To what extent do you feel Hamlet was simply mad?

Firstly, the student must identify the numerous perceptions of Hamlet's behaviour throughout the play. In order to write a successful answer, students may look at what literary techniques Shakespeare uses to convey Hamlet's persona. To engage in a true understanding, students must appreciate how the audience have a different viewpoint of Hamlet, compared to the characters in the play. Shakespeare's use of soliloquies are fundamental in understanding Hamlet's sanity. Whilst seamlessly embedding quotations, directly referring to the question throughout the essay and including critical opinions, students must write a comprehensive and evaluative response to the question. Students should approach the question chronologically and may want to use the placement of the soliloquies throughout the play as a basis for this. For instance, the first soliloquy (Act 1 Scene 2) demonstrates Hamlet's manic depression/ melancholia; students may want to refer to context over time when addressing Hamlet's mental condition. The second soliloquy elucidates Hamlet's 'love melancholia' for Ophelia, yet towards the end of the scene, he admits he is putting on an antic disposition; students may explore his motive for this. In addition, students may draw upon Hamlet's intelligent puns in which he targets at Polonius to be a evidence of his feigned, rather than genuine, madness. Contrary to this, Hamlet's encounter with the ghost may seen to be an expression of genuine insanity and grief. As we see in the fifth soliloquy, Polonius is seen to be suspicious of Hamlet's insanity whereby he states it has 'method in't'. Furthermore, Hamlet assures Rozencrantz and Guildenstern that he is merely putting on an 'act'. The sixth soliloquy demonstrates how Hamlet begins to overthink and recognise his own state of mind as a state of insanity; this exemplifies his manic nature and self awareness. The ending of the play sees Hamlet accepting the fact that he, ultimately, won't commit revenge and the audience is left with a peaceful image of his death as he comes to terms with his own state of mind.