"Hamlet is neither an abstract thinker nor an abstract dreamer. As his imagery betrays us, he is rather a man with greater powers of observation than others. He is capable of scanning reality with a sharper eye to penetrate... to the very heart of things"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay - Wolfgang Clemen (1951) The question of Hamlet's madness or his facade of madness has been the center of discussion among "Hamlet" readers throughout the ages. Yet, no one ever takes into account the mental health of the surrounding characters in the given conditions and circumstances of the play. How credible is Claudius in proclaiming Hamlet insane when there seems to be a clear lack of reason and decency in the murder of his own brother and the marital union of his sister-in-law? Furthermore, if Hamlet is insane, how sane is Gertrude since she almost immediately remarries her deceased husband's brother? What about the Danish court? The expression of indifference and consent to such an incestuous act must guarantee this society the reason and credibility to call someone crazy, of course. If Hamlet is afflicted with madness, it is the madness of his insight. As Clemens had said, Hamlet has "greater powers of observation...and a sharper eye of penetration" than the others. It is precisely because of Hamlet's ability to see the depth of his times and people that allows those who are not as intelligent and perceptive, therefore intolerant of his seemingly "crazy" or radical opinions, to treat him crazy. a revolutionary thinker and philosopher of his time is at the origin of his famous “madness”. Hamlet is able to see beyond his time and criticize “to the very heart of things” (Clemen, 1951) the faults and weaknesses of Danish society. Because of such iconoclastic, perhaps even early, views, such as his criticisms of "a custom (drinking) more honored in violation than in observance...this...makes us betray and tax other nations ...they clepe us, drunkards and with dirty phrases, sully our bill" ("Hamlet", Act 1. Sc. 4), other characters who conform to the beliefs and behaviors of the time and context perceive Hamlet as a dangerous man with “crazy” ideas. What is perhaps even more apparent in Hamlet's isolation due to his elite intelligence is his unique stance against marriage. In his soliloquy where he criticizes the hasty marriage, "why she (oh God, a beast who wants a discourse on reason would have cried longer) married my uncle, my father's brother, but not more like a father than me to Hercules. month... she remarried... with such dexterity at the incestuous sheets" ("Hamlet", Act 1. Sc 2), Hamlet demonstrates enormous frustration, because it seems that he is the only one who sees the lack of ethics and prudence in this marriage Hamlet's accurate and unconventional belief in maintaining marital fidelity even after the death of a spouse confirms Clemen's analysis of him as a "gifted" thinker who is. beyond his time While others foolishly give in to the ambition of affected honor, such as the sacrifice of 20,000 soldiers for a worthless portion of Polish land, Hamlet ponders "to be or not to be. " ("Hamlet", Act 3. Sc. 1). Intelligence exposes the sufferings and troubles of life, as well as the "sleep" that all desire, because it puts an end to these troubles, while repelling them, out of fear of the unknown If Hamlet had been an ignorant brute, the encounter with the Ghost would have already driven him to action..