Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex
Hamlet is the typical kind of son almost every father and mother would want: intelligent, loving, caring, strong and loyal. Yet, some scholars believe that he is just another emotional character, defying our eyes to think that his acts are innocent, when his real purpose is to take his mother for himself. This gives scholars, like Ernest Jones, the impression that Hamlet’s actions were encouraged by an Oedipus complex, characterized by feelings of intense rivalry with a father figure in regards to a mother’s spousal affection. Even though there are lines that can be interpreted to show that Hamlet may have had such a desire for his mother, when these lines are examined in the full context of the play, the proposal becomes absurd.
The concept of an Oedipus complex was formed by Sigmund Freud in the 1900’s. It is based on the play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles around 427 BC. In this play, Oedipus killed his father, the king of Thebes, and married his mother without knowing his relationship to either of them. The Oedipus complex states that “children experience a phase in their psychosexual development (the phallic stage) during which they experience positive feelings toward the parent of the opposite sex and feelings of rivalry toward the parent of the same sex” (Nicholi 24). In other words, children are sexually attracted to the parent of the opposite sex while feeling hostility to the other parent.
Hamlet does not have an Oedipus complex. Hamlet’s true father, Old Hamlet, is already dead once the play starts and there is no evidence that Hamlet had any rivalry with his father before the story begins. The only person who stands between Hamlet and his mother is h...
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...rds Claudius - only evidence of hate, rage, anger, and distrust. Upon observing all of these points within the play, it becomes far less reasonable that Hamlet had some sort of sexual desire for his mother, and far more reasonable that he simply wanted to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet’s actions, while as absurd as they may have seemed, were all motivated by the undying love of a son, not by the driving force of lust that some ambitious scholars have proposed.
Works Cited
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Nicholi, Dr. Armand M. The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.
Shakespeare, William. Shakespeare: The Complete Works. Ed. G. B. Harrison. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980.
Nicholi, A. M. (2002). The question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud debate God, love, sex, and the meaning of life. New York: Free Press.
The life of Hamlet is without a doubt very interesting, he suffers from unfortunate events in his time that are often major blows to his ego. His father dies while he’s away at college, Hamlet is next in line to be king until his “uncle-father” steals it from him; but it is to be known his “uncle-father” would not have stolen it if his “aunt-mother” hadn’t allowed it. It’s very apparent from the beginning of the play that he is very well obsessed with his mother and her doings. He harasses, humiliates, and abuses her because she has done such an unforgivable act by marrying Claudius. His thoughts and feelings towards his mother are very strong and well known, he even describes the odd pair as “little more than kin and less than kind.” That’s not all with Hamlet; his mother remarrying is just the tip of the iceberg so deeply rooted in the ocean of his emotions. His relationship with Ophelia is twisted, Hamlet goes through episodes of
Wadsworth, Frank W. "Shakespeare, William." World Book Online American Edition. Online Edition. Online. Netzero. 26 Mar 2002.
Sigmund Freud introduced the Oedipus complex, and his theory states that the individual suffers from a repressed sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex while having a rivalry with the parent of the same sex. Many people see a connection between Hamlet and Oedipus. They insist Hamlet is in love with his mother and this is why he wants to kill Claudius, Hamlet's uncle and Gertrude's new husband. They contend that Hamlet's "madness" is actually his repressed longing for his mother. Although Hamlet and Oedipus both kill their fathers, their actions are for different reasons. Hamlet loves his mother, but he is not in love with her or desire her sexually. The reason behind his anger towards Claudius is not due to feelings of jealousy, but because Claudius killed Hamlet's father, whom he loved dearly. Hamlet does not suffer from an Oedipal complex.
