Hamlett - Melendez, 1 Christopher Melendez English 12...

Melendez, 1
Christopher Melendez
English 12
Period 8
6/6/14
Shakespeare’s Melancholy Prince
In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark , prince
Hamlet is tasked by the ghost of his deceased father to avenge his death by killing the new king,
his uncle Claudius. Having been given these tasks, Hamlet seems to go out of his way to behave
in a way that draws attention to himself, ignoring his primary objective. Hamlet’s inability to
leave others out of his problems has sparked many debates between critics of the character and
the play about his state of mind. However, it’s obvious to see that Hamlet cannot behave properly
because of his mental illness, melancholia. Hamlet goes out of his way to worsen the
relationships in his life, including his romantic and parental ones. Hamlet talking about suicide as
if it were something he wanted, more than once, could easily be affiliated with a mental illness of
some sort. Lastly, though Hamlet does finally finish what he was told to, he tends to lose focus
the entire way there. Hamlet’s behavior is a reoccurring problem throughout the whole play, and,
with the proof of the text, it is clear to see that he does not make an effort to better these
situations and problem he is causing. However, it is in these situations where the true villain of
the play is revealed: melancholia.
Hamlet’s troubled relationships are a reoccurring issue throughout the duration of the
play. His romantic relationship with Ophelia is an example of his abnormal behavior caused by
his mental illness. Ophelia noticed the young prince’s abnormal behavior, and was quite
frightened by it. Her monologue states:

Melendez, 2
My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;
No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd,
Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ankle;
Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of hell
To speak of horrors—he comes before me. (Act 2, Sc. 1; L.L. 88-94).
Ophelia, having noticed Hamlet’s odd behavior, was terrified because she did not know what
would happen. A. C. Bradley, a Shakespearean scholar, argues that the cause of Hamlet’s pain is
in fact an illness of the mind. He states, “ The direct cause was a state of mind quite abnormal and
induced by special circumstances -- a state of profound melancholy.”(Bradley, 108). Bradley