Shakespeare s Madness A Timeless Reflection Of Society

Shakespeare’s Madness: A Timeless Reflection of Society The word â€Å"madness† often provokes thoughts of schizophrenia, dementia, and psychosis; however, these illnesses prove not to be the exact cause of the various downfalls to the characters throughout the play Hamlet. The author, William Shakespeare, depicts a different type of insanity in the play, one that seems ambiguous but also feels eerily similar to ones that still affect others to this day. Shweta Bali, author of Mechanics of Madness in Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear, reiterates this by stating, â€Å"Insanity—real or obfuscated—is integral to the fiber of many of Shakespearean plays. Apart from reflecting the political turmoil, madness adds to the atmosphere of pathos, misfortune†¦show more content†¦Marrying the brother of her dead husband was not rational, further proving her mental instability. She knows that she is breaking her son, but mentally she is too lost to help her own son. Gertrude’s death was not directly at the fault of her insanity. Gertrude s death came from drinking poison, and it would not be a radical thought to say that this would have been prevented if she was have had the mental stability to take her son’s well being into consideration (V.ii.287). Although Gertrude’s madness is not always apparent throughout the play, the tragic downfall of Hamlet’s self proclaimed lover, Ophelia, was very intricate and her madness was extremely evident. Shakespeare illustrates the collapse of Ophelia in a much different way than any other character. Ophelia’s lunacy becomes apparent after the murder of her father, Polonius (III.iv.24). Her downfall was contributed to depression and confusion; however, Shakespeare often makes numerous biblical connections throughout her downfall, as if to raise the question if her madness was by the hand of God. Bali notices that Ophelia uses music and song to express her depression, and this is how Shakespeare connects her downfall to religion (85). Allison A. Chapman, author of Ophelia’s â€Å"Old Lauds†, explains that Ophelia makes the comment, â€Å"They say the owl was a baker’s daughter† (IV.v.42-43). Chapman continues on this by stating that this is oneSh ow MoreRelatedCommentary on William Shakespeare ´s As s You Like It and Gender Roles1376 Words   |  6 Pages Shakespeare’s society was strongly patriarchal .Women were expected to behave passively obediently and submissively toward their husbands ,who were considered the superior sex and were given the responsibility of governing the household .This is a topic undoubtedly critical to our understanding both of the role of women and the traditional concepts of gender and sexuality.Tarub explains that even domestic households were structured in accordance with patriarchal values ; the man ruled whilst