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Here in Elsinore Castle, reports of Hamlet's descent into madness have been circulating. Hamlet, who recently returned to Denmark from his studies in Wittenberg, has been dealing with both the death of his father and his mother's subsequent marriage. Previous reports have Hamlet expressing disgust with how quickly his mother re-married following his father's death, with Hamlet going as far as to suggest that, "The funeral bak'd meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables." Further angering Hamlet is that his new step-father is in fact his late father's brother, Hamlet's uncle.

But the latest rumors about Hamlet's behavior have many questioning if all this recent trauma hasn't had a more lasting effect on the royal child. We caught up with Hamlet's longtime friend, Rosencrantz, who had this to offer:

VOT: He just isn't acting like himself. He seems paranoid, going as far as to accuse Guildenstern and me of conspiring with the King. Plus, much of what he says is nonsensical. Just the other day he referred to Denmark as a prison. I don't understand a lot of what he's saying.

Not all are convinced that Hamlet's madness isn't some sort of complex ruse, however. Polonius, an advisor to the King, suggested:

VOT: "Though this be madness, yet there is a method in't."

With friends and family congregating in the castle this evening for a performance of "The Mousetrap," Hamlet's behavior will continue to be the focus of many. Reporting from Denmark, this is Ben Sawyer. media type="file" key="Hamlet News Report.wav"

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