Hamlet Through Freud’s Eyes Intro Freud stresses that the beginning of a child’s life is very important due to the creation of the id, ego, and superego. The id is the instinctive part of the personality and serves to satisfy wants, the ego serves to mediate the ids wants into a realistic manner, and the superego takes into consideration the morals and norms of society while trying to control the id. In the play Hamlet, different characters represent these parts of the personality; King Cladius represents the id because of his instinctive desire to get whatever he wants even if it means murdering his own brother. Horatio represents the ego and Hamlet and his mother Queen Gerturde both have moments when they represent the superego. According …show more content…
It occurs during the phallic stage of the psycho-sexual development of the personality.”(“ Oedipus complex”) Many Freudian critics believe that Hamlet suffers from an unresolved Oedipus complex, which is easily justifiable due to the fact that Hamlet lost his father at a young age. According to Freud there is a point in all of our young lives where we desire our parent of opposite sex sexually and despise our same sex parent due to the fact that they have what we cannot have. Freudian critics argue that Hamlets desire to take his father’s place is perpetuated because he sees someone else, his Uncle Claudius, taking his fathers place. Hamlet is battling the same battle that everyone experiences during this phase but also struggles more intensely because he saw not only his dad have what he wants but his Uncle also taking what he desired. Hamlet idolized his father referring to him as Hyperion (the Sun King) and he wished to inherit and demonstrate all of the captivating and heroic traits of his father. Hamlets appreciation for his father and his unappreciative mentality for his Uncle can be seen in the text “Look here, upon this picture, and on this, The counterfeit presentment of two brother. See, what a grace was seated on this brow; Hyperion’s curls; the front of Jove himself; An eye
The use of attitudinal tones makes Hamlet react in a way that develops his character to dislike his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet’s opening statement in Act 1 Scene 2, displays a sarcastic tone and his inner struggles surrounding his mother’s remarriage shortly following the death of her former husband, which is considered incestuous in his perspective. He describes his uncle as “a little more kin and less than kind” (I.2.65) which displays hatred towards his uncle and emphasizes the discomfort in their relationship. There is outward conflict between them as there is tension in the air whenever Hamlet and King Claudius are present together. He first expresses suicidal thoughts in a melancholic tone, when he describes the corrupted world he lives in as an “unweeded garden/ That grows to seed; things to rank and gross in nature/ Possess it merely” (1.2.135-136) where he wishes his “too sullied flesh would melt,/ Thaw and resolve itself into dew” (1.2.129.) He expresses his disappointment in his mother for marrying too soon and describes his father as “So excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a satyr” (1.2.138-140.) He explains how his father was by far a better king than his uncle. This betrayal exposes Hamlet’s repressed feelings about his mother, and the impact of his father’s death is increased through his perceived betrayal to faithful marriage and family ties. His tone changes in Act 3, Scene 3 as he is now exposed to Claudius’ confession of being responsible for the
Sigmund Freud viewed madness of Hamlet in terms of an Oedipus complex (a sexual desire towards his mother). His insane wish to kill his father, his uncle who has taken the place of the father is because of this sexual desire. Polonius attributes Hamlet's madness through his rejection by Ophelia. Hamlet suffers from his strong ambition to succeed his father on the throne of Denmark. Reader doubts, however, his madness. Hamlet "claims to be pretending being mad, Claudius
Rothman expresses that “Freud thought that prudery and denial had for centuries prevented critics from acknowledging the play’s propulsive undercurrent, which, he believed, the new psychoanalytic vocabulary made it possible to acknowledge. “The conflict in ‘Hamlet’ is so effectively concealed,” he wrote, “that it was left to me to unearth it” (Rothman 5). However, it is important to note that although this literary analysis and theology is a valid breakthrough in how one views and acknowledges Hamlet, it is by no means an all-explanatory guide to the soul existence that is Hamlet. Rothman mistakes the Oedipus Complex (Freud theology regarding Hamlet) as the root of the play, arguing “the Oedipus complex provides the definitive interpretation of ‘Hamlet”. It is naive and arrogant to assume one definitive analysis technique (in this case psychoanalysis) as the majority of the play; in reality, it is the infinite number of analyzations spoken about by an infinite number of critics that make up the true meaning of Hamlet. In simpler terms, the true meaning is the decades of diversely collective thoughts, analysis, and ideas presented as the play’s
