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Freudian View Of Hamlet Essay

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Freudian Viewpoint Shakespeare’s Hamlet depicts the Freudian stages of the human psyche in the character of Hamlet as his personality deteriorates during his strife to avenge his father’s death, the Oedipus complex, and repressed feelings being subconsciously acted upon. Throughout the story, and his short lifetime, Hamlet displays every element of personality at some point. He begins with his ego. In the story, Hamlet starts off as a scholar student attending school in Wittenberg. It is later on that he shifts to his superego, due to the death of his father, King Hamlet and the marriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude, to his uncle Claudius. He also meets the ghost of his father, King Hamlet. Although he is caught up with feelings of …show more content…
Queen Gertrude asks him not to go back to Wittenberg, but to stay back with her instead (1.2.118-119). Hamlet replies: “I shall in all my best obey you, madam” (1.2.120). He also listens to the ghost of his father when he tells him to exact revenge on his killer, Claudius (1.5.111). While many believe that Hamlet is going after Claudius, only for the purpose of avenging his father’s death or to retrieve his throne, according to Freud’s view, it may also be due to his sexual desire to be with his mother. This desire refers back to the Oedipus complex, in which a child is subconsciously attracted to their parent of the opposite gender, and feels as though they are competing with the other parent. So, Hamlet’s repressed feelings towards his mother as a child, and his jealousy of Claudius, may be his subconscious reasoning for his plan to kill Claudius. Also, these repressed feelings may be the cause of Hamlet’s sexual demeanour towards Ophelia during the play. Due to the fact that he cannot show his true affection towards his mother, as that would be considered incestuous, he releases all of his temptations on Ophelia. Finally, Hamlet shifts into his id when he is ready to kill Claudius, only to find him

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