Oedipus Complex in Shakespeare's Hamlet Explained
This paper examines the presence of the Oedipus complex in Shakespeare's Hamlet, drawing on Freudian psychoanalytic theory to interpret Prince Hamlet's behavior and relationships. The paper provides a summary of the play's central plot before analyzing how Hamlet's unresolved oedipal feelings surface in his reluctance to avenge his father, his jealousy over his mother Gertrude's remarriage, his preoccupation with her sexuality, and his ambivalent courtship of Ophelia. Using sources including Freud's theory as applied by De Berg and Dolloff, the paper argues that Hamlet's inability to outgrow the Oedipus complex shapes his actions throughout the tragedy.
- Overview of Hamlet's Plot: Summary of Hamlet's central plot and characters
- The Oedipus Complex and Freudian Theory: Definition and controversy of Freud's Oedipus complex
- Hamlet's Relationship with Gertrude: Oedipal dynamics in Hamlet's bond with his mother
- Hamlet's Reluctance and Procrastination: How oedipal feelings delay Hamlet's revenge
- Hamlet's Relationship with Ophelia: Ophelia courtship as expression of oedipal conflict
- Conclusion: Oedipus complex as a key analytical lens for Hamlet
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What makes this paper effective
- It grounds literary analysis in a clearly defined psychological framework, explaining Freud's Oedipus complex before applying it to specific scenes and relationships in the play.
- It uses direct quotations from academic sources (De Berg, Dolloff) to support interpretive claims, lending credibility to a reading that might otherwise seem speculative.
- It covers multiple dimensions of the oedipal theme — the ghost, Gertrude's remarriage, Hamlet's hesitation, and the Ophelia relationship — showing how the complex pervades the entire tragedy rather than appearing in isolated moments.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied psychoanalytic criticism: it introduces a theoretical framework (the Oedipus complex as defined by Freud), explains its mechanics, and then systematically maps its components onto textual evidence from the play. This move — theory first, application second — is a foundational technique in literary criticism that allows the writer to interpret character motivation and plot structure through a coherent analytical lens.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a plot summary to orient the reader, then introduces the Oedipus complex as a theoretical concept. It proceeds through several thematically organized analytical sections — Hamlet's substitution of the ghost for his father, his procrastination, his jealousy over Gertrude's remarriage, his preoccupation with her sexuality, and his courtship of Ophelia — before closing with a brief conclusion. Each section builds on the last, accumulating evidence for the central argument that Hamlet never outgrew his oedipal attachment.
Overview of Hamlet's Plot
Hamlet is one of the greatest tragedies of all time, having been adapted into film and stage productions on numerous occasions throughout the past centuries. Aside from its enduring popularity, the play is also remarkable in that it enjoyed immense success immediately after it was written — a rare distinction among plays of its era.
Hamlet, known by its full title The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, remains a source of mystery and depicts scenes of love, passion, hatred, and madness. In the play, the real and the metaphysical realms coexist: certain characters encounter the ghost of the deceased King Hamlet. The ghost speaks to Prince Hamlet — the son of the deceased king — and informs him that he was poisoned by Claudius, his own brother, who has since become the new king and married Gertrude, the queen and Prince Hamlet's mother.
The ghost asks the prince to avenge the murder, and the prince promises to do so. In time, however, he comes to question both the truthfulness of the ghost's account and the ghost's true nature and intentions. These questions continue to fascinate readers to this day.
Prince Hamlet tests the guilt of the new king by staging a play that reenacts the murder of a king, then sets out to kill Claudius. By mistake, however, he kills Polonius, the lord chamberlain, indirectly causing Ophelia's suicide. In an effort to avenge the deaths of his father and sister, Laertes challenges Hamlet to a fencing match and poisons his sword. Claudius also prepares poisoned wine for Hamlet, in case Laertes should fail.
During the fencing match, both Hamlet and Laertes are wounded by the poisoned sword, and the prince becomes aware of the plot. Queen Gertrude accidentally drinks the poisoned wine, and Hamlet wounds his uncle and forces him to drink the poison as well. The final scene reveals four dead bodies; only Horatio — Hamlet's friend — survives to tell the story of the tragedy.
The story of Hamlet has been endlessly analyzed throughout the centuries, with emphasis placed on numerous elements: its popularity, the construction of its characters, the madness it portrays, its themes of incest, revenge, and moral transgression. Each leitmotif is intriguing in its own right, but the focus of this analysis falls on the presence of the Oedipus complex in the play.
References
De Berg, H. Freud's Theory and Its Use in Literary and Cultural Studies: An Introduction. Camden House, 2003.
Dolloff, L. "The Oedipus Complex." University of Vermont, 2006.
Hamlet: Shmoop Literature Guide. Shmoop University Inc., 2010.
"Oedipus Complex." Answers.com.
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