Hamlet, the titular character of William Shakespeare's play, is a deeply troubled individual. His inner turmoil and indecision contribute to the tragic events of the play, making him a prime candidate for psychoanalysis. Through the lens of psychoanalysis, we can explore the complexities of Hamlet's psyche and better understand his motivations and actions.
One of the central themes of psychoanalysis is the concept of the unconscious mind. According to Freud, the unconscious mind is the part of the psyche that contains the thoughts, memories, and desires that are outside of our conscious awareness. It is believed to be the source of our motivations, drives, and conflicts. In the case of Hamlet, his unconscious mind is filled with deep-seated conflicts and desires that are at odds with his conscious thoughts and actions.
One of the primary conflicts in Hamlet's unconscious mind is his desire for revenge. When Hamlet learns that his father, the King of Denmark, has been murdered by his uncle, Claudius, he is consumed by a desire for revenge. However, Hamlet is plagued by indecision and procrastination, leading him to delay his revenge for months. According to Freud, this delay is due to Hamlet's Oedipus complex, a psychological conflict in which a son desires his mother and feels jealousy and rivalry towards his father. In Hamlet's case, his desire for revenge is tied to his unconscious desire for his mother, Queen Gertrude, who has married Claudius, the man who killed Hamlet's father.
Another key element of psychoanalysis is the role of the ego, which is the part of the psyche that mediates between the demands of the unconscious mind and the demands of reality. In Hamlet's case, his ego is unable to effectively balance the demands of his unconscious mind with the demands of reality. This leads him to act out in irrational and destructive ways, such as pretending to be mad and causing chaos at the court.
In conclusion, through the lens of psychoanalysis, we can gain a deeper understanding of the motivations and actions of the character Hamlet in Shakespeare's play. His unconscious mind is filled with conflicting desires and his ego is unable to effectively balance these demands with the demands of reality, leading to his tragic end.
Psychoanalysis of Hamlet
On one hand, in the play, the Id can be illustrated by his desire to be with her mother, but also by the desire to kill Claudius. They kiss often and in Act three, Scene four, to a certain extent, Hamlet expresses his feelings for his mother by making sexually allusions. Hamlets lack of cognitive reasoning ultimately conflicts with his short-term plans as Hamlet is sent away from the kingdom by the man who he is trying to murder. Here, Hamlet is calling Polonius a fishmonger. Psychoanalytic criticism is a type of literary criticism that analyzes and classifies many of the forms of psychoanalysis in the interpretation of literature.
Psychoanalysis Of Hamlet
To examine Hamlet through a psychological perspective, one must use knowledge of behavioral psychology, which is the study of behavior that reveals inner thoughts. Secondly, Hamlet's superego believes that moral standards and religious norms should also be observed as they buffer against his incentive of revenge. A therapy of neurosis inspired from the above method; 3. Jones asserts that Hamlet is not naturally wavering, but in fact that the killing of Claudius is the only action which he does not carry out swiftly and resolutely, and has been held back from that action by introspection and the invisible force of his unconscious, Weller 120 , which Olivier makes every attempt to portray. In this way, his ego needs to balance his id which reaches the extremum and persuades the superego to kill Claudius.
Psychoanalysis Of Hamlet Essay
Ironically, out of the love he still has for his mother, he yields her request to remain at the court. This is, however, an illusion since Ophelia obeys her monarch and her father. At this part in the play, it is extremely difficult for Hamlet to differentiate between his mother and Ophelia. The so-called 'closet scene' is a pivotal scene in Hamlet. The former one focuses on id, ego and superego; the latter one roots in his experience of the stages of grief after the death of his father. Hamlet, too, has several symptoms to suffer from Oedipus Complex. Shakespeare Hamlet is clinically depressed and overwhelmed by the troubles in his life.
Psychoanalysis of Hamlet Essay: Free Essay Example, 1226 words
That caused the feeling of guilt. In analyzing Hamlet, the Oedipus Complex is clearly apparent to the reader. Hold, hold, my heart, and you, my sinews, grow not instant old, but bear me stiffly up. Bingshan Liu,22-24 Hamlet, exemplifies this in that instead solely focusing on his private desires, he is also thinking about the fate of the country. Hamlet uses this play as an opportunity to be 100% sure that Claudius in fact killed his father which proves that he is a cautious guy.
