Method or Madness? Jury Decides Hamlet's Fate
Was Hamlet criminally responsible
for mistakenly killing his ex-girlfriend's father, Polonius? That is the
question argued in a mock trial Thursday, as part of a Shakespeare festival in
Washington, D.C., where lawyers Abbe Lowell and Miles Ehrlich presented oral
arguments before a jury.
The
defense, represented by Lowell, argued "no." Hamlet, they maintained,
suffered from something called psychotic affective disorder, and he was a bit
bipolar.
The
prosecution, represented by Ehrlich, maintains that Hamlet was perfectly sane,
knew that killing was wrong, and was in control of his actions.
I found this interesting material about Hamlet that I would like to discuss with
you.
Considering that Hamlet feigned madness so
that he could cover his revenge intentions, one could argue that he knew very
well what he was doing. However, it is unlikely that one person can resist so
much grief and sorrow without being affected mentally. Take Ophelia’s case for
instance. Did she kill herself? Was her death an accident? What is certain is
that she couldn’t stand her father’s death and become insane. But in Hamlet’s
case, he was only pretending to be mad because, according to Miller: “He
[Hamlet] knows his role, or what his role should be, even as he is unable to
play it satisfactorily.” On this account, Hamlet was well aware that he was
playing a character so that he could take revenge over his father’s death. As a
consequence of this, he lets his role of madman be more important than his
revenge. Do you agree with me? Do you think that Hamlet is guilty of killing Polonius
or it could have been the result of a mental illness?
Works cited
Untermacher, John. Miller, W.C. ed.
"Major Themes | Hamlet Study Guide". GradeSaver, 30 August 2009 Web.
8 November 2014.
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