(Act 1, Scene 5, 35-40)

The moment in which Hamlet finds out how his father truly died, which was at the hands of Claudius, is the moment his madness begins. Finding out this awful truth leads Hamlet to begin to fake insanity as he desperately tries to get revenge on Claudius. Once Hamlet learns of the crimes of King Claudius, he feels the pressure to murder him in order to avenge his father. Hamlet’s quest for revenge sets off the series of events, such as him killing Polonius, that ultimately lead to his death.

(Act 2, Scene 2, 526-530)

During this act, Hamlet’s sense of self worth begins to lean on whether or not his revenge has been exacted. He feels that he is a coward for stalling so long. These feelings prompt him to use the play originally brought to distract him for his own benefit, by trying to see whether or not Claudius is guilty of murdering King Hamlet. By doing so, he eventually finds out the truth that causes his taste for revenge to become stronger than ever, and pushes himself into a more severe conflict with Claudius himself.

(Act 3, Scene 2, 254)

When the play displays the murder of the king which is similar to the way Claudius murdered King Hamlet, Claudius immediately leaves the theatre. By doing this, Claudius essentially admits his guilt to Hamlet, as it was Hamlet’s goal to find out whether or not Claudius is guilty of the murder or not based on his reaction to the play. Consequently, Hamlet’s thirst for revenge grows greatly, as he is now certain of who killed his father. This is the climax of the play as in this moment, the truth is revealed and the story goes from Hamlet trying to figure out whether or not Claudius was guilty to trying to avenge his father’s death.

(Act 4 Scene 4, 31-34)

After his meeting with Fortinbras, Hamlet quickly begins to spiral as he realizes he has not yet killed Claudius, and he feels regret that he hasn’t done so yet. In fact, meeting with Fortinbras was inspiring for Hamlet, as it made him realize that if Fortinbras could lead a troop for an insignificant purpose, he must be able to finally kill Claudius, Hamlet’s realization leaves him only thinking about his revenge and it  motivates him to go back home immediately so he can finally kill Claudius.

(Act 5, Scene 2 364-367)

When Fortinbras found the mess of bodies left over from the duel, he was shocked at what had occurred. He described it as something caused by havoc. It could be said that the madness that multiple people were experiencing had made this fight go much farther than it should have. Laertes, blinded by his own rage, accidentally killed himself along with Hamlet. Hamlet’s need for revenge was ultimately the reason King Claudius passed, and Claudius’s need to kill Hamlet caused his own wife to die. Everyone had their own reasons to get involved in the sword fight, and the rashness of it caused by a lack of rational thinking ultimately got many killed.

(Act 1, Scene 4, 86-91)

Context: Hamlet is forcing the guards to let him go see the ghost of his deceased father so that he can talk to him.

Through this moment, it is clear to see that Hamlet is still devastated that his father is gone and misses him. The fact that the feelings of loss and grievance are still so fresh in Hamlet’s mind means that his need to find out what happened and get revenge are much stronger than they would have been had he seen his father’s ghost years later. Ultimately, these feelings of grief lead to desperation to get revenge when Hamlet finds out that Claudius killed his father, and meeting his father’s ghost is what begins to drive Hamlet into his revenge fuelled frenzy. Additionally, Hamlet’s feelings of loss make it so that the need to get revenge takes over in an attempt to make himself feel better, eventually leading him to his demise.

(Act 2, Scene 2, 530 - 534)

Context: After talking to the actor, Hamlet begins to feel like a coward for having not done anything to attempt to get revenge on Claudius yet.

Hamlet’s self doubt leads to him feeling worthless, as he hasn’t been able to avenge his dead father. It is as if all of his self worth falls onto whether or not he can complete this simple task. Due to the heavy emphasis he has placed on revenge, the fact that he has not got it yet causes Hamlet to feel insecure and cowardly. This pushes him to start working on figuring out whether Claudius is guilty or not, so that he can get on with his revenge as soon as possible. Hamlet’s lack of faith in himself causes him to feel pressured to prove himself, and pressure can lead to bad decisions being made due to the mental stress. If Hamlet could have less self doubt, he wouldn’t have let his insecurity cause him to rush his plans. By rushing his plans, Hamlet causes Claudius to catch on to him and attempt to kill him, which he does eventually succeed in at the cost of his own life. The pressure Hamlet makes himself feel involuntarily clouds his decisions with urgency, causing him to make the choices that lead to his death.

(Act 3, Scene 3, 86-89)

Context: Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius while he is praying as if he did, Claudius would be in the perfect position to go to heaven.

