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In Hamlet, Madness is the most prominent theme in the play, because it drives all of the characters' actions and creates a domino effect. Through Hamlet killing Polonius, Ophelia's madness, and Laertes' need for revenge, the theme of Madness shows to be the most important theme in the play.

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“(Gertrude) What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me?/Help, help, ho!/ (Polonius) (from behind the arras) What, ho? Help, help, help!/ (Hamlet) How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead! (stabs his sword through the arras and kills POLONIUS)” (3.4.21-24)

At this point in the play, Polonius tells Gertrude to talk to Hamlet about his recent behaviour, and when he hears Hamlet coming, he hides behind a tapestry to eavesdrop. In this quote, Gertrude thinks Hamlet might hurt her so she screams for help, then Polonius screams out from behind the tapestry for help, to which Hamlet believes that it’s Claudius hiding there, and stabs his sword through the tapestry, killing Polonius.

This is the first event in the play where the line between Hamlet faking madness and being insane blurs. Clearly, Hamlet is losing his mind because he stabs his sword through a tapestry without checking first to see who it is. The theme of madness presents itself in this scene through this quote, by showing how Hamlet’s anger at his mother for marrying Claudius so quickly after his father’s death influences him into a spur of insanity in which he murders Polonius.

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“She speaks much of her father, says she hears/There’s tricks i' th' world, and hems, and beats her heart,/Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt/ That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing,” (4.5.4-7)

At this point in the play, Gertrude says she will not speak to Ophelia and asks a gentleman what she wants. In this quote, the gentleman is speaking to Gertrude about how Ophelia is acting mad.

As a result of Hamlet’s madness which led to the murder of her father, Polonius, Ophelia is going insane after finding out about her father’s death. The theme of madness presents itself through this quote, as the gentleman is explaining how Ophelia hears conspiracies, and that her words don’t make sense. Later in the play, as a result of her grief and madness, Ophelia is presumed to have committed suicide.

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“To cut his throat i' th' church.” (4.7.123)

At this point in the play, Claudius and Laertes receive a letter from a messenger about Hamlet’s return to Denmark from England. Claudius and Laertes are planning to kill Hamlet by challenging him to a fencing match with Laertes. In this quote, Laertes is speaking to Claudius about how he will get his revenge, and even cut his throat in church.

In this quote, Laertes’ anger and desire for revenge manifests itself into a sudden burst of madness where he proclaims that he will even cut Hamlet’s throat in church. The theme of madness presents itself in this quote through Laertes’ anger and willingness to murder in a holy place. The characters in this play are religious, so Laertes claiming to cut Hamlet’s throat in the church shows how mad he has become because of his grief and anger. If Laertes actually did what he claimed, it would be dishonorable.

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Hamlet's madness which killed Polonius caused Ophelia to go insane and presumably commit suicide, and led Laertes becoming mad and wanting to get revenge on Hamlet. Laertes' need for revenge leads to him and Claudius planning Hamlet's death at the fencing match, which leads to the deaths of all the main characters. Clearly, the theme of Madness is the most prominent theme in the play, because it drives all of the main actions in the play.

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Throughout the play, Claudius changes from seeming to be a competent ruler to being killed by his own plan. This is seen through his transition from being a capable ruler, to his demise as a result of his increasing paranoia.

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“To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras— / Who, impotent and bedrid, scarcely hears / Of this his nephew’s purpose—to suppress / His further gait herein, in that the levies, / The lists, and full proportions are all made / Out of his subject;” (1.2.18-23)

In this scene, Claudius is in a room with Gertrude, Hamlet, Laertes, Polonius, Ophelia, the King’s lords, Cornelius and Voltemand. In this quote, Claudius is speaking to all of them about how he stopped the Prince of Norway’s plans to seize the territory the late King Hamlet won in a battle with the King of Norway.

In this quote, Claudius is a competent leader by identifying a situation that can cause trouble and finding a solution. To maintain his ill-won power, Claudius writes to the King of Norway to ensure that the territory won by the late King stays in Denmark’s hands, which makes Claudius look good to his court and the people of Denmark. He seems to be a competent ruler.

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“For like the hectic in my blood he rages, / And thou must cure me. Till I know ’tis done, / Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun.” (4.3.68-70)

In this scene, Claudius asks Hamlet where Polonius’ body is but Hamlet only speaks in riddles. Claudius then announces that he is sending Hamlet to England for his protection. In this quote, Claudius is alone and speaking out loud about how he hopes the King of England will obey his instruction on killing Hamlet.

