2. Melancholy, Madness and Sanity – Hamlet tells his mother that he “essentially [is] not in madness, / But mad in craft” (3.4.204-205) and claims to “put an antic disposition on” (1.5.189), but does he ever cross the line between sanity and insanity in the play? To complicate matters, the world of Hamlet seems insane: the king is a murderer; the queen lusts after her dead husband’s brother; friends spy on friends; and one character (Ophelia) really does go insane. Could Hamlet really be sane in an insane world? And what about Hamlet’s melancholy? From the beginning of the play, Hamlet is depressed, and he considers suicide several different times. What is the real cause of his melancholy? Does he ever break out of his melancholy?
