us, out of trouble. Polonius, on the other hand, has more of an objective viewpoint on the entire situation. Polonius objectiveness stems from him not having much to lose by Hamlets madness or feigned madness. Finally, a little later in the play the Kings diagnosis of Hamlet is [] Was not madness. Theres something in his soul,/ Oer which his melancholy sits on brood,/ and I do doubt the hatch and the disclose/ will be some danger [...]. (III. i. 78-80). What none of the characters realize is that Hamlet is a skilled actor and is able to portray a different mood depending upon the person he is with. The way he portrays himself has to do with how the other person feels comfortable viewing him, and how they would typically characterize him. Every act of Hamlets is centered on the theme of melancholy, just with varying reasons. With Polonius, he feigns the insanity of the love-melancholic; with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Claudius, he feigns the melancholy of frustrated ambition; with Ophelia, he feigns the melancholic misogynist. In each scene Hamlet assumes a melancholic mask in order to fight a world of corruption and deceit.33 Each mask and act is designed for the second party, and decided upon according to how they would most likely label Hamlet even if he were to not come into contact with them. Along with his interactions with other characters during the play, Shakespeare has Hamlet reveal much about himself by taking advantage of the soliloquy. His first, second, and third soliloquy are all great tools in deciphering Hamlet. In his soliloquies he sees himself as his fathers avenger, who is capable of sweeping to his revenge with wings as swift, as meditation or the thoughts of love. (I. v. 35-6). But this self-image cannot stand the test of reality.34 With Christine Gomezs note, we are taken back to the basics of the malcontent, and the fact that they have a difficult time separating the images they hold of themselves and how...