Her uncontrollable sexuality is the derivation of Hamlet's suffering. Gertrude "becomes the carrier of the nightmare" (259); she initiates Hamlet's quest to "free the masculine identity of both father and son from its origin in the contaminated maternal body" (261). In attempting to exculpate the masculine, Hamlet ultimately confuses and merges the two figures of paternity, Hamlet the Father and Claudius. Adelman suggests that as Hamlet tries to differentiate between the two loves of his mother, he confutes and "collapses" the two men into a single impression of masculine appetite (264). Hamlet, according to Adelman, cannot distinguish his father from his uncle because he identifies both men with "an appetite for Gertrude's appetite" (264). Sexual relationships define the drama's causality and Hamlet's perception. Adelman points out that because of Hamlet's lack of a distinct, "idealized" father he "relocat[es]" his identity-predicament in "the female body," in his mother (266-67). Adelman makes another reaching and defining statement when she claims that "this subjection of male to female is, I think, the buried fantasy of Hamlet, the submerged story that it partly conceals and partly reveals" (268).
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the obsession that titular character Hamlet has with the perfection of various aspects of his life leads to chaos and his tragic downfall. Hamlet’s obsession with the perfection of his plan, the perfection of his moral character, and the perfection of feminine sexual purity help contribute to his tragic fall as he started to lose his sanity and control of his life. His obsessions also created conflict with those around him, as his actions when confronted with his obsessions pitted other characters against him.
Hamlet’s insanity can be thought of as a tragedy or misconception of reality. The death of his father had shaped the first few impressions of his own persona as well as a new experience with his new aunt. As a result of his genius insanity prince Hamlet has devised a plan to make things more clear to the audience. “Hamlet’s behavior strikes the audience as abnormal on several occasions. For example, Hamlet seems to be really mad when he is in front of Ophelia in disordered clothes. He behaves as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of the horror”. As the progress of the play foreshadows a significant end to his insanity that he acts upon. As the play progresses throughout, Hamlet finds ways in order to give others the impression that he has lost his sanity from his “love” of Polonius’s daughter Ophelia. “(Ophelia)He grabbed me by the wrist and held me hard, then backed away an arm’s length and just looked at me, staring at me like an artist about to paint my
Freud suggests that hamlet is unable to avenge his father due to the fact that he has a stigma against himself in relation to his father’s murderer. This stigma being that Hamlet is unable to bring himself to the actual task of vengeance because he views himself no better than his father’s killer. With a deep internal belief that, who is he to take another man’s life in the name of vengeance when he would be just as bad by doing so and since he is already just as sinful based on prior experiences. This argument itself is a sound one and relates to the human nature aspect that Shakespeare tends to focus on; therefore, Freud’s argument is believable.
Throughout William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet with the same types of behaviors and frustrations in humans that Sigmund Freud saw at a much later date. When the relationship between Hamlet and his mother is analyzed Freud's oedipal complex theory comes to mind. The oedipal complex is a theory created by Freud that states that "The child takes both of its parents, and more particularly one of them, as the object of its erotic wishes."(51) Because of this desire to be with the parent of the opposite sex, a rivalry is formed with the parent of the same sex. In the play, Hamlet shows great hostility toward his uncle Claudius because his mother's remarriage to him. Hamlet sees his mother's remarriage as disgusting
Hamlet is not only angered with the fact of his father’s death, but also with his mother’s decision to marry Claudius. Devastated by his mother’s decision to marry so soon after her husband’s death, Hamlet becomes skeptical about women in general. He shows a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection with female sexuality and moral corruption. He almost develops hatred towards women because of his mother’s decision. This hatred occurs and is shown with his relationship with Ophelia. He urges Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than experience the dishonesty of sexuality. This hinders Hamlet from experiencing a love that is really needed at this time of his loss. One can say that this is another flaw, which Hamlet is unaware of.
