Hamlet Quote Essay

            “Though this be madness, yet there is method in't” now rephrased as “There is method in his madness” A line so short and simple but would reverberate forever in the minds of those who heard it. This famous line is said the character Polonius as an aside during his conversation with Prince Hamlet in Act II Scene II.  

This line reveals to the audience that a major character is discovering that Hamlet is not simply insane. Now that other characters in the story do not believe their original thoughts that the boy was losing it due to his grief and confusion Hamlet must change up his strategy. It can also be inferred Polonius the ever so wordy will pass this information onto Claudius and Gertrude. It is a clear indicator to the audience that Hamlet is not the confused and weak boy so many will say in reviews and poor analysis of him. He is a fairly static character set with a plan from the beginning only requiring he map out a course of action.

As for how this adds to the big picture of the story it serves as the summation of the entire story which is based on deceit and lies. The madness Hamlet exults is no more than a charade that continues until the death of the person who spoke the famous line. Once he kills Ophelia’s father the circumstance changes but the story does not. He is still like from early on pursuing his vengeance and trying to kill and damn Claudius.

Even before the first cold blooded act of homicide committed by the Prince the tone of the play grows darker as the scheme starts to become real. The deception was not all for naught as the supposed lunatic who is now depicted by the author through his actions and not mere details. Things from that point on become faster paced as Claudius now devises a plot to remove him from the country and eventually have him assassinated in England. Gertrude is frightened of her son who is now a murderer just like her newly wed husband.

In the end the quote, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in't” continues to be uttered and is known to most people even those that have not read Shakespeare. For Hamlet this marks a turning point for the storyline, characterization of Hamlet, and the tone of the play. From that point onward the play goes from Hamlet setting up his ambush to it rushing out of seemingly nowhere to until he can enact his revenge.