Hamlet Alienation Analysis

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Hamlet is encumbered with securing retribution on his murdered father’s behalf from the King of Denmark, Claudius. In an effort to murder Claudius, Hamlet risks alienation occurring within multiple psychological parallels. The variants of indifference that risk Hamlet’s psychological sense of identity are his religion, his morals, his compatriots, his mother, and alienation from women.
Hamlet feels self-actualized from following religious principles of living. It is seen by Hamlet’s refusal to commit murder, thus preventing him from committing suicide. At the time, he felt like doing it to avenge his father’s death. Both murder and suicide are considered sins (Cahn, 1996, p. 97).
To be, or not to be- that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. (3. 1. 1749-52)
Hamlet is questioning if it worth living in such misery or not because he is encumbered with trying to avenge his father’s death every day. At this setting, Hamlet is self-destructive and risks alienation from his religion as he begins to think of suicide. If he were to kill Claudius, he would violate a central religious principle against murdering another human being. Although it is easy to dislike King Claudius for his actions, we wait and hope that he confesses his crimes but he never does (Stockton & Shakespeare, 2000, p. 09). Both suicide and murder would make Hamlet feel guilt by violating his religious quota, thus representing alienation at the level of his religious consciousness (Knights, 1966, p. 14). Hamlet has the duty to avenge his father by killing the murderer, the king, risking being alienated at a religious level.
Hamlet ...

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...with women in general. This tedium of women intimidates his sense of self because it is challenging. Hamlet, a heterosexual male, feels he is unable to carry on an ordinary sex life if he feels alienated by women (Cahn, 1996, p.91).
In seeking to eliminate Claudius, Hamlet risks emotional alienation. He would likely experience it on multiple levels. He would feel alienated of his connection of motherly love, womanly love, friendships, professional allies, compatriots, connection to his religion, and normative principles. The many different modes of alienation transpiring concurrently risk his intellectual sense of identity. With this awareness, he faces immense burden shaping his bizarre behavior, as well as his struggle with the gravity of his duty to remove Claudius. All of this surmounting from his basic concern of execution if he bids to assassinate Claudius.

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