The Tragic Tale of Madness

Have you ever had one of those day where everyone you loved was plotting your murder? Well this week on our trip down the rabbit hole I’m going to introduce you all to The Prince of Denmark, Hamlet. Now we all think we know what a prince’s life style would be like. All glamorized and never having a care in the world. Well we really don’t see this in Hamlet’s ‘story’. So my loyal Hatters and Hares let us start our journey.

We begin with a quick background story. Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, was murdered by his brother Claudius. Then to pour more salt into the wound Claudius married his dead brother’s wife Gertrude. So no this isn’t a happy tale with a happy ending, this is a tragedy fueled by greed and revenge.

How would you feel if your father was killed just so someone else could be king? Hamlet was already upset with his father’s death, then his mother marries his uncle. Then to top it off his new stepfather tries to rid the world of Prince Hamlet. In my opinion I don’t think we need to question this Prince’s mental stability. He had been through so much in such a short time. He was a madman with a box...only he didn’t have a box.

Could you imagine having your best friend payed off to turn against you. The one person Hamlet could possibly trust is his friend Horatio, whom he (Hamlet) trust until his dying breath. He implores his last friend to stave off death until his story has been told. Calling this a rough time would be shamefully undermining the situation.

Personally I wasn’t there when this event occurred, but there is one major fact I would like to discuss. Hamlet was called mad by several people after his father died. There is even an account of his father’s ghost visiting him and telling him of the treason Claudius has committed. Now most of you probably went ‘ghosts, that's nonsense.,’ but during this time ghosts weren’t an uncommon belief. So to Hamlet he felt like he was truly speaking to his father, and when the ghost told him to seek revenge...he sought it. So like I said, not the glamorized royalty our culture knows so well. Once Hamlet is given the order he believes this to be his fate even if it causes his own death. He doesn’t try to stray away from his fate, he looks at it dead on and never looks back.

Now lets introduce Ophelia, Hamlet’s girlfriend. At first her father believes that Ophelia is just a...well toy for Hamlet. He doesn’t think Hamlet loves his daughter, but when the madness of Hamlet begins he claims that he is ‘madly in love’ with his daughter. As things continue Hamlet confronts her and tells her she could put herself in a nunnery. Going on that he would ban all marriages if he could. Hamlet has already accepted his fate, but he doesn’t see how it affects others. After breaking up with Ophelia Hamlet kills her father thinking it was Claudius. It seems as if maybe his own madness has infected the poor girl. Some argue that her death is a suicide, that she drowned in the water, but with this being a royal family...we might never know the truth. The only person to witness this act was Queen Gertrude.

Hamlet is sent to England after he murder’s Ophelia’s father. Once he learns his is to be killed upon arriving in England, he knows he has to return home. Knowing he can’t get his father's revenge if he’s dead. Upon arriving he is challenged a fencing match by Ophelia’s brother. Laertes was told of Hamlet murdering his father and of his sister’s death. His weapon is sharpened by Claudius so that he might further hurt Hamlet. Claudius then has the blade poisoned, but he wants to make sure this match will lead in Hamlet’s death. So incase his stepson/nephew scores the first point he has a goblet of poison to offer him.

I don’t know about my Hatters and Hares, but keeping up with all this is making me a bit mad. In the end Hamlet does get the revenge for his father...only it ends in his own death. His mother had accidently drank the poison he forces Claudius to consume it as well. Laertes was injured by the poisoned blade leading him to his demise. Then we have  Fortinbras who has been lurking about the whole time walk in to find he will now ascend the throne.

Give me a moment to reclaim my own sanity. This story is just mind boggling to dig through. A writer like me that is determined to find out the truth of the past....this one is so difficult. The only real account of the story we have in the end is Horatio’s. Then we have Fortinbras who for all we know was just playing his cards right. This story is one you have to take into consideration. We have very little way of proving these events and how they happened and even if they did.

This is a tragic tale, one that you simply can’t take for granted. To many people gained something from another’s death. Claudius received the crown after killing his brother. Fortinbras got the crown after Claudius and Hamlet died. So is this a tragic fate, or is there greed that has been hidden over the years. With that I will leave you all with your thoughts. Until next time my lovely Hatters and Hares.