Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex

William Shakespeares small town is a play ab surface indecision, apprehension, and inner turmoil. Hamlet, the main protagonist, struggles within himself, attempting to muster the courage to penalise his fathers death by the hand of the current great power, Claudius, who is besides his late fathers companion. There come along to be many possible reasons for Hamlets delay in doing so. However, the one theory that answers all the questions is that Hamlet was possessed by his own Oedipus entangled , that is, he was deeply in love with his own mother, Gertrude. This can be seen throughout the play in several ways.Hamlet was understandably upset over his fathers death, but he was much(prenominal) less angry nigh the loss than he was disgusted with his uncle. His girlfriend Ophelia was non his lover, the relationship was a cover-up for his true feelings. top executive Hamlets spirit was aware of this. When he finally gave his gentleness to Hamlet and Gertrude, he still did no n act against Claudius. And or so significantly, when Hamlet finally did take punish and murder Claudius himself, he only did so because he knew Gertrude would approve at that point. Hamlet did not seem angry with Claudius as much as he seemed disgusted.After Claudius marriage to Gertrude in the first act, Hamlet is clearly suicidal in his first soliloquy O, that this too too solid flesh would be partn Thaw and resolve itself into a dew Or that the Everlasting had not fixd His canon gainst self-slaughter O beau ideal God (I, 2, 129-132) However, the soliloquy is not astir(predicate) the loss of his father, or about Claudius taking the throne, but about his hurried marriage to Gertrude Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes, She married. O, most wicked speed, to postWith such dexterity to incestuous sheets It is not nor it cannot come to good But break, my intent for I must hold my tongue. (I, 2, 154-159) This undue preoccupation w ith Gertrudes personal life and suicidal tendencies lay out his self-hate and inner turmoil over his feelings for Gertrude, and the repressed desire to withdraw her for himself. It seems as if he had been privately delay for the inevitable death of his father for a long time, and was extremely bitter that Claudius married Gertrude before he had her to himself for any amount of time.Hamlets relationship with Ophelia was a guise put up for 2 reasons Firstly, a cover-up for Hamlets inappropriate feelings for Gertrude, and secondly, a sexual release for Hamlet. Whether Hamlet consciously realized this or not, he showed displays of love for Ophelia when he felt he was obligated, such as when he jumped into her grave, but when the two of them were together in private, he did not extend her as one should treat a significant other. It was seen how Hamlet treated Ophelia in private when he spoke to her in the fastness You should not have believed me for virtue cannot o inoculate our ol d stock but we shall relish of it I loved you not. (III, 1, 118-120) Get thee to a nunnery why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. (III, 1, 121-128) He told her, essentially, that he never loved her and discourages her from breeding immoral beings corresponding himself.It seems that he may have begun to realize his complex around this point, and while he cared for Ophelia enough to probe and let her go, he did not love her enough to continue the guise. However When Hamlet was in the cemetery in Act 5 Scene 1, he speaks matter-of-factly about death and dying with Horatio No, faith, not a jot but to follow him thither with modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it as thus black lovage died, Alexander w as buried, Alexander returneth into dust the dust is earth of earth we make loam and why of that loam, whereto he as converted, might they not stop a beer-barrel? Imperious Caesar, dead and turnd to clay, Might stop a jamming to keep the wind away O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe, Should patch a wall to relinquish the winter flaw (V, 1, 192-202) He seems apathetic towards the bodies in the graveyard, and even after Ophelias corpse was brought to the grave, he did not react until Gertrude said Sweets to the sweet farewell I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlets wife I thought thy bride-bed to have deckd, sweet maid, And not have strewd thy grave. (V, I, 230-235)It was then that Laertes leapt into Ophelias grave, and presumably for the sake of attaining Gertrudes approval, Hamlet did as well. His feelings for Ophelia were of lower priority than pleasing his mother. He stayed with Ophelia for a sexual release, and when Ophelia found out that Hamlet did not love her and what he was using her for, she went mad. The songs she sang before the time of her death were about her dead father, Polonius He is dead and gone, lady/He is dead and gone/At his head a grass-green turf/ At his heels a stone, (IV, 5, 34 37). I hope all will be well.We must be patient but I/ cannot choose but weep, to think they should lay him/ i the cold ground. My brother shall know of it (IV, 5, 73 75). This shows how Ophelia was consumed and eventually driven to madness and suicide by the influence of controlling manpower over her life Hamlet was the catalyst to her destruction. King Hamlets spirit seemed to be well-aware of the character of Hamlets love for Gertrude. While the ghost did come back to ask Hamlet to avenge him, there was an underlying implication that he was conscious of Hamlets true feelings, and disapproved of them. So to make believe won to his shameful lust The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen (I, 5, 48-50) King Hamlet stated throughout the scene several times that his love for Gertrude was dignified, and that he was against incest in Denmarks royal bed. However, when speaking about incest, he never specifically says that he only means Claudius. Throughout the play, Hamlet showed an indecent affaire in Gertrudes sex life. It is highly irregular for a son to go into such pictorial detail when expressing his unhappiness with Gertrudes choice in partners.Hamlet actually says to Gertrude Nay, but to live In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stewd in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty (III, 4, 91-94) This outburst seems unnecessarily sexually explicit. Hamlets preoccupation with Gertrudes personal life is strange, given that he could have addressed the situation with critique of Claudius leadership or Gertrudes marriage without the graphic imagery. In the tertiary scene, Hamlet is invited into Gertrudes closet, a strangely intimate situation for mother and son, and speaks with her about her marriage to Cl audius.King Hamlets ghost appears and tells Hamlet to Step between her and her fighting soul (III, 4, 113) presumably further Hamlet to help her put an end to her relationship with Claudius. However, Hamlet is still scared to act, as he says Do not look upon me Lest with this piteous live up to you convert My stern effects then what I have to do Will want true color. (III, 4, 129-132) Hamlet meant that he was afraid to eliminate Claudius, because he was afraid of the desire deep within him to consummate his relationship with Gertrude, which he knows that his father would definitely not approve of.This shows the conflict between his own complex and his respect for his father The cause of his delay of action throughout the entire play. The time when Hamlet finally acts and murders King Claudius is when Gertrude, after drinking poisoned wine that had been think for Hamlet, was dying and realized that Claudius had done. Despite his contempt for Claudius and respect for his father, Ha mlet had always been hesitant to murder the King because deep inside, he was more desperate for his mothers approval than he was his fathers.As these instances show, Hamlet had a deep love for his mother, Gertrude, on platonic, maternal, and sexual level. It was Hamlets own Oedipus Complex, the neurosis that turned maternal love into a silent competition with his own father for her complete love, that kept him for so long from murdering Claudius to avenge his father. It seems as if Shakespeare knew enough about the workings of the human mind to experience the Oedipus theory long before Sigmund Freud or the science of psychology itself even existed.