Sane or mad: that is the question. How can a person understand whether another individual is truly crazy or is simply pretending to be crazy? This question is hotly debated in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. As part of his plan for revenge against his uncle Claudius, Hamlet pretends to be mad. In this state of mind Hamlet does not appear as a threat and avoids arousing the king's suspicions. Some people believe that Hamlet slips into madness while pretending to be mad; others believe that Hamlet remains sane. Even as a depressed actor mimicking a state of madness, Hamlet continues to subtly demonstrate rational behavior throughout the entire play. Depression, according to some, can turn into madness if left untreated. After hearing from Ophelia an account of Hamlet's peculiar behavior, Polonius comes forward first to call Hamlet mad (Ham. 2.2.108). The king and queen take Polonius' word for it and never draw their own conclusions about Hamlet's behavior. No one takes the time to realize that Hamlet's words and actions show intelligence. Furthermore, most individuals diagnosed as schizophrenic are not violent. Instead, diagnosed individuals tend to exhibit symptoms including nonsensical speech, feeling indifferent, a change in personality, withdrawal from social situations, inability to sleep, irrational anger toward loved ones, and bizarre behaviors (“Schizophrenia…”) . Throughout the play, Hamlet displays these symptoms. Some may be due to his depression; but as an actor, he could easily fake many of the symptoms. A more effective method for discerning mental status would benefit more individuals and assist the justice system in today's world by allowing for more accurate sentences. An individual's mental health determines how others treat that individual. For example, a murderer might plead insane – as in the case of the Kalamazoo Uber driver shooting – and possibly receive a “lesser” sentence. Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, but the King does not punish him, partly because he attributes the act of violence to Hamlet's madness (Hamlet 4.1.35). If dangerous criminals can “escape” the law based on their mental stability, it is necessary to create a definitive method for determining one's mental state. In Hamlet's case, the multiple instances of rational behavior proved to be the crucial dividing point between the sane and the mad. A correctly diagnosed individual could not be sane one minute and crazy the next, as if on a whim. Hamlet showed this “crossing” of the boundaries of mental health and proved to be completely healthy, simply depressed. The presence of rational behavior is what gives the final judgment on an individual