Psychoanalytic Criticism on the Oedipus Complex

Psychoanalytic Criticism on the Oedipus Complex Clarissa BerrospeAdanDeladillo Brianna Jimenez Taneisha Jimenez

The Oedipus complex (a term first coined by Sigmund Freud) is said to appear in psychosexual stages of development describing a boy’s feelings of desire towards his mother joined with feelings of resentment towards his father. HOWEVER… “What Freud willfully omitted from his theory of the Oedipus complex … Sophocles’ play: Oedipus Rex begins with parental aggression and abandonment, not filial patricide or incestuous relations between a son and a mother.” Oedipus Complex

“(O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer!), married with my uncle, my father’s brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules.” (I.ii.150-153) Hamlet plainly demonstrates his dislike of Claudius and the growing distrust of his mother for marrying “within ‘s two hours” (III.ii.127) of his father’s death rather than choosing to mourn as long as he has. • Hamlet feels not only contempt for Claudius but also for his mother due to her supposed betrayal of himself and his feelings.

Hamlet and his relationship to Gertrude • The tearing of the relationship between them due to Gertrude’s indifference about his father's death and his mourning • Suspicion towards all women caused by her hasty remarriage. • Hamlet and his relationship to Claudius • Hamlet and Claudius’s tense treatment of the other. • The realization that the late king was killed and the throne taken. • The familial difficulties that surrounds Denmark’s royalty. • Claudius’ knowledge that Hamlet presents a danger to himself. • Hamlet’s evolving viewpoint regarding his mother. Overview

Hamlet feels threatened by Claudius’s new role in his life not only for Denmark’s rule but his new relationship with his mother. Hamlet and Gertrude

The first implications of Hamlet’s bond with his mother occurs when bringing up his continued mourning of his father. While Gertrude attempts to comfort him with the fact “all lives must die” (72) he merely ignores her words claiming “frailty, thy name is woman!” (146) and notes that a mindless beast would have mourned longer than her reducing the depth of her sorrow as “unrighteous tears” (I.ii.154) over his father’s death. • The betrayal Hamlet feels extends to his treatment of Ophelia claiming that she and other women discard the face God’s given them in order to “make [themselves] another” (III.i.147) with features they prefer alluding to the sin Gertrude has committed with her marriage to Claudius.

While Hamlet retreats further into dislike towards his mother Gertrude attempts to justify the actions of her son’s perceived insanity as stemming from the impact of his father’s death and her “o’erhasty marriage” (II.ii.57) to Claudius throwing Hamlet’s actions into resembling a temporary phase. • Despite her hopes for her son’s well being Gertrude steps in to gain insight towards what truly affects her son and calls him to her only to receive Hamlet’s scorning words “O wonderful son that can so ‘stonish a mother!” (329) and his biting remarks which behave like “daggers to her” (III.ii.399) openly illustrating the tear between mother and son.

The relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is strained not merely due to the way the throne is gained but for the reason Claudius has overshadowed Hamlet’s father and his role in his life. Hamlet and Claudius

Despite Claudius’ new role as the king of Denmark and step father to Hamlet the two share no deep connection or concern for the other Claudius remarking on Hamlet’s “unmanly grief” (I.ii.94) and Hamlet’s view of Claudius as “a king of shreds and patches” (III.iv.106) not even worth a comparison to his father. • With the knowledge that the late king of Denmark was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet begins to plan the death of the “smiling, damned villain”(I.v.107) who killed “so excellent a king” (I.ii.139) and replaced him in his role of a husband and father.

With a plan to prove Claudius murdered Hamlet’s father the prince plays his actions to convey madness so perfectly that Claudius debates sending him to England and have them “cure him” (IV.iii.70) of the poison that the prince of Denmark has proven to be. • With Hamlet’s intense devotion towards avenging his father he refuses to kill Claudius while he prays instead preferring to murder him when “no relish of salvation” (92) could be found and curse his soul to remain forever “as damned and black as hell”(III.iii.94-95) a punishment that he allowed his brother to undergo in killing him so suddenly and preventing his soul to rise to heaven. • It should be noted that once after Gertrude is killed, Hamlet takes no hesitation in killing Claudius.

The familial relation between Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet remains in a constant struggle. Gertrude’s attempts to balance Hamlet’s actions of insanity and Claudius’ growing reasons to remove him from Denmark paired along Hamlet’s resentment of both individuals. Denmark’s royalty

In attempting to show his mother how “much offended” (11) she has made her husband’s memory Hamlet tells Gertrude to look on “how pale [his father’s ghost] glares” (III.iv.129) asking why she sees nothing affirming to her that her son has gone mad. • Regardless of the actions Hamlet demonstrates while confronting his mother, Gertrude still claims his innocence and tells Claudius that Hamlet “weeps for what he has done” (IV.i.27) to Polonius even if it’s clear that she possesses enough evidence to declare her son a danger to Denmark.

Claudius’ observations of Hamlet give him enough reason to want him dead prompting Laertes to “requite him for [his] father”(IV.vii.142) and his role in his family’s death while Hamlet swears his thoughts “be bloody or be nothing worth”(IV.iv.68) utterly devoting himself to his uncle’s demise. • Hamlet clearly possesses an antagonistic view of his uncle. As he moves forward with his plans of revenge he also extends that relationship of resentment to Gertrude, grouping her into the classification of his “uncle-father and aunt-mother” (II.ii.381-382) and before his death referring to her as a “wretched queen”(V.ii.340) rather than his mother.

Although the Oedipus complex isn’t held to an exact definition, Hamlet refers to it in its own style. While Hamlet does desire to kill his “father” it is the death of his step father he plots towards expressing nothing but devotion to his paternal father though the other aspect of the Oedipus complex is highlighted by his desire to gain his mother’s attention.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. N.p.: McDougal Littell, 1997. Print • Rubin, Jeffrey B. The Art of Flourishing: A New East-west Approach to Staying Sane and Finding Love in an Insane World. New York: Crown Archetype, 2011. Print. • "Dr. Freud's Hamlet." Dr. Freud's Hamlet. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. Sources

Psychoanalytic Criticism on the Oedipus Complex