Essay on Hamlet“I plead guilty by reason of madness,” is Hamlet's plea if he were sitting in a modern courtroom. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is evident that Hamlet himself is truly out of his mind. The reader understands the reason for his anger and frustration, but how he “fixes” the situation is beyond a sane mind. To be honest, his madness has more to do with emotional instability called melancholy or madness than with an inconsistent person. Hamlet's madness becomes clear in his actions and thoughts, his erratic relationship with Ophelia, and the murder of Polonius. Melancholy is the perfect word to describe Hamlet from the beginning of the play. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet is depressed and contemplates suicide over his father's death. She hates her mother's “increased appetite” and her marriage to her uncle takes place in “incestuous sheets” (1.2.144-159). Later, when Hamlet meets the ghost, he tells his friends that he will take on an "antiquated disposition" (1.5.58). This is strange for Hamlet considering how he was in a depressive state and then suddenly is s...