s mothers incestuous marriage to Hamlets uncle. He is unstable and already contemplating suicide:O that this too too sallied flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!Or that the Everlasting had not fixdHis canon gainst [self-] slaughter! O God, God,How [weary], stale, flat, and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of this world! (I.ii.129-34). When Hamlet learns of his fathers ghost his emotional unstableness is only heightened. After learning of his fathers wrongful death, Hamlet loses all respect for anyones life as well as his own. Hamlet acts on his emotions, not on reason. His mood varies throughout the play, and this is reflected in his actions. He goes from being on the break of suicide to murderous rage. Virtually the only emotions we see in Hamlet throughout the play are sorrow and anger. The only sign of happiness that we see in Hamlet is in the letters he sent to Ophelia. Polonius reads the letters to Claudius and Gertrude, To the celestial and my souls idol, the most beautified Ophelia (II.ii.109-110). It is not known when the letters are sent. This is significant in the argument regarding Hamlets madness. If they are sent before his father death, it signifies the drastic change in Hamlets mood. If they are sent after, it is possibly a tool used by Hamlet to portray his antic disposition. Presuming that the notion for his insanity is merited, his madness could be attributed to his melancholia and desire for revenge. His depression and bitterness take control over him. He needs to be reminded of his task, which is to avenge his fathers unjust death. Evidence of this is found when he attacks his mother in her chamber. He ends up unintentionally killing Polonius, and he quite possibly would have killed his mother if it were not for the ghost appearing. Hamlet feels no remorse for killing Polonius, even though he was Ophelias father, This counsellor/ Is now most still, most secret, and most grave/...
