The challenges which Hamlet faces during his story seem truly harsh and brutal to endure without them affecting at least slightly his mental condition and developing obsessional grief. Therefore, it is unmistakable that the main character may experience difficulties withstanding all the issues during his life. By and whole, it appears that Hamlet’s complicated relationships with his relatives, along with their actions, are the reasons for him becoming uncertain about him continuing to live his life.
To begin with, it is evident to the reader that the main character is overwhelmed by the grief and mourning of his father. As a matter of fact, his father was killed by his uncle, Claudius, who then became his step-father (Shakespeare, 2016). Undoubtedly, such a situation is likely to negatively impact anyone’s health, considering that the deaths of loved ones seem challenging to withstand at any time. Indeed, Hamlet is no exception as he experiences a vicious cycle of mania replacing depression, which affects his moods, leading to him obsessing over his father’s death and seeking his revenge.
Furthermore, Hamlet experiences difficulties in explaining his grief to his mother, Gertrude. It seems that the fact that they do not share the same opinion about his father’s death complicates Hamlet’s grief even more. Therefore, the character recognizes this loss as something more profound in his soul that never lets him just be. That is why when Hamlet meets his father’s ghost, he experiences a feeling of importance, meaning that he has to do something to not only make himself feel better but to avenge his dear parent. To be more exact, he starts planning his vengeance thoroughly, but it appears that after the “For Hecuba” part, he loses his rush and becomes more cautious about his aim (Shakespeare, 2016, p. 25). Overall, his focus on vengeance shifts to inaction, which is slowly killing him from inside and making him feel guilty, but his evident depression and grief take the best of him, so he continues doing nothing.
In fact, Hamlet also faces numerous difficulties in his relationship with Ophelia, his love interest, which only develops his obsession and uncertainty. Hamlet’s attempts to avenge his father definitely border on him losing his sanity, so Ophelia becomes especially worried about his mental state. Moreover, it seems that it is actually Hamlet’s goal to prove to everyone that he is genuinely insane and is losing his mind so that he can continue working on his plan of vendetta without any interference from others.
Even though his aforementioned mental issues indeed cloud his judgments, including his goal of striking his uncle for Claudius to pay for Hamlet’s father’s death, the main character still believes in his deep connection and love to Ophelia (Shakespeare, 2016). Nevertheless, his manic episodes become even more intense when he experiences one more death of his dear Ophelia. As a matter of fact, it seems that this loss has even more impact on his condition as Hamlet desires to be buried with her just so that no one can separate them ever (Shakespeare, 2016). Hamlet shows the character’s suicidal inclinations as he thinks about passing not to experience this endless pain, “and by a sleep to say we end / The heart-ache and the thousand … shocks” (Shakespeare, 2016, p. 25). In other words, Ophelia’s death leads to Hamlet losing his mind entirely and falling into an endless cycle of grief, uncertainty, and depression.
To sum up, Hamlet’s insanity seems understandable after comprehending what he has experienced in his life. Losses of his two loved ones led to him developing an obsession and suicidal inclinations, which is an endless cycle of manic episodes and depression. In addition, Hamlet feels guilty for not avenging his father and making his uncle pay for his cruel misdeed. However, the death of the love of his life is the last straw, so he ends this journey by losing his mind once and for all.