Both Oedipus and Hamlet are tragic heroes because they contains all the characteristics needed to be considered one. Hamlet is a prince that had to see his mother get married again after his father unexpectedly died. A ghost appears around the castle and he claims that he is the king. He also tells Hamlet that he was murder which causes Hamlet to become skeptical. In order to confirm what the ghost says he conducts some investigations. It’s through a play, “The murder of Gonzago,” that Hamlet is able to confirm that what the ghost told him was completely true. After Hamlet discovers this he has to decide whether to bring an end to Claudius or let him be. One can consider this to be one of Hamlet’s biggest flaw. Hamlet shows his indecisive side. Hamlet can’t make a decision quickly which eventually leads him towards his defeat and also the suffering of people he is close to. “To be, or not to be” (Shakespeare 1750). A famous quote from Hamlet, but what does it mean? The quote comes directly from a Hamlet’s speech on whether it is better to be alive or dead. Hamlet goes on and on like a broken record discussing if death is the most appropriate thing
Oddly, it appears that Gertrude possess more significance to Hamlet than one first anticipates. Her swift call to matrimony leads Hamlet into a spiraling quarry of depression and grieving. This mirrors the Oedipus complex. Gertrude sexually commits herself to Claudius causing Hamlet to feel a sense of jealousy and disappointment. In retaliation, he expresses his repressed desire of love through his unruly comments. He even goes as far as to say that the love is incestuous. Furthermore, in Act 3 scene 4, Hamlet confronts his mother directly in a closet. Addressing concern over her sexual actions, he exclaims “In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty” (III.iv.104-106). Not only does this quote show that Hamlet disapproves his mother’s marriage, but also that he believes Claudius is a wicked criminal. Aligning with the Oedipus complex, Hamlet strangely obsesses over his mother’s love life while viewing his uncle in
Clark, W. G. and Wright, W. Aldis , ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 1. New York: Nelson-Doubleday
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Hamlet shows much anger and disrespect to the women in his life. Ophelia’s believing her father’s words breaks Hamlets heart, being the reason for his treatment towards not just her but his mother. Ophelia
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespear. Othello. Dir. Grenblatt, Cohen, Howard, and Eisaman Maus. (second ed.) New York. 2008.
Hamlet’s love for his mother was the primary force that drove his life. Everything he did in some way revolved around his love for his mother. His love was unconditional in many ways, and at times it also became sexual. These sexual thoughts that ran thought his mind took charge of his emotion and ultimately his life. This Oedipus complex in the end was a tragedy in itself. As a result any person that got too close to his mother, like Claudius did, would make Hamlet become extremely jealous and make him get violent thought. It was the love for his mother that made him kill Claudius when she was alive. Hamlet knew that Claudius made her happy so deep down Hamlet knowing this was happy too.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia. Hamlet ends up deceiving everyone around him, and also himself, by putting on a mask of insanity. In spite of the fact that Hamlet attempts to act morally in order to kill his uncle, he delays his revenge of his fathers’ death, harming others by his irritating actions. Despite Hamlets’ decisive character, he comes to a point where he realizes his tragic limits.
Sigmund Freud, a brilliant psychologist, once theorized that a child will wish to kill one parent and sleep with the other of the opposite sex. This notion, known as the “Oedipus Complex”, is incredibly common in children, and often suppressed as an adult. It even plays a large part in shaping Shakespeare’s tragic character Hamlet. For centuries, scholars have studied Hamlet’s fascinating and sophisticated character in order to answer the question; what is stopping him from killing the uncle that murdered Hamlet’s father and now is married to his mother? Throughout the remarkably truthful play Hamlet, Hamlet’s desire for his mother can be explained easily by the Oedipus Complex, which causes him to hesitate when told to kill King Claudius.
There are many reasons why both of these characters are classified as tragic figures. First off Oedipus' fate was determined from birth, and no one knew Hamlet's fate. Oedipus's parents sent him off to be killed, and Hamlet's father was killed by his brother Claudius.
Hamlet is often seen as one of the most well known examples of an Oedipus Complex presented in literature. The reasons for this is probably because of the plot that resolves around the revenge that Hamlet has against his step-father Claudius and because of the relationship that Hamlet has with his mother that is loaded with sexual energy. Hamlet's love for his mother is especially exemplified by the Mel Gibson's interpretation of the infamous closet scene.