Compare the way in which Shakespeare presents Hamlet's 'antic disposition' to the way Ophelia's madness is presented to us in Act IV.

... Compare the way in which Shakespeare presents Hamlet's 'antic disposition' to the way Ophelia's madness is presented to us in Act IV. In Hamlet, Shakespeare incorporates a theme of madness with two characters: one truly mad, and one only acting mad to serve a motive. To be able to compare true madness with feigned madness, we must first understand the term 'madness'. The Oxford English Dictionary defines madness as 'mentally ill or deranged, having a disordered mind, a person acting wildly or foolishly.' Minski's book of psychiatry defines madness as 'a mental deficiency or sub-normality where the patient is handicapped by an intellect of intelligence that is inadequate for the ordinary needs of everyday life.' It goes on to say that 'as with other illnesses, patients with mental illnesses have symptoms. They include phobias, apprehensions, suicidal feelings, insomnia, and loss of intellect, loss of energy, unpleasant delusions and hallucinations.' With these definitions,

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