In this quote, Claudius’ desperation to stay in power shows. He says that there is a fever that only the King of England can cure by killing Hamlet and how Claudius will never be happy until it’s done. Claudius is slowly losing his confidence in his ability to keep the throne and is getting paranoid of Hamlet. He sees that the only way that he can remain the King is if Hamlet dies.

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“And that he calls for drink, I’ll have prepared him / A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, / If he by chance escape your venomed stuck, / Our purpose may hold there” (4.7.155-158)

In this scene, Claudius and Laertes are plotting to kill Hamlet when he arrives back in Denmark from England. They decide to hold a fencing match, where Laertes’ blade will be poisoned. In this quote, Claudius is speaking to Laertes about a backup plan if he cannot kill Hamlet, where there will be a goblet of wine with poison in it.

At this point, Claudius is overwhelmed with paranoia and desperation that he makes a backup plan to ensure that Hamlet dies. He is careful to make sure that the situation is set up so that he is not blamed for Hamlet’s death. Claudius has Laertes do all the dirty work to avoid receiving the blame. In the end, Claudius dies because of his plan, as Hamlet forces Claudius to drink from the poisoned goblet. Claudius died because of his unwillingness to kill Hamlet himself and the paranoia that caused him to have a backup plan.

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The primary cause of his death is due to his hamartia, that is, his inaction. Hamlet is responsible for his own death because of his failure to kill Claudius to avenge his father's death.

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“The spirit that I have seen / May be the devil, and the devil hath power / T' assume a pleasing shape. / Yea, and perhaps / Out of my weakness and my melancholy, / As he is very potent with such spirits, / Abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds / More relative than this. The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” (2.2.560-567)

At this point in the play, Polonius introduced the arrival of a group of actors at the castle and one of them performs a speech about the deaths of Hecuba and Priam, the Queen and King of Troy. After the actors leave, Hamlet thinks to himself how the actor could show such emotion for dead people that mean nothing to the actor, and Hamlet, who has strong feelings and motives to act and get revenge, does nothing. In this quote, Hamlet is speaking to himself and is questioning whether the ghost was real or just the devil taking advantage of him. Hamlet decides to wait until the next day when the play will be performed to catch the King in his guiltiness.

This quote shows Hamlet’s inaction as he continues to doubt and question himself. He knows that he is delaying getting revenge on Claudius, but decides to prolong it further by trying to see if the King looks guilty during the play to prove his suspicions. Hamlet is a man of reason and cannot act without having solid proof. Although he strongly feels that he should act and avenge his father's death, he cannot because the ghost is not enough proof.

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“And am I then revenged / To take him in the purging of his soul / When he is fit and seasoned for his passage? / No. / Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent.” (3.3.85-89)

In this scene, Claudius is kneeling and praying because he feels guilty about killing his brother. He wants to ask for forgiveness, but he believes he cannot be forgiven because he does not want to give up the rewards earned by committing the crime. Hamlet walks in and sees Claudius kneeling. In this quote, Hamlet is talking to himself about how he has the chance to avenge his father’s murder right there, but if he kills Claudius while he is praying, then his soul will go to heaven, and it will not be revenge because he is doing him a favour.

Analysis:
This quote shows how Hamlet's rage led to inaction because he wants Claudius to suffer in the afterlife, which is why he did not kill him while he was praying. Although Hamlet had the perfect opportunity to avenge his father's death, he came up with an excuse not to because his anger at Claudius got in the way. If Hamlet killed him then, there would be no more deaths, including Hamlet's.

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“Not a whit. We defy augury. / There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. / If it be now, ’tis not to come. / If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all” (5.2. 208-211)

At this point in the play, Hamlet and Horatio are about to go to the fencing match, where they both know that the King wants Hamlet dead, and Laertes is seeking revenge. Horatio warns Hamlet not to go. In this quote, Hamlet is speaking to Horatio about how his fate is controlled by God, and there is no stopping what is meant to happen.

This quote shows the final act of indecision that brings Hamlet to his death. Throughout the play, Hamlet puts off his mission to avenge his father’s death, and this quote shows how he indirectly justifies his inaction by claiming that his fate, and everything else, is controlled by God. In this quote, Hamlet is not just saying that what happens in the fencing match is controlled by God, but saying that if he is meant to kill Claudius, it will happen. Hamlet defends his inaction to himself and puts his mission in God's hands.  At the end of the match, Hamlet dies.

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Claudius died from his own plan because of his paranoia, fear of losing the throne and his unwillingness to kill Hamlet himself.

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Hamlet's inaction and failure to follow through with his mission led to his death. This shows through Hamlet doubting his sanity, not killing Claudius when he was praying, and justifying his inaction by claiming his fate is in God's hands.