestous pleasure of his bed" (3.3.1).

The thing is, even though Hamlet observes Claudius kneeling in prayer, he doesn't know what we (the audience) have just learned, namely that prior to Hamlet's speech here, Claudius admits to murdering Old Hamlet and that he's simply unable to properly confess his sins to God (since he's not willing to give up his ill-gotten crown or queen.) Claudius says his "words fly up" but his "thoughts remain below" and "words without thoughts never to heaven go" (3.3.4). The question, then, is this. If Hamlet had overheard Claudius (as the audience has), would he have taken immediate action against his father's murderer?

This is a major turning point for Hamlet. As he watches Fortinbras's army march across Denmark, he contemplates the fact that so many men will lose their lives fighting for an insignificant and tiny piece of territory, which is nothing more than an "eggshell." At the same time, Hamlet feels a sense of shame that he (a man who has a very good reason to fight), does nothing about the fact that his father has been "kill'd" and his mother has been "stain'd." It is in this very moment that Hamlet's thoughts turn bloody as he sets a direct course for revenge.

Much like Fortinbras's response to his father's death, Laertes's quick and violent reaction to the news of Polonius's death acts as a foil to Prince Hamlet's slow actions. (Compare this to 1.1.11 above.) Laertes returns from France immediately, storms the Danish castle, and promises that he'll be "revenged." Yet, despite this immediate reaction, we should also note that Claudius eventually convinces Laertes to pursue a more roundabout path to vengeance. The intricate plot to lure Hamlet into a "friendly" duel recalls the kind of plotting (which results in more delay) that we've seen from young Hamlet.

Laertes's desire to "cut [Hamlet's] throat in church" recalls Hamlet's deliberate choice to not kill Claudius while he is praying. The play seems to suggest that this is the necessary mindset for a revenge hero.

This passage reminds us that after Claudius murdered Old King Hamlet and married Gertrude, he "popp'd in between the election and [Hamlet's] hopes." Translation: Claudius disrupted Hamlet's succession to the throne of Denmark. Claudius, as we know, took advantage of Hamlet's absence (he was away at school) and convinced the noble councilmen to elect him king. Up until this point, Hamlet's never really articulated his desire to replace his father as the Danish monarch but here, it seems that this may also be a primary motive for killing Claudius.

A common feature in all of Shakespeare's tragedies is the death of the hero. (The conclusion of Hamlet, as we know, is a major bloodbath.) Yet, despite the death of the individual, Shakespeare's tragedies are also always concerned with reestablishing a sense of political order. Hamlet's dying words and his "prophesy" that Fortinbras will win the next "election" anticipates the Norwegian prince's arrival in Denmark and likely succession to the throne. We're left with a sense that Denmark, as a collective whole, will be in capable hands. Want more about the conventions that govern the genre of tragedy? Check out our discussion of "Genre."

Hamlet Mortality Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.

King Claudius's speech is pretty crafty. He begins by acknowledging Old King Hamlet's death and says it "befitted" the "whole kingdom" to mourn Old Hamlet's loss (emphasis on the past tense.) But, he also asserts that it is "wise" for the "whole kingdom" to move on quickly. Self-interest ("remembrance of ourselves") and self-preservation are both far more important. But why? Well, Claudius, as we will soon learn, is responsible for murdering Old King Hamlet so it's no wonder he wants to sweep the guy's life under the rug. Claudius has also helped himself to Old Hamlet's wife and crown so it's in his best interest if the kingdom moves on and forgets Old Hamlet. This attempt to cut short the process of grief and "remembrance" of the dead has disastrous consequences for young Hamlet, who is told repeatedly to get over his father's death when it seems clear that the prince simply isn't ready to move on.

The Ghost's repeated appearance on the castle battlements suggests that Claudius is wrong when he says the "whole kingdom" has moved on after Old Hamlet's death, wouldn't you say?

Even Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude, tells Hamlet to stop grieving for his father. Death, she argues, "tis common." (A few lines later, Claudius will emphasize the point by saying to Hamlet "your father lost a father; / That father lost, lost his.") But, Hamlet will struggle with the loss of his father throughout the play – he's literally haunted. Hamlet will also struggle to come to terms with the fact that "all lives must die."

At the play's outset, Hamlet is clearly suicidal – he wishes his "flesh would melt" because his mother's betrayal of his father has made the world seem like a completely corrupted place. Here, he laments that suicide or, "self slaughter" is a sin. Compare this passage to Hamlet's infamous "to be, or not to be" speech in 3.1.1 below. (Check out "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory" if you want to know more about the "unweeded garden" reference)

The Ghost seems to have returned from Purgatory, where he must suffer until his sins are "brunt and purg'd away." In Hamlet in Purgatory, literary critic Stephen Greenblatt argues that the Ghost represents a common fear (among the living) of being completely forgotten after death. We talk about all of this in more detail in "Religion" so, be sure to check it out when you're done here.

Earlier in the play, we saw that Hamlet wished for his "too solid flesh" to "melt," a clear indication of his suicidal tendencies (1.2.6). But, literary critics are notoriously divided over this infamous passage, which occurs about mid-point in the play. On the one hand, some critics say that Hamlet is (still) contemplating his own suicide ("to be, or not to be"). On the other hand, other critics argue that Hamlet's not considering whether or not he should kill himself. Rather, he's merely exploring the reasons why people in general don't commit suicide. (Notice Hamlet doesn't ever use the words "me" or "I" here.)