Hamlet decides to leave Claudius alive for a little while longer, as he doesn’t want to grant Claudius any passage to heaven. He wants to ensure that his revenge on Claudius lasts far into the afterlife. Knowing that Claudius killed his father makes Hamlet want to get the perfect revenge on him, the kind that will leave Claudius with no mercy. However, Hamlet’s obsession with this perfect revenge is what eventually causes his demise. By overthinking every single aspect of how he’ll get his revenge, and constantly doubting himself, Hamlet’s need to make things perfect is what sends him into some level of insanity. In addition, Hamlet loses himself in this pursuit of revenge, ruining relationships all around him, such as his already strained relationship with Ophelia. This adds to the grief and misery in his heart, which pushes him to his demise.

(Act 3, Scene 4, 23)

Context: Hamlet stabs Polonius in Gertrude’s room thinking that he is Claudius spying on them.

Instead of stopping to consider who exactly is behind the curtain, Hamlet stabs them immediately, assuming that it is Claudius. This implies that while talking to his mother, his madness and anger has reached the point where he no longer uses common sense and rather makes rash decisions as a result of this thirst for revenge. Hamlet’s choice to suddenly stab Polonius is one of the actions that seemed somewhat insignificant to him, but actually has a big impact on how he passed. Laertes' anger towards Hamlet for killing his father is what eventually allows him to agree to kill Hamlet alongside the King. If Hamlet were to consider his actions and check before stabbing the curtain, he wouldn’t have killed Polonius, meaning that Laertes would not be mad at him and therefore wouldn’t try to kill him. Hamlet’s rushed thinking and assumptions about others lead to his demise as he ends up angering many people near him.

(Act 4, Scene 4, 64-65)

Context: After meeting with Fortinbras, Hamlet realizes that if Fortinbras can lead troops for an unnecessary reason, he shouldn’t struggle to kill Claudius for a matter as serious as avenging his father.

Hamlet’s newfound desire to get his revenge as soon as possible leads to him behaving much more recklessly than before in order to get what he wants as soon as he can. He gets his friends killed and returns to Denmark early in order to kill Claudius, only to be met with the fencing match that will kill him at the end. Hamlet’s rushed approach to revenge and the fact that he only values thoughts of revenge cause him to have a one track mindset. This means that he becomes less considerate of this around him by the end of the play in order to achieve his goals. Hamlet’s sole focus on killing Claudius causes him to ignore the other things going on around him, such as Laertes’s use of a poisonous sword to kill him, which leads to his demise caused by carelessness.

(Act 4, Scene 7, 18-24)

Context: Claudius is talking about how loved Hamlet is amongst those living in Denmark, so even if he tried to simply kill Hamlet the people would get mad at him.

The fact that Hamlet is so loved in Denmark has likely led to him having a sense of superiority. It is clear that he knows of the love people have for him, as he has most certainly noticed the people who admire him. Having these feelings of superiority, however, cause Hamlet to feel as if he is above others and their wrath. The affection that civilians have towards him make him feel better than others, as anyone would feel. This means that in Hamlet’s mind, he is the most clever one out of the royals and that he is able to deceive everyone. This ignorance and self-righteousness prevents him from noticing when others are conspiring against him, as he assumes that everyone around him admires him and enjoys his presence. Additionally, this leads to Hamlet being absolutely oblivious to the hatred people like Claudius have towards him, which eventually causes his downfall.

(Act 1, Scene 2, 13-16)

Context: Claudius discusses his feelings of sorrow, as well as happiness, when it comes to marrying Gertrude, the widow of King Hamlet.

Claudius starts out as someone with a lot of confidence. After this brother’s passing, he is the one to immediately take the wheel and continues to run Denmark without a single issue. However, the truth is that he is hiding the fact that he’s the one who killed his brother, not a snake. This is the kind of thing that looms on a person’s conscience, and the guilt may become hard to bear. In many cases, guilt can lead to self doubt and fear. These are not the type of qualities a king should have, and these feelings lead to Claudius’s facade of being a reliable ruler eventually fading.

(Act 3 Scene 3, 39-41)

Context: Claudius is praying and reflecting on the act of murdering his brother. He also shows obvious signs of strong guilt and remorse for his actions.

While he is praying, Claudius’s guilt begins to show itself externally for the first time. For Hamlet, this confession proves to be a turning point of madness, however for Claudius, it marks the beginning of his own demise. By allowing his guilt to consume himself, Claudius begins to feel regret and second guesses his choices. The feelings his conscience holds cause him to doubt himself, as in his soliloquy he states that he feels he cannot be forgiven. The self-doubt rooted in Claudius makes it harder for him to continue his reign on his brother’s throne, as his becoming king is a benefit he reaped from the murder of his own brother. These feeling of insecurity lead to Claudius’s leadership going awry as he uses his influence to try and get Hamlet killed, eventually leading to his own death.

(Act 4, Scene 3, 66-70)

Context: King Hamlet sends a letter to England requesting that Hamlet is killed upon his arrival to the country.

