To put an antic disposition on.
– William Shakespeare
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5. When Hamlet swears Horatio and Marcellus to silence, he then tells them of his plan to feign madness. So is Hamlet’s madness throughout the play an act, a lie, or is he really crazy? While his madness may at times appear to be a ruse, and Hamlet tells us it is, many believe it to be so convincing that he did actually descend into madness.