Hamlet's Psychology: Depression, Madness, and Delay

Introduction: The Enigma of Hamlet

Hamlet is by far one of Shakespeare's more enigmatic characters. We understand from the beginning of the play, through Horatio and Marcellus, that they think very highly of Hamlet — they decide to tell him first about the ghostly vision they witnessed, whom they believe to be his father. However, when we meet Hamlet, we are confused. Is he depressed, or is he simply cruel (Davies 30)? Or is Hamlet — a man who is overly sensitive, deeply melancholy, and armed with a reflective mind — simply mad? It is this dichotomy of characteristics that always leaves us guessing about his psychological state.

Hamlet himself does not deny this ambiguity. In fact, he says to his mother, the queen, that there is much more to him than people see:

'Seems', madam — nay it is, I know not 'seems'.
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, cold mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor the windy suspiration of forced breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected haviour of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly. These indeed 'seem',
For they are actions that a man might play,
But I have that within which passes show,
These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (Shakespeare 1.2.76–86)

The Ghost, Revenge, and Obsession

Hamlet's statement to his mother reveals that he is "inky" — that is, he is someone who can easily hide himself "squid-like behind a studied and 'inky' obscurity" (Davies 31). Because Shakespeare was so clever, it also means that Hamlet is able to disguise himself with his words, forever keeping those around him guessing about his psychological state and motives. He knows that he is being lied to and wants his mother to know that he is clever enough to see it. But is Hamlet correct, or merely paranoid?

The Ghost is an important part of Hamlet's new mission to avenge his father's death. The Ghost tells Hamlet that it was his uncle who murdered his father and that Hamlet must be the one to carry out the vengeful deed. Hamlet is told that he must not involve his mother; yet, instead of pursuing his act of revenge in a straightforward way, Hamlet "begins to doubt the accuracy of the Ghost's information, indulging also in the surmise that the Ghost itself may have been the coinage of his own brain" (Wood 16). The Ghost is a difficult thing for Hamlet to reckon with because it tempts him toward revenge, yet Hamlet wants to be good. In the end, Hamlet is ambivalent about what he must do, and it merely becomes another obsession.

Hamlet becomes obsessed with wanting to prove the murder; however, he spends nearly the entire play plotting and scheming without taking action. So Hamlet does what any questioning man might do: he stages a play whose circumstances mirror his own situation, depicting the murder of a father figure. It is in his uncle's eyes that Hamlet sees confirmation that Claudius is indeed the murderer.

Delay, Action, and the Antic Disposition

Still, the question arises: what took Hamlet so long to act upon his beliefs? Why doesn't he go and take revenge for his father's murder? There is reason to believe that Hamlet is so obsessed with this murder because of his broader obsession with death, and that the excitement of all this scheming keeps him from exacting revenge. When Hamlet finally does decide to act against Claudius, he ends up stabbing Polonius by mistake. After waiting so long to kill Claudius, he erroneously kills an innocent man.

We then see a shift in Hamlet, as he seems to become overly confident. At one point in the play, he even refers to himself as Hercules. Hamlet had appeared to be a hero, but he has somehow turned into a villain — a transformation made clear by Polonius's murder. Davies notes that Hamlet takes on an antic disposition, and that his "madness and tomfoolery…exaggerates and accelerates changes in his identity throughout the rest of the play. In the process, we often lose sight of Hamlet's 'character' amid his 'antic' performance" (51). This begs the question: is Hamlet pretending to be mad, or is he simply mad?

Existential Brooding and Depressive Illness

Hamlet spends much of his time pondering death. In his soliloquy with Yorick's skull, Hamlet asks: "To be, or not to be — that is the question" (Shakespeare 3.1.54). Here, Hamlet seems to be contemplating suicide. He is known for his existential musings, but one still cannot help wondering whether he truly wants to end it all. He ultimately decides against it because he fears he will go on to suffer for eternity. While this may seem like the decision of a sane man, Hamlet still keeps us wondering about his psychological state.

Hamlet is incredibly intelligent and, at times, appears almost like a tormented genius. He is so readily able to reflect on his situation and give deep contemplation to his problems, but it is precisely this quality that keeps him from acting and from fully engaging with others around him. However, we must admit that if Hamlet had not delayed his revenge, there would be no play.

Shaw believes that the only convincing reason for Hamlet's delay in exacting revenge is that he suffered from acute depressive illness, along with some obsessional features (92). Hamlet could not bring himself to simply act. Though the term "acute depressive illness" did not exist in Shakespeare's day, melancholy was well known (92), and it would not have been viewed as a character defect. Shaw states that in a tragic model, "the hero brings himself and others to ruin because of a character defect" (92). The play conformed to a tragic model in Shakespeare's time, but Shaw asserts that, with today's knowledge, it no longer does (92).

Conclusion: A Destiny Fraught with Tragedy

There is no doubt that Hamlet is a deeply troubled character, but based on his circumstances, there is reason to believe that his troubles are warranted. Hamlet does seem to have been dealt a terrible hand in life, despite having been born a prince. Had he been born into a different situation or a different family, Hamlet had all the makings to become something great — perhaps a great writer or actor. Through the arts, perhaps Hamlet could have channeled his obsessive musings and deep contemplations into something meaningful. However, this was not Hamlet's destiny. His destiny was one fraught with obsession, depression, anxiety, and paranoia — and he would eventually die far too young because of it. At the very least, he was put out of his misery.