Essay on Hamlet - The Struggle Between Mother and Son

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it appears that something is amiss in the State of Denmark as the protagonist, Hamlet, is approached by the ghost of the deceased King Hamlet. During this encounter, Hamlet discovers vital information about the king’s brother, Claudius, who married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. With this information kept in mind, the Ghost advises Hamlet to kill King Claudius, while protecting his mother, in order for the old King Hamlet to escape purgatory. Nonetheless, throughout the play Hamlet’s vendetta is continuously prolonged due to the Oedipus Complex created by Sigmund Freud which states, â€Å"in the young male, the Oedipus conflict stems from his natural love for his mother, which progressively may become sexual.†¦show more content†¦In order to verify that Claudius was in fact the one to murder his father, Hamlet assembles a plan. When a group of actors come to the castle to perform, Hamlet requests that they perf orm The Murder of Gonzago which mirrors what has taken place in Denmark with King Hamlet and King Claudius. The player agrees to perform the play and Hamlet states, â€Å"Well hat tomorrow night. You could for a need study a speech / of some dozen or sixteen lines which I could set down and insert / int, could you not (2.2 491-93). By adding his own lines to the performance, Hamlet intensifies the actions of the play in order to confirm what the Ghost had told him. Hamlet states, â€Å"the play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king† (3.1 556-7). As expected, the King storms off during the play which, in turn, proves the King is guilty of his brother’s murder. After Hamlet had confirmed Claudius to be the killer, one would expect Hamlet to kill Claudius immediately, however, this action is prolonged till the end of the play. Following the King’s action in response to the play, Hamlet has the perfect opportunity to avenge his father’s death yet he chooses not to which is the first act of delaying his goal. King Claudius storms off into a room in the castle where he says, â€Å"Of those effects for which I did the murder, My crown, mine own ambition and my queen. May one be pardon’d and retain the’ offense? (3.3 54-6). While Hamlet is watchingShow MoreRelatedOedipus Complex in Hamlet Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus Complex in Hamlet In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet’s personality can be explained by the Oedipus Complex. Throughout the play there are many times where he proves that he has Oedipus Complex. Oedipus Complex was not around at the time that that Hamlet was written. It just shows that Shakespeare saw the same personality complex’ as Freud. Freud first named the Oedipus Complex Theory in his book , An Interpretation of Dreams, in 1899. 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