(Aside) "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." This particular line spoken by Polonius basically describes the entire play in merely nine words. He utters this while speaking to Hamlet only a few minutes after he discussed with Claudius and Gertrude his beliefs as to why Hamlet was acting insane. So then Hamlet walks in while reading a book and describes to Claudius that he is reading about old men with grey beards, wrinkled faces, weak thighs, and no wisdom, in which Polonius responds with the quote mentioned. Both of these men are indirectly talking about each other as Hamlet has no respect for Polonius and his lack of intelligence and Polonius knows that there is a reason why Hamlet is acting like a mentally unstable person. This line spoken by Polonius can apply to virtually any character in this play as an outsider would view them all as deranged.
This line most clearly speaks to Hamlet as he appears to react crazily after hearing about the true account of his father's death. However, he even tells some of his friends that he is going to be acting mad and for them not to worry because it is all part of his plan. For instance, the death of Polonius felt cruel as Hamlet was initially disappointed to find he was not Claudius instead of grief for the innocent life he had just taken. Hamlet was justified in his shock as he only wanted revenge for what Claudius did and is not a naturally dispassionate person. This was just a single account of Hamlet's strange actions in a play revolved around the rest of them in which all of them have explanations as well.
To many, the death of Ophelia appeared to be one with purpose. They believed that she committed suicide and immediately judged and looked down upon her for such actions. The majority of them, however, probably were not aware that her father was restraining her feelings for the man that so deeply loved her and was not allowing her to be herself. Soon after, Hamlet became crazy in the eyes of many and was even rude to his fair Ophelia who was distressed and confused about this man who she loved and who drastically changed for the worst. As if that wasn't heart-breaking enough, her father was then murdered and not by just anyone; Hamlet was responsible for the final stab that stopped his heart. All of this was just too much for Ophelia to take, her brother was now angrier than she could have ever imagined and she had no one else to turn to as the people she kept dearest were slowly evolving and turning against one another. She most likely felt abandoned and thought the only answer was to end her life as she had no one left, but to outsiders she was a weak girl undeserving of a proper Christian burial.
One would think that a man would be filled with grief the day after his brother's murder instead of celebrating and hosting a party. Many thought this to be strange of both Gertrude and Claudius, but they had their reasons. Both were guilty and responsible for Hamlet Sr.'s death, which is why they did not take any time to grieve. They were both extremely selfish individuals and resorted to the most gruesome option that would allow them to publicly be in love with the acceptance of the civilians and comfort of Elsinore. They did not kill Hamlet just for the fun of it, they wanted to be able to bask in each other's love and Claudius was thirsty for power. This is no justification for murder, but they did have a reason for their madness.
Each major character in this play is responsible for committing some type of crime, but none of them are just for the heck of it. They all believed that their actions made logical sense to them or else they would not have contracted them. The theme of this play is that everyone believes their own thoughts and opinions are justified if it makes sense to them. People do crazy things on a daily basis, but if you were to accuse them of being crazy, they would immediately accuse you of the same thing for thinking them to be. The characters in this play were not necessarily crazy, they simply experienced traumatic events that altered the way they thought and their judgment. They all were mad, but they all had their reasons.
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