What cause Ophelia's madness?

Ophelia's Madness. 13 Replies. by Sam Ruck (Circle 5). Ophelia in the fourth act of Hamlet is demonstrably insane, but the direct cause of her slipped sanity is something that remains debatable. read more

There are a variety of ways to approach this answer. I try to approach such questions by taking into consideration the historical context of the play. First, I won’t comment on modern understandings of psychology. read more

When Hamlet decides to feign madness as part of his plot to entrap Claudius, he vehemently rejects Ophelia, who herself is knowingly letting the conversation happen in front of spies. Shortly after this, Hamlet murders Ophelia's father Polonius. read more

Ophelia’s random singing was the first sign of madness when I first read it because instead of trying to save herself from drowning she was just calmly singing and letting the heavy water pile on top of her and her clothing. read more