By Mckenzie Tingey, McCall Phillips, and Kaitlin Simone

"I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is

southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw." 
(II.ii.351-352)

QUEEN GERTRUDE:
"Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend
Which is the mightier: in his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
Whips out his rapier, cries, 'A rat, a rat!'
And, in this brainish apprehension, kills
The unseen good old man."
(IV.i.6-12)

Quote #2: In this passage, Gertrude describes the state her son is in to King Claudius. She explains that he is "mad as the sea and wind." Hamlet had just mistakenly killed Polonius, and then revealed to his mother that his madness was just an act. When she then goes to tell Claudius what has happened, she could believe Hamlet is mad, or she could be covering for him.Gertrude is seeing Hamlet as this crazy individual who just whips out his sword and kills Polonius who in her eyes was doing no wrong in spying. Gertrude saw a craziness and a madness in Hamlets face and eyes as Hamlet believed he was finally getting the revenge on Claudius but killed Polonius. In the actions of whipping open the tapestry and killing a man for no reason let on to the madness that Gertrude saw in Hamlet.

Quote #3: Polonius perceives Hamlet to be mad because he called him a fishmonger and didn't even recognize him. He also believes that Hamlet is "far gone" in his love for Ophelia. We know Hamlet is only putting on an act because he means the alternate meaning of fishmonger, which is a "pimp" in modern language. Apparently Polonius doesn't catch this play on words, and it causes him to think Hamlet is mad because he thinks he honestly doesn't recognize him.

Quote #4: Hamlet's overall appearance is madness. Hamlet looks crazy with his disheveled outfit. Hamlet does not look like himself and is causing Ophelia to be afraid of the madness that has become Hamlet. The craziness in how he dresses and looks portrays a madness about Hamlet.

Quote #5: Ophelia is slipping into madness and craziness over her fathers death. She is disoriented in this scene and soon drowns herself after. She is worrying the queen for her insanity in her speech and how she talks about death easily. She is singing about death and has lost her wit

My lord, as I was sewing in my closet,

Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced;

No hat upon his head; his stockings fouled,

Ungartered, and down-gyvèd to his ankle;

Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other;

And with a look so piteous in purport

As if he had been loosèd out of hell

To speak of horrors—he comes before me.

(II.i.77-84)

Hamlet pretends to become mad to get away with what he wants

and to come up with a plan to murder Claudius to revenge his father.

Hamlet slips into and out of madness with his actions of a disheveled

look and a craziness in his eye. Madness can be seen in people doing

things they normally would not do. The actions could be viewed as

insane or crazy. Ophelia carrying the flowers with insanity in her eyes.

Madness is the loss of sanity in they way they speak or act.

Say you? Nay, pray you, mark.

(sings) 

He is dead and gone, lady,  

He is dead and gone, 

At his head a grass-green turf,  

At his heels a stone.

Oh, ho!

(IV.v.27-31)