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  • Essay / Portrayal of Madness in Shakespeare's Hamlet: Ophelia's Schizophrenia

    In William Shakespeare's play, the tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark written around the 1600s, the character Ophelia is clearly diagnosed with the illness mental “schizophrenia” because it shows a set of its symptoms. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally, leading them to have hallucinations, delusions and blurred thoughts that can be disabling. . Its symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking and speech, motor behavior, reduced ability to function, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, emotional disturbances, etc. Mental illness is diagnosed genetically and can be treated through primary health care, access to essential medications banned for schizophrenia, supported housing and employment, psychological training, etc. Ophelia is a character in Hamlet who was diagnosed with the mental illness “Schizophrenia”. His diagnosis in the first acts of the play is weak, however, his mental illness reaches its peak in act 4, as a set of symptoms of schizophrenia are shown. She is distressed by her father's death, making her even more ill and confused, as Ophelia "sings" of her father's death and her grief to Queen Gertrude, singing: "He is head and gone, madam, he is head and gone; at its head a grass-green lawn, at its heels a stone. Ophelia's symptoms continue to worsen to the point where she no longer even makes sense with her words, let alone speaks them but instead sings them. This is a symptom rather shown in the Mayo Clinic informative article “Schizophrenia” published in 2018, in which a symptom of schizophrenia was disorganized thinking and speech, where the person puts words together devoid of meanings that could not be understood, which Ophelia clearly does.Second. , Ophelia sings of her emotions and madness, offering "rosemary for remembrance", which symbolizes fidelity and remembrance, perhaps to regain Hamlet's love or to try to show her brother Laertes what is happening . “And there are thoughts, it is for thoughts,” which could perhaps be for Hamlet since thoughts symbolize love and admiration for another person. Ophelia's mixed emotions are a symptom included in the informative article published by the World Health Organization entitled "Schizophrenia" published in 2018 which states: "Disruptions in emotions: marked apathy or disconnection between reported emotions", as Ophelia obviously shows this since Ophelia is torn away from the love she has for her brother Laertes and her epic love Hamlet. Third, Ophelia sings of her confused thoughts and offers flowers, real or imaginary, from a tree. “Your sister is drowned, Laertes,” the Queen said to Laertes. Ophelia's symptoms got so bad that she simply gave up, as the queen describes her "widely spread, mermaid-like clothes as they carried her, and at that time she sang snatches of old lauds” and “like a person incapable of his own distress”. or as a native and endowed creature.” There are two symptoms of schizophrenia, the first being "confused and disordered thinking", which is a symptom of mental illness. And the second symptom is the effect of the confused thought that Ophelia has "suicidal thoughts and behaviors", coming from the fact that Ophelia is capable of returning to life, but she decides not to do so because.