Answer: Shakespeare used ecstasy to mean insanity, madness.
It occurs very often in Hamlet with this meaning; in Macbeth
and elsewhere. Used now as an expression of
intense feeling, joy, or grief.
Mertins, Emma. Shakespeare Examinations. Ed. William Taylor Thom, M. A. Boston: Ginn and Co., 1888. Shakespeare Online. 10 Aug. 2010. (date when you accessed the information) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet/examq/twentythree.html >.