Either way, Hamlet concludes that most people reject suicide, not because of religious beliefs, but because they have no idea what comes after death. Death, says Hamlet, is the "[t]he undiscover'd country from whose bourn / No traveller returns." This is not a very Christian line of argument, since Elizabethan Christians ostensibly knew what awaited them in the afterlife: heaven or hell (or Purgatory, for Catholics). Hamlet seems to be agnostic here but later in the play, he'll embrace the idea of divine fate. (See 5.2.37 below. In case you haven't noticed, Hamlet changes his mind a lot.)

We're also interested in the fact that Hamlet seems not to remember that his father has "return[ed" from the "undiscover'd country" in ghost form. It seems that Hamlet's forgotten all about his father's little visit and his request for Hamlet to take action against Claudius.

Hamlet describes Polonius's death in mocking terms when he tells Claudius the old man is "at supper" (his dead body is being eaten by worms), which seems particularly callous. Is this part of his "antic disposition" or is this really how Hamlet sees things? Either way, he's keenly aware that all humans share the same fate – "fat kings" and "leans beggars" alike eventually become food for "maggots" and "worms." Compare this passage to 5.1.30 below.

Audiences always wonder about whether or not Gertrude actually witnesses Ophelia's death first hand. (The answer is never made clear in the play and we're also never sure about whether or not the drowning is accidental.) But, we're more interested in something different. Death, as we know, is not glamorous. Yet, here, Gertrude describes Ophelia's drowning as though it were a very peaceful and lovely sight to behold – "Her clothes spread wide; / And, mermaid-like" before "her garments, heavy with their drink" weighted her down. Where is this coming from? The death of a young woman isn't romantic but, even in death, Ophelia is described in rather erotic terms. Why is that?

According to the two gravediggers or "Clowns," Ophelia has committed suicide, a mortal sin that typically affects the kind of burial service that's performed. Since Ophelia's a "gentlewoman," some strings are pulled and she's given a "Christian burial." Though, the priest gives a shoddy service, which you can read more about by checking out "Quotes" on "Religion." What interests us here is the way the discussion about Ophelia's death is handled with comedic dialogue that's likely to incite laughter in the audience. The witty dialogue is humorous, which makes the weighty matter of their discussion of life and death all the more compelling (and perhaps pessimistic).

Hamlet is mesmerized by the power of death to transform a living human being into an object he can hold in his hand. Life, in the face of death, seems pointless.

Hamlet is fascinated by the physical process of decay, but he is also intrigued by the commonality of death. Here, he seems to finally understand the philosophical implications of the fact that every human is mortal. Even Alexander the Great "died," "was buried," and "returneth into dust." Hamlet has made a similar point earlier in the play when he mockingly jokes about Polonius's dead body being food for "worms" (see 4.3.1 above). But here, the tone is quite different and this seems to be a whole new and more mature attitude for Hamlet.

This is another major turning point for Prince Hamlet. After all his musings about his fascination with and horror of death, Hamlet ultimately accepts that he will die, and says that "the readiness is all." His reference to the "fall of the sparrow" is from Matthew 10.29 – "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father" – which is taken to mean that God oversees and determines the life and death of every single creature, even the sparrow.

Hamlet Religion Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
Citations follow this format: (Act.Scene.Line). Line numbers correspond to the Norton edition.

Although the play's story is set in the late middle ages (before the Protestant Reformation), critics tend to agree that Hamlet is a quintessential "Protestant son." Not only does he live in Denmark, a Protestant nation by the time Shakespeare wrote the play, but he also attends school in Wittenberg, Germany. This, as we know, is where Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-five Theses in 1517 (considered to be the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation). Why does this matter? Well, the play can't seem to make up its mind about whether or not the play is set in a Catholic or Protestant world, which seems to register the kind of religious and spiritual anxiety and confusion that was brought on by the Protestant Reformation and England's official break with the Catholic Church under Henry VIII (1534).

Hmm. This is interesting. The Ghost not only claims to be Hamlet's "father's spirit," it also suggests that it's a Purgatorial ghost. (Purgatory was often imagined a fiery place where souls "purged away" their sins before going to heaven. Purgatorial spirits returned to ask loved ones for prayers that could help them to reach heaven faster.)

The problem with this is that Protestants (and we've already established that Hamlet's a Protestant) don't believe in Purgatory. At the time Shakespeare wrote the play, England was a Protestant nation that persecuted practicing Catholics. So, it's a big deal that the Ghost seems to be a Catholic.

In terms of plot, this partially explains why Hamlet is so skeptical of the Ghost's claims (that it's the spirit of his father and also that it was murdered by Claudius). This has some major consequences for the way the action of the play unfolds – Hamlet spends much of his time trying to figure out if the Ghost is trustworthy and whether or not Claudius is guilty of murder, which is one of many things that delays Hamlet's revenge.

The fact that the Ghost appears to be Catholic (while Hamlet appears to be a Protestant) isn't the only thing that makes the spirit a suspicious figure in this play (see discussion above). We should also keep in mind that Purgatorial spirits weren't in the habit of asking living relatives to murder other people (murder being a major sin for both Protestants and Catholics) to help them get to heaven. At the same time, Hamlet belongs to the generic category of "Revenge Tragedy," which doesn't exactly square with the kind of Christian ideologies that are registered in the play. All of which is to say that Shakespeare is working within and weaving together multiple literary and cultural traditions. If you want to think about this some more, check out "Genre" and also our discussion of "Tragedy."

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