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.
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.
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.
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.
The Oedipus complex is one of the most widely discussed concepts in both academic scholarship and popular culture, inspiring debate in literature and the arts alike. The central idea of the complex is that boys secretly desire to sexually possess their mothers and to eliminate their fathers. For this reason, it is also one of the most criticized theories in psychoanalysis.
"The Oedipus complex is probably Freud's best-known concept. It is also the most maligned concept in psychoanalysis. The idea that all boys secretly desire their mothers (and girls their fathers), that the bond between children and parents is to no small extent sexual in nature, is abhorrent to most people" (De Berg, 2003).
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Oedipus complex is revealed primarily through Hamlet's relationship with his mother, Gertrude, and it manifests in several distinct instances. According to Freud, sons often perceive their fathers as inferior and imagine their mothers married to more capable men (Dolloff, 2006). In The Tragedy of Hamlet, the Danish prince effectively substitutes his father with the ghost. Other characters can see the ghost, yet his mother cannot; moreover, the prince is the only one who can communicate with it (Dolloff, 2006). This arrangement ensures that Hamlet — the oedipal son — is the sole figure in control of the situation.
This oedipal dynamic is further entangled with the metaphysical realm when King Hamlet's death triggers an internal crisis in the prince's life. Young Hamlet is confronted with mixed feelings about his father's death, struggling to overcome and understand it. The trauma reawakens his oedipal complex, of which he remains largely unaware.
"There is also the possibility that oedipal feelings that have seemingly been overcome resurface later in life, usually as the result of the death of a parent or a similar traumatic experience. This […] is Hamlet's situation. His father's death and his mother's marriage to his uncle have stirred up his repressed Oedipus complex, generating a conflict between his conscious social wishes and his unconscious antisocial, oedipal wishes; a conflict of which Hamlet is only vaguely aware, but which determines all his actions" (De Berg, 2003).
At the level of his mother's remarriage, Hamlet is profoundly dissatisfied with her union with Claudius. On the surface, this displeasure might be attributed to the moral impropriety of a widow marrying her late husband's brother. Viewed through the lens of the Oedipus complex, however, Hamlet's discontent can be interpreted as a form of unconscious jealousy. All of these features suggest that Hamlet, as a son, was unable to overcome the oedipal complex and develop a healthy, natural relationship with his mother.
According to Freud, the Oedipus complex is present to some degree in most children's relationships with their parents and typically emerges at an early age. At that stage it is considered tolerable and normal; problems arise only when the growing child fails to outgrow it. When this occurs and sexual attachment to the parent persists into adulthood, there is a significant risk of the individual developing sexual frustrations and irregularities (Answers.com).
Prince Hamlet thus appears to be a young man who has not managed to outgrow his oedipal complex and who continues to rely on an unnatural emotional bond with his mother. This may explain why he initially refuses to avenge his father, why he is reluctant to believe the ghost, and why he so strongly disapproves of Gertrude's new marriage. Beyond these factors, Hamlet's oedipal complex is most evident in his preoccupation with his mother's sexuality: he is intensely interested in it, yet simultaneously condemns her sensuality.
In a key instance relevant to the application of the Oedipus complex, Hamlet is hesitant to believe the ghost who brings news of his father's poisoning by Claudius. He therefore procrastinates in his revenge. Since, according to the oedipal complex, the boy would have unconsciously wished for his father's death, he delays the act of vengeance that would honor that father's memory.
"Oedipus Complex." Answers.com.
You’re 69% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 2 sections.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.