Oedipal Complex in Hamlet Essay - 1069 Words

Hamlet and the Oedipal Complex In Shakespeares Hamlet, the title characters main, and only flaw, is his delay. This seems to constitute the central part in Hamlet. By the definition of tragedy, there should exist a flaw in the character of the main hero, who is a great personality that is engaged in a struggle that ends catastrophically. Various reasons for Hamlets delay are given. Important issues like madness, melancholy and cowardice are discussed, but the evidence reveals that he is capable of swift action, we deem him as an intelligent man and can therefore conclude that he is only pretending madness. To regard him simply as suffering from melancholy is not a sufficient explanation as he is eager to avenge the†¦show more content†¦There are no attendants about. If Claudius and Gertrude are able to be alone, even for a few minutes, surely Hamlet could have seized an opportunity to kill Claudius, simply by having the Queen sent away. There is another reason why Hamlet delays killing Claudi us, and Hamlet himself is not even aware of it. Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology, was first to accredit Hamlets delay to his Oedipal complex. Freuds discovery of the Oedipal complex is based on Sophocles Oedipus Rex. In this drama, Oedipus unknowingly murders his father and sleeps with his mother. Through his research, Freud discovered that all men unconsciously desire to sleep with their mother. Freud also discovered that the human mind is composed of three distinct personalities--the id, ego, and the superego. Claudius represents Hamlets id, the part of Hamlet that desires to sleep with Gertrude. King Hamlet, however, represents Hamlets superego, the part of his mind that seeks to control his id, or his desire to sleep with Gertrude. Because King Hamlet died at the hands of Claudius, Hamlets id is gaining strength. This is what makes it impossible for Hamlet to kill Claudius. The strength of his id is stronger than his superego, especially since his superego (King Hamlet) is dead. The strength of Hamlet s id is quite apparent in the scene between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet is criticizing Gertrude for herShow MoreRelated No Oedipal Complex Found in Hamlet Essay1150 Words   |  5 Pages No Oedipal Complex Found in Hamlet nbsp; Some scholars have interpreted Hamlets actions throughout Hamlet to be the Oedipus complex.nbsp; According to the story of Oedipus, Laius, his father, learned from an oracle that Oedipus would kill him.nbsp; Laius then left his son to die on a mountain, where he was found and raised by the King of Corinth.nbsp; Oedipus was also told that he would someday kill his own father, and fled Corinth because he believed that the King of Corinth was his realRead MoreOedipus Relationship Between Hamlet and Gertrude1224 Words   |  5 PagesThe Oedipal Relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude Throughout William Shakespeares Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet with the same types of behaviors and frustrations in humans that Sigmund Freud saw at a much later date. 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Shakespeareamp;#8217;s play about the Prince of Denmark shows the beginning of an Oedipal ComplexRead MoreEssay on Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex1319 Words   |  6 Pages When examining Hamlet through the lens of the Oedipus complex, it is critical to first define and thoroughly explain the Oedipus complex, then to apply it to Hamlets relationships, before a final conclusion is reached. The Complexities of the Complex Before one can understand the Oedipus complex, one must understand Sigmund Freuds theory on infantile sexuality. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy points out that the roots of Freuds theory can be found