In two paragraphs, respond to the questions below.
How does the tone
of a piece reflect an author’s attitude towards the subject? How does the tone
change from Act 1 to Act 2? How does the suspense rise at the end of Act 2?
What is “madness”?
How do you believe madness would have been treated in Hamlet’s time? How can
guilt or uncertainty lead a character into madness?
From Act 1 to Act 2, the tone begins to become more serious towards Hamlet's urge for revenge on his uncle, Claudius, most likely in the form of murder. Also, Polonius begins to think that Hamlet is deeply in love with his (Polonius's) daughter, Ophelia because when Hamlet does to see her, he looks horrible and acts in a weird manor, when he had actually just seen the ghost of his father. Madness is when a person begins to act in a different, sometimes extreme manor of insanity. I think that in Hamlet's time, insanity would have probably been treated by having him thrown in jail, or maybe even killed. Guilt or uncertainty can lead a character into madness by making them question the events that had originally led to their feelings of guilt or uncertainty.
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