Hamlet is a young man who has become crazy from his trials and tribulations in life. He lost his father due to his uncle murdering them and then had to watch his mother marry the killer. Hamlets insanity can be demonstrated by his crude language and disregard for the well being of his mother. It can also be shown by his depression, which causes him to second guess everything including his life and finally his love, Ophelia helps to justify his absurdness by acting as a mirror. His foolish behavior worries many in the kingdom and creates a hostile and paranoid environment for those around. While some in the castle may believe that Hamlet is putting on an act, he proves that he is mad through his violet actions, his mental health and Ophelia.
Throughout William Shakespeare’s classic play, Hamlet, it is very clear that the Prince of Denmark suffers from severe parental problems. These problems bear a stark resemblance to those borne by Oedipus, the classic staple of Greek mythology. The similarities, however, end and begin with an unhealthy obsession towards the mothers of each character and a distinct distaste towards the father that would border on hatred. Oedipus is, due to childhood experiences that were uncontrollable to him, largely unaware of these issues and even takes steps to disprove them. Hamlet, on the other hand, finds himself in this situation due to circumstances that he encounters later in life. While both Hamlet and Oedipus have very unnatural and unusual
Hamlet is describing his father when he says, “See, what a grace was seated on this brow? /Hyperion’s curls, the front of Jove himself, /An eye like Mars to threaten and command, /A station like the herald Mercury.” He compares his father to gods, and declares he had similar features to some of them and possessed skills of others. These comparisons to see his father with respect and admiration makes him appear like a god person, while on the other hand, the way he describes his uncle is less divine.
(1) Hamlet’s feelings can no longer be helped back. He wants to be with his mother. Two of the Queen’s character traits that cause Hamlet to have these feelings would be her sensual nature and her fondness so her son. Hamlet misinterpreted Gertrude’s love for him as a sexual desire, instead of the maternal love that she has for him. Even though Hamlet felt what his mother was doing with Claudius as wrong, he still had considerable respect for her.
Hamlet, the title character and protagonist of the play, fits the constraints of suffering from an Oedipus complex. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, explained it as “a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex and a concomitant sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex” (“Oedipus complex”). This fixation is normal in infantile children, and if parents “were neither excessively prohibitive nor excessively stimulating,” it passes by harmoniously. However, in the presence of trauma, an “infantile neurosis” can occur, and an individual can relapse into a now unhealthy obsession with their parent of the opposite sex (“Oedipus complex”). For Hamlet, the sudden murder of his father was traumatic enough; but coupled with his mother’s hasty remarriage to her brother-in-law, he relapsed in such an infantile state. “As if increase of appetite had grown,” Gertrude’s sexual drive rushed her into a marriage “with such dexterity to incestuous sheets” (i.ii.129-158). Damning the relationship for it spreading “compost on the weeds/To make them ranker,” Hamlet plainly tells his mother to stop sleeping with Claudius as it makes her sins even more offensive (iii.iv..165-177). His inappropriate fixation on his mother and her sex life leads to a jealousy and hatred of Claudius, which leads to Hamlet’s desires of killing his uncle which often overpower his senses (3.3.77-83). These emotions entangle the young prince, however, and he struggles with acting on his feelings.
Hamlet is one the best known works of Willian Shakespeare, a play that emphasizes revenge, as one of the major topics . The main character hamlet is driven by all of this revenge matter , and ends up physically killing 2 people, Claudius and Polonius, as well as indirectly causing the deaths of 5 other characters throughout the play. It is a Play that leaves us with uncertainty and doubts , we can go either way, we could see hamlet as a protagonist who seeks justice for his father’s murder or an antagonist, because let 's be realistic it is a bit extreme all the deaths he cause just to avenge one person. I chose to look at hamlet through the psychoanalytic criticism scope. I will attempt to demonstrate how his id, ego, and super ego influenced In his behavior and decision on murdering his uncle, and the problems he confronted while attempting to accomplish his fathers will to do so. Hopefully, we can make a decision after being presented hamlet through this new perspective.