Hamlet’s Strategy Over the centuries, the topic of Hamlet’s madness has been the subject of speculation and debate. Is Hamlet really crazy? Or is he just pretending to be crazy? Hamlet answers this question himself by telling Horatio that he will “put an antic disposition on” (1.5.173), meaning that he will pretend to be crazy. So he does, and aside from his true friends everyone around him believes that he has lost his mind, i.e., “gone mad.” The more important question to ask is “what’s Hamlet’s strategy?” Hamlet’s strategy to feign madness is a carry over from the original Norse legend, where the young Prince Amleth leads everyone to believe that he’s crazy and stupid while he figures out how to overthrow his evil uncle Feng, who murdered his father and took the throne that rightfully belongs to Amleth. In the “Amleth” story, which was probably Shakespeare’s main source for “Hamlet,” Amleth’s father is killed by his uncle in front of the entire court. Everyone saw it. The expectation was that when Amleth came of age he would murder his uncle and take the throne that is rightfully his. Amleth’s father is killed when Amleth is only a young boy of seven or eight, and therefore incapable of being a formidable threat to anyone. Naturally, Feng kept close watch on Amleth as he grew up. What he noticed was the child was a buffoon, a stupid clown, and kind of crazy too. During the rest of Amleth’s childhood and teen years, he pretends to be crazy, spending his time whittling away with his little knife, thus leading his uncle to believe that he is a stupid, senseless boy 1