BibleBeltCatholicMom Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 In her current essay, my daughter is to take a position on whether or not Hamlet was actually mad or feigning madness. Her thesis: Hamlet, without realizing that he was actually mad, feigned madness. Well, why not? In her fully developed thesis statement (a la LAoW) she points to declarations of intent in feigning madness and also private acts that could point to madness. I can't wait to read the final paper! I never realized that there was any controversy here. He says he's planning to feign madness and there are cultural reasons for doing so . . . I always assumed that everyone assumed he was faking. One of our resources (Asimov) refutes the controversy and that is how we even knew there was one. Well, my daughter has thought this one over and thinks it's the double whammy: he was feigning madness while, unbeknownst to himself, he was actually mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 In her current essay, my daughter is to take a position on whether or not Hamlet was actually mad or feigning madness. Her thesis: Hamlet, without realizing that he was actually mad, feigned madness. Well, why not? In her fully developed thesis statement (a la LAoW) she points to declarations of intent in feigning madness and also private acts that could point to madness. I can't wait to read the final paper! I never realized that there was any controversy here. He says he's planning to feign madness and there are cultural reasons for doing so . . . I always assumed that everyone assumed he was faking. One of our resources (Asimov) refutes the controversy and that is how we even knew there was one. Well, my daughter has thought this one over and thinks it's the double whammy: he was feigning madness while, unbeknownst to himself, he was actually mad. I like it. That is what I thought it was. Or he wasn't mad when he started pretending, but became mad (or madder?) over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterflymommy Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 My sister wrote an interesting paper on this in college. She realized Hamlet had to have been feigning madness because he uses the phrase "The undiscover'd country from whose bourn/ No traveller returns..." well, Hamlet saw his father as a ghost so he knew the spirit can return. So he had to have been making it all up for show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Does it take sanity to feign madness? IOTW if you have the wherewithal to dupe people you must have some basic level of sanity, right??? Just thinking out loud here. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 In her current essay, my daughter is to take a position on whether or not Hamlet was actually mad or feigning madness. Her thesis: Hamlet, without realizing that he was actually mad, feigned madness. Well, why not? In her fully developed thesis statement (a la LAoW) she points to declarations of intent in feigning madness and also private acts that could point to madness. I can't wait to read the final paper! I never realized that there was any controversy here. He says he's planning to feign madness and there are cultural reasons for doing so . . . I always assumed that everyone assumed he was faking. One of our resources (Asimov) refutes the controversy and that is how we even knew there was one. Well, my daughter has thought this one over and thinks it's the double whammy: he was feigning madness while, unbeknownst to himself, he was actually mad. How interesting! The Asimov guide is one of my all time favorite resources! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) In her current essay, my daughter is to take a position on whether or not Hamlet was actually mad or feigning madness. Her thesis: Hamlet, without realizing that he was actually mad, feigned madness. Well, why not? In her fully developed thesis statement (a la LAoW) she points to declarations of intent in feigning madness and also private acts that could point to madness. I can't wait to read the final paper! I never realized that there was any controversy here. He says he's planning to feign madness and there are cultural reasons for doing so . . . I always assumed that everyone assumed he was faking. One of our resources (Asimov) refutes the controversy and that is how we even knew there was one. Well, my daughter has thought this one over and thinks it's the double whammy: he was feigning madness while, unbeknownst to himself, he was actually mad. Yes, that is pretty similar to my DD's opinion. Hamlet is her favorite play and she spent a LOT of time pondering it. Her stance is: Hamlet has an underlying condition; he is not actually mad, but possibly bipolar, which he does not realize (but his mother is aware that something is not quite right), AND he is feigning madness on top of it. Edited November 3, 2012 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 It would be interesting to test that theory against some of the performances and see if you can work out which side of the controversy the various actors are portraying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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