Hamlet's Madness Madness is defined as a state of the mind that eliminates all rational thoughts, leaving an individual without a proper conception of their environment. Insanity is normally the result of an experience or event that the mind, to some extent, cannot cope with. Mad people are not in touch with their senses and do not follow their conscience. They do not have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the main character is flooded with emotions. Hamlet endures a personal struggle following the death of his father as he witnesses his mother's remarriage and even the appearance of his father in the form of a ghost. Knowing everything Hamlet has been through, people wonder if he still has his reason. Likewise, rather than automatically assuming that the ghost was that of his deceased father, he considered that it might be the devil. He felt that the devil might try to come after him because he was in such a bad state. Hamlet also does not allow others to take advantage of him. Rather than allowing himself to be used, Hamlet uses the players to observe Claudius' reaction. Hamlet says: “I will have more relative reasons than that. The room is the thing/In which I will catch the conscience of the king” (II, ii, 591-592). His sanity is demonstrated by how well thought out his plan is and how he does not consistently fall into the devil's trap. Hamlet's plan to prove that the king killed his father is far too complex to be considered that of a madman. If he was truly crazy, then he would have just listened to the ghost, and without any proof he would have just killed. He wonders if it is better to suffer the pains of life or rather just sleep forever. It goes back to the idea that when we dream, what happens if you have such a bad dream and there's nothing you can do to help yourself recover from it. It's almost like you're trapped and there's no way out. Hamlet wonders if he should suffer his sorrows since he fears something after death. He claims that he is used to suffering, but is afraid of the so-called unknown. Hamlet believes in the idea that a conscience is evil and that it only serves to prove that he is a coward towards everyone. He looks beyond his thoughts and believes he is blessed with great intelligence. Hamlet wonders why we choose to live with so much misery and pain when death is such an easy option. As human beings, why do we allow ourselves to go through so much when there are so many simple solutions that we can take advantage of. If Hamlet were truly mad, these thoughts really wouldn't cross his mind. He is going through a tough time after losing his father and learning that his dearest uncle was behind it. Hamlet is fully aware of the world around him, which proves that he is intelligent and understands what he needs to do. Some characters themselves also come to understand that Hamlet is in fact not crazy. For example, Polonius admits that Hamlet's so-called actions have a method and appear to be logical in nature..