In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, one of the most obvious and important themes is the theme of madness. The theme is evident throughout the play, primarily through the actions and thoughts of Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes. Insanity is defined as the quality or condition of mental illness or derangement (being mad). Madness is at the heart of the play's conflicts and problems and is conveyed through Shakespeare's elaborate use of manipulation and parallels between Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes to contribute to Hamlet's tragic character. All examples of madness begin and end with death. Hamlet's madness, or feigned madness, begins with the death of old Hamlet and the vision of his ghost, and Ophelia's madness begins with the death of her father Polonius. Laertes is another example of a character in the play that illustrates the theme of madness. Laertes' madness is also triggered by death. His madness becomes sudden and extreme with the thought of revenge for the death of his father, Polonius, and sister, Ophelia. Laertes goes mad with revenge because of all the lies and exaggerations Claudius feeds him. Ultimately, their many forms of madness get the better of them and result in their deaths either at the hands of another, or by their own hands. An example of Hamlet's madness is the way he mocks Polonius. He wouldn't normally do this because Polonius is older than him, so he would normally treat him with some respect, which he doesn't do after the sighting of Old Hamlet's ghost. The Ghost tells Hamlet of his murder, and to test the truth of what he is told, Hamlet takes on "an old-fashioned disposition." Hamlet manages to convince Polonius that he is inconsiderate towards others, knowing that by seeing this strange change in...... middle of the paper ...... the reader will notice the parallels between them and the differences compared to everyone else . . He also does it so we can see the input he has on the characters. The madness of each individual is not in itself realistic, but the idea that death, resentment and revenge can push someone to do things that seem crazy or push them to do things out of their nature. Overall, we see that the theme of madness has a significant impact on the conflicts and overall development of the work, as well as on the characters themselves and is successfully conveyed. Shakespeare developed a theme that ties together many important emotions and ideas to make the play what it is. He used Ophelia's pain and love, Hamlet's wit and meditative nature to convey a theme that could be related more to one character and tie all the conflicts and complications to a single cause..