Comparison of Madness and Sanity in Hamlet and Death of a Salesman Essa

Comparison of Madness and Sanity in Hamlet and Death of a Salesman Could anyone really determine whether or not a person is mad or sane? In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman each of their two main characters, Hamlet and Wily Loman, are put up to this question, but in each situation their so-called madness differs in the cause of them. The ways in which their madness affects their lives is proven by three actions. These actions are neglecting their responsibilities, negatively influencing others, and finally distracting themselves. It is really never determined whether or not Hamlet and Willy are really mad, but there is some good details that reflect it. Both characters were once respectable, yet now they are neglecting responsibilities that they have. Hamlet, we first learn, is an intelligent student. Now by the end of the play he neglects to do what he is supposed to. The first thing he should have done is avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. He has many chances in which he could, but doesn’t do it. Is he maybe questioning the the validity of the ghost or is his conscious getting to him. Then he starts losing track of what he should do and when he does do things he doesn’t care whether or not it is right. For example, the killing of Polonius. He killed him without a flinch. Finally when he does realize who he killed, he shows no remorse. Shouldn’t he have? He killed his love’s father. Maybe he doesn’t have a conscious or maybe from the trauma of his father’s death he’s not thinking right anymore. Now, Willy Loman in the beginning of Death of a Salesman is shown to be â€Å"not quite there† to the readers. He cannot keep his mind on the present, he ... ...struggle was long and finally tragic. Linda says, "A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man." Miller writes, "...this man is actually a very brave spirit who cannot settle for half but must pursue his dream of himself to the end.† Willy was so absorbed with being number one, so that’s all that mattered. And when he finally realizes that his son loves him and in a way holds him as number one, then he is content and can be at rest. By examining both Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, you see that they are not completely mad but maybe disillusioned. There are times when they can be fine and times when the madness overtakes them. So in determining whether or not they are mad would be a difficult task. Although the causes of their madness differs, the end of both are the same.