In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the character Hamlet feigns insanity. For a person in his situation, being considered crazy by his peers can be very beneficial. His father, the king, has just died and he is visited by a ghost who appears to be the spirit of his father. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother Claudius, who is now the current king and who recently married the former king's wife. Hamlet swears revenge and, to help him in this plan, convinces people that he is crazy. That he is acting, instead of actually being mad, can be seen in Hamlet's conversations with a caretaker, two childhood friends, and his mother. Furthermore, there are many actions in the play that he could not have performed if he did not have the veil of madness, which gives Hamlet further reason to feign madness. More important than the clues that can be found proving Hamlet's sanity is the motive behind Hamlet's feigned madness. The first reason Hamlet should make people believe he is crazy is because of the freedom he grants him. As in any society, the world in which Hamlet lives is governed by social norms and taboos. However, if one is crazy, one is not expected or required to live up to these standards. Therefore, if the people in Hamlet's life are convinced that he is crazy, then he is no longer bound by the social constraints of society. The best example of Hamlet using his "madness" to do things that would otherwise be inaccessible to him occurs just before Hamlet's players stage "The Murder of Gonzago". The scene involves Hamlet speaking to Ophelia at the theater, saying, among other things, "it's a good idea to lie between a maid's legs." 1 If the scene is played such that the lines from Hamlet to O...... middle of paper ...... on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. From Shakespeare's Stories. N.p. : EP Dutton, 1956. Danson, Lawrence. “Tragic alphabet.” Modern critical interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. from Tragic Alphabet: Shakespeare's drama of language. N.p. : Yale University Press, 1974. Felperin, Howard. “O’enfaisant Termagant.” Modern critical interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. from “O’erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis.” The Yale Review 63, no. 3 (Spring 1974). Hart, Bernard. The psychology of madness. London: Cambridge, 1914. Landis, Carney and James D. Page. Modern society and mental illness. New York: Farrar and Rinehart, 1938. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Norton ed. critical. Ed. Cyrus Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992.