the Ghost tale of murder is true. In order to do it, he decides that when he finds it suitable or advantageous to him, he will put on a “mask of madness so to speak” (Schucking, Hamlet, p. 67).He confides to Horatio that when he finds the occasion appropriate, he will “put an antic disposition on” (Guth, Hamlet, p. 810, 1.5.172). Mark Van Doren points out in his book “Shakespeare”, that “Hamlet`s antic disposition” is used “as a device for seeming mad” (162). He uses it as a tactic in order to buy time in which he can discover the truth. If the Ghost is telling the true, this strategy will give Hamlet a chance to find proof of Claudius` guilt, and to contemplate his revenge tactic. First, he decides to “appear unthreatening and harmless” so that people will divulge information to him, much in the same way that an adult will talk about an important secret in the presence of a child. (Barnes & Noble, A review of Hamlet, Vol. 37, pp. 68.) To convince everyone of his madness, Hamlet spends many hours walking back and forth alone in the lobby talking like a crazy man. When asked if he recognizes Polonius, Hamlet replies, “Excellent well; you are a fishmonger” (Guth, hamlet, p. 819, 2.2.175). Although the response seems crazy since a fish-seller would look totally different that expensively dressed lord Polonius, “Hamlet is actually criticizing Polonius for his management of Ophelia, since fishmonger is Elizabethan slang for pimp” (Addison, Shakespearian criticism, Vol. 1). He also plays mind-games with Polonius, first agreeing that a cloud looks like a camel, then a veasel, then a whale, and Sidorowicz-6finally, he comments, in very sane way, that “They fool me to the top of my bent” (Guth, Hamlet, p. 843, 3.2.393). Alth...
