"Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do their bounds divide." Though this quote of John Dryden's was not conceived with respect to William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it relates very well to the case of whether or not Hamlet was actually insane.

When a character the likes of Hamlet is under scrutiny, it is sometimes difficult to determine what state he is in at particular moments of the play. However, this author would summarize Hamlet as essentially the quintessential impractical male, who has waded through the obscure lakes of internal and external conflicts with optimal effect. All of his enigmatic utterances, his crass behavior toward Ophelia, and other such passages con be explained as being part and parcel of his feigned madness.

"I am mad north-north-west." Hamlet admits to his lack of sanity. Anyone who heard that would agree with him in an instant. However...