ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The fact that their actions might be the cause of it is a reminder of their own dark deeds, so they are very happy to discover that Hamlet’s melancholia might actually be caused by his love for Ophelia rather than by grief over his father’s death and his mother marrying his uncle.

Detailed explanation-2: -Hamlet’s melancholy is also displayed by his overwhelming, all-encompassing emotion for any mood that is currently concerning him. Foremost is the death of his father, after which he sinks into a deep depression that traps his mind and spirit for the remainder of the play.

Detailed explanation-3: -At the start of the play, Hamlet was inundated with a sadness that could only be the consequence of the murder of his father. William Shakespeare uses examples of Hamlet’s sadness from his father’s death to directly characterize Hamlet as a victim of excessive melancholy.

Detailed explanation-4: -Polonius says that Hamlet must be mad with his love for Ophelia, for she has distanced herself from him ever since Polonius ordered her to do so. Polonius speculates that this lovesickness might be the cause of Hamlet’s moodiness, and he hurries out to tell Claudius of his idea.