Hamlet and how he fakes his insanity throught the play
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On the Other Side of the Mask
"I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw." (2, 2, 44) This is just one example of the "wild and whirling words"(1.5.26) Hamlet says that make him seem to be overcome with madness. However, if looked at deeply, there are many proceedings that prove him to be sane and merely acting. First is the fact that many characters realize he is only faking his insanity. Another is by examining his soliloquies and careful planning throughout the play.
Though Hamlet puts on a good show, eventually many characters become suspicious in Hamlet's act of insanity. After the ghost's first appearance to Hamlet, he tells Horatio that when he finds the occasion advantageous to him, he will "put an antic disposition on" (1...