Claudius shows that he won’t be able to feel at peace until Hamlet is killed, and so he requests those in England to do so for him. This shows that Claudius is desperate to kill Hamlet in order to conceal his actions and erase his guilt. In fact, he doesn’t even consider how his wife, a woman who was already widowed, would feel if her only son were to pass away as well. Claudius’s need to kill Hamlet translates into his desperation showing through him almost begging England to kill him, and when this doesn’t work he is forced to develop a new plan that ends up killing Hamlet, but also Claudius himself. Claudius’s desperation leads to him not being able to think his plan or its consequences through, as the rush he feels to get things done overpowers his common sense. This lack of consideration that stems from desperation is one of the factors that ultimately leads to Claudius’s downfall and passing.

In the first act, Hamlet states that he may act mad in order to get the information he needs. This shows that at the beginning of the play, Hamlet is not insane, but rather he is simply pretending to be. Hamlet’s behaviour throughout this act can be attributed to him pretending to be mad, and it works in his favour. Hamlet’s portrayal of insanity causes the King and Queen to become terribly concerned for him, and their efforts to figure out what is wrong with him allows Hamlet to take advantage of their worries and work on figuring out whether or not Claudius killed his father. Acting madly enables Hamlet to act in a suspicious manner without alarming anyone as they think it is part of his insanity.

(Act 2, Scene 2, 351)

The second act is the act in which Hamlet’s feelings of madness begin to settle. He says that he’s only crazy at times, implying that he is in the process of somewhat losing his sanity. This would make sense, as the stress of avenging his father’s murder while still processing the loss and his mother’s new marriage, is enough to drive Hamlet mad. In fact, it’s enough to drive any simple person to some level of madness. While it is clear that Hamlet has not yet lost his sanity, he has been through enough that his facade is beginning to become reality. The development of Hamlet’s madness does not stop here, as it only continues as the play progresses.

(Act 3, Scene 4, 23)

When Hamlet spots a figure moving in the shadows, he immediately goes to stab it, thinking it’s Claudius. This shows that Hamlet is no longer thinking rationally, as he kills the person behind the curtain without even checking to see who it is. Hamlet is portrayed as a typically clever character, so his choice of stabbing Polonius the curtain without a second thought is somewhat out of character for him. Furthermore, Hamlet’s murder of Polonius makes it clear that he has gone mad enough to throw logical thinking and common sense out of the door in order to make room for the thoughts brought on by his vengeful madness. Since he didn’t kill Claudius this time, his madness will only continue to grow until he can avenge his father.

(Act 4, Scene 5, 135-139)

After the passing of her father, Polonius, Ophelia finally snaps and falls into a state of madness as a result of her grief. The grief she feels from her father’s loss is the final breaking point in a series of things that were burdening Ophelia, such as Hamlet’s treatment towards her. The fact that Ophelia goes insane after losing her father shows that grief plays a huge part in losing one’s sanity. In the same way Hamlet’s descent into madness begins after losing his father, Ophelia’s begins when she loses her father, although she becomes mad much quicker. Ophelia’s madness is also what leads her to succumb to her drowning instead of fighting it, as her grief that is channeled into insanity overpowers the more logical side of her that knows she shouldn’t kill herself in such a manner.

(Act 5 Scene 2, 218 - 224)

Before his battle with Laertes, Hamlet says that it wasn’t him who wronged Laertes by killing Polonius, but that it was his madness. Here, it is important to note that Hamlet refers to his madness as a separate part of himself. He is acknowledging that at least some of him has gone mad, and he is implying that he has lost his sanity. By saying that it is his madness that wronged Laertes, Hamlet is doubting his own sanity and giving the impression that he truly has gone mad.  While in the beginning of the play, Hamlet is only pretending to be insane, somewhere along the line the pressure of getting revenge pushes him to become insane. It could even be said that madness has become so natural to Hamlet that it has become real, and it acts as his way of surviving the trauma of his father’s passing and all the events that followed.

(Act 5, Scene 2, 320 - 322)

Context: As Hamlet finally kills Claudius using the poisoned wine, he tells Claudius to follow his wife, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, who passed away just minutes earlier from the same wine.

In the end, Claudius’s death is the result of his past actions. The guilt and sadness he felt from murdering his brother took control of him and overpowered his usual level headedness, causing him to rush into trying to kill Hamlet. Since he rushes the killing of Hamlet, many issues arise during the execution of his plan that lead to his death and the death of people he truly cares about, such as Gertrude. Furthermore, the reason Hamlet kills Claudius so ruthlessly is because of his murder and his marriage to Hamlet’s mother. Claudius betrayed his brother and took everything that was left of his past life, and in the end he is brought to justice for his crimes by the son of his brother, the man he murdered. In his final moments, all respect the kingdom had for Claudius is lost as it is revealed that he is a murderer, meaning Claudius couldn’t even die in glory. This shows that the actions Claudius committed in his past ended up impacting his future and ultimately led to him being exposed as a fraudulent and incompetent king before his passing.