that is wronged; his madness is poor Hamlets enemy (V.ii.227-228).The theme of madness in Shakespeares Hamlet has been a widelypopular topic in the discussion of the play by both critics and readers alike. Itis quite simple to see the reason why, since the play confronts us withevidence to prove the validity of the claim to Hamlets true madness, or,rather a view that the actions and words arising from the apparent madness isbut a feigned antic disposition as proclaimed by Hamlet himself. (Soon, 1) The psychological case study of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, presents thetheory that Hamlet did have a break with reality, and should be diagnosedwith schizophrenia, a devastating disease that affects a mere 1 percent of theworlds population. The preponderance of evidence that has been displayedclearly points to the conclusion that Hamlet was indeed mad; the diseasesonset is in the young adult years, it is disabling, resulting in a period ofproductive time lost, and it has social effects on the patient, as well as hisfamily. In Hamlets case, all criteria have been met, and therefore can bedeclared schizophrenic, or mad.BibliographyBloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York:Penquin Putnam Inc., 1998.Bradley, A.C. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Macmillan and Co.,Ltd., 1964.Charney, Maurice. Style in Hamlet. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UniversityPress, 1969.Chong, Wong Yip, Dr. General Introduction to Mental Illness. 9 March 1999.*http://home2.pacific.net.sg/~arh/article_mental_illness.html*.Cordell, West. A Critical Analysis of Hamlets Madness. 9 March 1999.*http://www.tecinfo.com.~jocelyn/hamlet/west.html*.Desmet, Christy. I lovd You Ever: Love and Madness in Hamlet.*http://virtual.park.uga.edu/eng3k/assignments/theory/paper2.htm*.Goldman, Larry S., MD. Psychosis and Psychotic Disorders. 9 March 1999.*http://www.psy.bsd.uchicago.edu/~larry/psych301/psych301.htm*.Hamlet Navigator: Hamlet: His Madness. 9 March 1999.*http://...
