Throughout Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the theme of insanity plays a crucial role in the development of the protagonists’ personalities. Hamlet and Ophelia use the idea of insanity in different ways in order to justify their actions. While Hamlet decides to feign his insanity, Ophelia is truly insane. Moreover, the manner by which Hamlet and Ophelia externalize their insanity differs greatly. Hamlet pretends to be mad because he wants to avenge his father by killing his uncle and protect himself from the harm of Claudius. If Claudius finds out that Hamlet is aware that his father’s murder was at the hands of his uncle, he is in danger of befalling the same fate. Assuming a fake insanity, Hamlet finds an excuse to act impulsively while concealing his real motive, which is to take vengeance on his uncle Claudius. Contrastingly, Ophelia externalizes her real insanity by irrational thinking and nonsensical speaking. Ophelia’s rants are deemed ludicrous, as they do not appear to show grief for her deceased father. Moreover, her real insanity prevents her from taking action to avenge him. As a result, due to her mental state, she is unable to reason or take action, making her appear as a passive character. Regardless of the character’s externalization of insanity, both are initially pitied by the reader. Shakespeare opts to make the audience feel sympathy towards Hamlet and Ophelia as they are both suffering the great tragedy of losing their fathers. However, as the play continues, the audience is compelled to empathize more with Hamlet rather than Ophelia due to his ability to take action towards his uncle. Although his arrogance makes it difficult to relate to him, the readers are more understanding of his character as his actions to avenge his father are justifiable while Ophelia’s lack of action is not. Even though Hamlet is rash and impetuous at times, risking the audience’s allegiance, he ultimately gains their loyalty more adeptly through false insanity than Ophelia does through real madness. Ultimately, Shakespeare, by having Hamlet demonstrate an active role through his feigned insanity and Ophelia demonstrate a passive role through her real insanity, contrive it so the audience is more sympathetic to Hamlet than Ophelia. During Hamlet’s first interaction with the spirit of his father, the ghost commands Hamlet to, “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (2.1:26). Hamlet, having understood that his uncle murdered his father, decides, “to put on an antic disposition” (2.1:180-181). By pretending to be insane, Hamlet believes that he can simultaneously avenge his father by killing his uncle as well as protect himself from any harm Claudius may enact on him. Furthermore, Hamlet’s feigned insanity allows him to manipulate the supporting characters, as they do not doubt the validity of his m