Look back at Act IV scene v to read over Ophelia's interactions with Claudius and Gertrude as well as Laertes. Then, compare her dialogue to Hamlet's dialogue and soliloquies previously analyzed in Acts I-IV. What is Ophelia's state of mind versus Hamlet's?

Answer: When Hamlet becomes sane again, it is Ophelia that goes mad.

Explanation:

In the play, Hamlet has lost his father and is mourning over his death. He encounters the ghost of his father, which tells him that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet decides to act as a mad man, to revenge his father.

Hamlet's madness is demonstrated in his soliloquies and dialogues. In Act I, Scene V, Hamlet reveals that he is going to ''To put an antic disposition on'' - to act a little crazy. This is exactly what he does in Acts I-IV, and other characters, including his uncle, notice the change in his behavior. Hamlet makes silly remarks, such as "I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw." In Act IV, however, it seems that Hamlet and Ophelia switch roles. Ophelia becomes mad due to her father's death - she sings sad songs, and Claudius notices that she is driven mad by her loss. Hamlet's sanity has returned, while Ophelia has lost her own.