Hamlet Essay

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actions, blames his madness for wronging Laertes. However, his rationale is quite skeptical, as in the beginning of the play it is evident that acting “mad” was part of Hamlet’s whole scheme in attempting to murder Claudius. The nuance of Hamlet speaking in the third person augments to the fact that Hamlet is unable to take responsibility for his actions. This use of the third person creates a distance between himself and his madness, and Hamlet manipulates this distance in order to convince Laertes that Hamlet is not responsible of wronging Laertes. This particular manipulation of language creates an exaggerated view of the true state of the situation by depicting Hamlet’s mental state from an outside view, ignorant of the true nature of his mind and the fact that he is deliberately acting in a way that physically appears to be puppeteered by madness. Furthermore, it is essential to note that Hamlet establishes multiple times throughout the play that his madness is, in fact, counterfeit. Right when he develops his scheme to murder Claudius, Hamlet indicates that his intention is and was to act “strange or odd” and to “put an antic disposition on” (I.v.28). Furthermore, as he informs Gertrude of the true state of Claudius and how Hamlet must murder him for his sins, he states, “I essentially am not in madness, / But mad in craft.” (III.iv.78) Thus, there is sufficient evidence to prove that Hamlet’s madness is in fact feigned. Hamlet’s madness is part of Hamlet, and if he can not embrace the fact that he himself did play a role in wronging Laertes, it is evident that he is not capable of taking any sort of responsibility and, therefore, would fail miserably at taking the huge responsibility of ruling a whole kingdom.

It is impractical for any monarch to cover all the elements of an absolutely effective leader. However, there are a number of fundamental elements that are necessary for any monarch to be successful. Although on the surface Claudius is often viewed negatively and Hamlet positively, it is significant to question whether Hamlet is any better than Claudius. Despite the fact that Hamlet may seem as a preferable king in contrast to Claudius, it is evident that Hamlet would in fact not make an adequate monarch, for he lacks the three essential elements of an effective leader: initiative, a clear sense of direction, and responsibility. The importance of these elements is evident in real-world applications as well. Various sources strongly indicate that such three factors are of great significance, along with other elements, when differentiating a leader from adequate and great. Leaders are everywhere in our everyday lives. From teachers to principals, from student club Presidents to CEOs, and from the head of the household to the President of the United States, all authoritative figures require the fundamental elements of initiative, sense of direction, and responsibility in order to achieve success in any endeavours, as these three basic factors allow leaders to build upon other necessary components of an effective leader in order to achieve their finest level of leadership.