unknown afterlife: “And thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o`er with the pale cast of thought” (Guth, Hamlet, p , 3.1.86-87).Orson Welles states in the book “The Friendly Shakespeare,” “I don’t think any madman ever said ‘Why, what an ass am I,’ I think that is a divinely sane remark.” (Epstein, p350)A further important proof of Hamlet’s sanity is how patiently he devises plans to prepare for his revenge. First, he puts on an ”antic disposition” as a device to test his enemies; and second, he mounts the play-within-play, another well-laid plan to trap Claudius into admitting guilt: “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (Guth, Hamlet, p. 828, 2.2.622-23) Even when the play brings him concrete proof, he is careful not to rush to take his revenge at the wrong moment. He could easily kill Claudius while he is praying, but restrains himself thinking that Claudius might enter heaven. His patience is a sign of rationality. Hamlet shows himself perfectly capable of action, as well as of rational though, in escaping the king’s armed guard, dispatching Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in England, dealing with the pirates and making it back to Denmark. The last conviction of Hamlet`s sanity is the normality in his reactions to the people around him. He is perfectly sane, friendly, and courteous with the players, giving them good acting tips, which they appreciate and respect. He treats Ophelia with love, and gets little cold after he has not seen her “for this many days” and finally, he becomes completely furious, insulting womankind in general, but one have to remember that she Sidorowicz-10gives him a reason for that. First, Ophelia returns his remembrances, ...
