The Mental Illness Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare

In America, someone commits suicide every 12.8 minutes, which leads suicide to be the 10th most common form of death. (Facts 1). More than 90 percent of those that commit suicide have mental illnesses (Duckworth 1). Before people were educated about what mental illness was and the seriousness of the diseases, the mentally ill were given the same treatment as the homeless people (Duckworth 1). The mentally ill also were treated horribly; some were attached to poles, chained to different objects, or kept in dark, underground prisons (Duckworth 1). During this time, people assumed that the mentally ill were contagious because they did not fully understand what mental illness were. Mental illness ranges from many different sicknesses, but depression and ultimately suicide are most common (Facts 1). In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare reveals that suicide is caused by mental illness and trauma, as exemplified by Hamlet’s musing about suicide and Ophelia’s actual suicide. Hamlet experiences traumatic events during his early adulthood such as: the death of his father, finding out his uncle murdered his father, and then his mother and uncle’s marriage. These events eventually lead Hamlet to go insane. King Hamlet died unexpectedly which caused young Hamlet excessive grief and depression. Hamlet is being accused of exaggerating his grief about his father’s death. This really angers Hamlet because no one understands how distraught he is over the loss of his father. Hamlet is so depressedShow MoreRelatedMental Illness in Shakespeares Works1371 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout Shakespeare’s many works, mental illnesses have played an undeniable part in many of them, especially his tragedies. From Lady Macbeth hallucination of a bloody spot leading to her suicide, to Hamlet’s faked illness and Ophelia’s very real illness, afflictions of the mind are featured prominently in the Bard of Avalon’s many works. 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