Depression in Hamlet Essay - 652 Words

In the playwright Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet often shows many signs of depression. It is argued whether he is putting on the act, or if he is actually severely depressed. I believe after the death of his father, Hamlet becomes very emotionally unstable. Three things affect Hamlet, the death of his father, the remarriage of his mother, and Ophelia. Hamlet contemplates death, and becomes prepared to die near the end of the play. When Hamlet Senior dies Hamlet seems lost. Depression commonly follows a loved one’s death. He finds no true meaning in life. He wonders if we are only here to eat and sleep. â€Å"What is a man/If his chief good and market of his time/ Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more./ Sure He that made us with†¦show more content†¦To die, to sleep-/ No more- and by a sleep to say we end’ The heartache and the thousand natural shocks, That flesh is heir to/‘tis a consummation†(3.1 64-71). In this soliloquy Hamlet is all alone. He would not reveal false information to himself, if no one were around. If he truly were putting on an act, this scene would be around other people. He is thinking alone, with depressing thoughts in his mind. Hamlet is unsure at this point whether he is ready to die, or not. He knows nothing of the afterlife and is scared of what may come next. â€Å"There’s another. Why may not that be the/ skull of a lawyer? â€Å" (5.1-100-101). He ponders between the physical characteristics and personalities of human life. He essentially thinks who he will be after he dies. After death, one essentially becomes nothing but dust, like the biblical saying, â€Å"from ashes to ashes, and dust to dust†. â€Å"To what base uses we may return, Horatio!† (5.1.209). Hamlet is often wondering about death, speaking about it, and thinking of the gory images of death. Thinking of it in such a matter, he appears sick. He refers to dead bodies being put in to everyday items. â€Å"I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers/ could not with all their quantity of love/ make up my sum† (5.1.285-286). Hamlet tells Ophelia that he never did love her, but in all honesty he does still love her. Hamlet is truly insane. When he is talking with Ophelia he is truly mean to her and treatsShow MoreRelatedHamlet and his battle with depression Essay examples1771 Words   |  8 PagesHamlet: A Study of Depression? Hamlet, a Shakespearean character, constantly struggles in a battle with his mind. He leads a very trying life that becomes too much for him to handle. Hamlet experiences hardships so horrible and they affect him so greatly that he is unable escape his dispirited mood. In speaking what he feels, Hamlet reveals his many symptoms of depression, a psychological disorder. While others can move on with life, Hamlet remains in the past. 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