Gertrude’s Hamlet
In Hamlet, one of the most important and well-known tragedies of Shakespeare, it can be said that Hamlet is suffering from an internal complex called Oedipus Complex. Throughout the play we can see its clues in Hamlet’s behaviours.
The definition of Oedipus Complex is simply this: it is a subconscious sexual desire in a boy for his mother, and hostility to the father figure. We see its details in Freud’s work, The Interpretation of Dreams (1900). Freud was inspired from Greek Myth of Oedipus, who killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta. According to Sigmund Freud it occurs at around five years old. At around three years old , children undergo the phallic stage. Yet there is no difference between boys and girls. At around five or six, the child enters into the Oedipus complex. Dr. James J. Rue and Louise Shanahan explains this situation like this:
“ Hidden within each of us is a yearning for the love-security we found in our childhood relationship with Daddy or Mama. Why is it hidden? A partial answer might be that as adults we are embarrassed to admit that these yearnings from our childhood days still cling to us and influence our lives.
Throughout life, from the moment of birth until death, the image of Dady or Mama looms as a primordial force which determines all romantic episodes, all sexual encounters, our choice of a marriage partner or partners, and, to some degree, all other interpersonal relationships.
For the most part we are not conscious of this yearning, this endless quest. We tend to deny its existence and its impact on our sexual and marital choices.” (Rue, Shanahan, 1)
If a boy does not lose his lust for his mother although he is at an old age, he suffers from this complex. We can see examples in the play Hamlet. It provides and ideal situation of the Oedipal Complex; Prince Hamlet’s confused thoughts shows us his conflict with his mother. His character is vers complex and full of contradictions. He seems gentle but he acts weird towards the people who care him. He can not kill Claudius, the killer of Hamlet’s father and the second husband of his mother also his uncle. He is careful to develop a plan to kill Claudius, but he kills Polonius irrationally. He hates Claudius but he can not kill him because he has secret admiration in his mind, he wants to be in his place. To Hamlet, his mother has disgraced herself and Hamlet. Because of her love of his mother, he can not think normally. It is as if Hamlet’s Oedipal Complex comes to an abrupt halt. He delayed to kill Claudius because he could understand why Claudius wanted King Hamlet out of the way. For Hamlet too may had wished more than one time for that he could have his mother for himself. He also may have not wanted hurt his mother emotionally with killing Claudius.
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