Theme Of Madness In Hamlet And Ophelia - 996 Words

Throughout the centuries, the medicines used to treat madness have varied; however, the ultimate treatment has remained the same: negligence or ignorance. During the 14th and 15th centuries, mental illness was viewed as an inhabitation of an individual by demons or evil spirits; the method utilized to cure this ailment was a combination of exorcism and rituals. The patients were usually placed in hospices then asylums. During the 16th through 20th centuries, mentally ill patients were not often treated; most were cared for by their respective communities. Towards the 19th and 20ths centuries, many patients were placed in asylums that did not focus on patients’ treatment. Unlike the society of his time, Shakespeare illuminates the realities†¦show more content†¦While Hamlet avoids thinking about his actions, Ophelia constantly dwells on her actions. After Ophelia learns of her father’s death, she immediately begins to reference the death of her father juxtaposed by her love of Hamlet: â€Å"He is dead and gone; at his heels a grass-green turf...And I a maid at your window, to be your Valentine...Let in the maid that out a maid never departed more.† (173). Both Ophelia and Hamlet refuse to dwell in melancholia; instead, they turn to a sort of madness in order to be released from their guilt and to have control over their bodies. By distancing themselves from their sources of guilt, Hamlet and Ophelia gain the ability to fulfill actions that they would not normally consider. Hamlet gains the ability to kill Claudius while Ophelia gains the ability to kill herself. In the first six soliloquies, Hamlet contemplates killing himself and killing Claudius, yet he is never able to accomplish either. Hamlet contemplates succumbing to madness in his fourth soliloquy: â€Å"To be, or not to be, that is the question-whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of trou bles† (105). Hamlet firmly decides to kill Claudius after Hamlet killed Polonius because Hamlet believes he has nothing to lose; therefore, it will be nobler to kill the supposed cause of his griefShow MoreRelatedTheme of Madness and Causes: Hamlet and Ophelia Essay1788 Words   |  8 PagesIn Shakespeares Hamlet, there are two characters that display qualities of insanity. Specifically, Hamlet and Ophelia, although they both appear to be mad at times, their downfall (or supposed downfall) is quite different. Ophelias madness seems complete while Hamlets is questionable throughout the play. Hamlets madness comes and goes; Ophelias does not. Ophelia tells no one that she is mad; on the other hand, Hamlet shows everyone about his madness. 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