@article{181d9bfe8e5e49f0b556500df94153a7,
title = "The Hamlet Syndrome",
abstract = "Bringing together legal, literary, and cultural studies, this article builds from a close reading of madness in William Shakespeare{\textquoteright}s play Hamlet to some psycho-social theories of malingering and the insanity defense in the modern United States. The basis of these theories is the notion that feigned madness – whether purposeful malingering or a failed insanity defense – often signifies actual madness of a lesser sort. When someone is found to be “faking it,” however, that discovery can result in a widespread assumption of mental health in the person on trial, an assumption that often turns out to be wrong.",
keywords = "Hamlet, Shakespeare, crime, diminished capacity, forensic psychiatry, insanity defense, law and literature, madness, malingering, mental illness",
author = "Wilson, {Jeffrey R.} and Fradella, {Henry F.}",
note = "Funding Information: Dr. Fradella thanks Dr. Wilson for inviting him to be a part of this interesting project at the intersection of law and literature. Dr. Fradella dedicates his contributions to this article to Dr. SunHee Kim Gertz, Professor of English extraordinaire at Clark University, Worcester, MA. In 1987, Dr. Gertz taught a seminar entitled “Introduction to Literature and Composition” in which Dr. Fradella was fortunate enough to be a student. Hamlet was one of the plays Dr. Gertz taught to her students that semester. SunHee, you not only inspired me to appreciate Shakespeare, but also taught me how to be a better writer – a skill that has served me well in all I do. Thank you for being the type of professor who made me want to be one myself. My respect for you as a teacher and scholar is matched only by my love for the wonderful person you are. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2016.",
year = "2020",
month = feb,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/1743872115626076",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "16",
pages = "82--102",
journal = "Law, Culture and the Humanities",
issn = "1743-8721",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "1",
}