"Hamlet's True Intent" For centuries many people have contemplated the masterpiece Hamlet. They have ravaged it for ideas and plundered it for its true meaning. Many have argued over its themes of madness, incest, isolation, revenge, and etc. Some scholars believe that Hamlet was truly mad; while others think he just feigns insanity. Hamlet isn't mad. His isolation from love, and his vivid pursuit of revenge might seem to have unhinged his thoughts but he is merely hiding his true intent.
From the first act Hamlet is violently ripped from his loving family setting. His father has died and his mother has remarried, to her brother-in-law Claudius, but this just hurts Hamlet's pride not his mind.
"Queen- Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark........
King - ... To give these mourning duties to your father.
But you must know your father lost a father...."
David Garrick in Hamlet, I, 4
Book signing and Hamlet Au's interview with Julian...
Hamlet(1.2.68-128) In this passage Gertrude chooses the murderous Claudius over Hamlet. This simple act cleaves a deep groove between Hamlet and his mother. This isolating act would cause anyone to become sad, but it wouldn't lead a person to insanity. "The fact is that Shakespeare never intended to represent Hamlet as mad or half mad or verging on madness. He expressly made him a feigner of madness, and when he wished to represent real madness and to contrast it with feigned madness, he created the real madness of Ophelia, and did it with wonderful truth and skill." (Stopford Brooke, Pg. 96). Brooke states Hamlet isn't meant to be insane, even after being isolated from his family and his true love Ophelia Hamlet still puts a cloak of falsehood to hide his true intent. He dose not care about losing love. From Hamlet's dialogue...