Psychoanalysis of Hamlet – Best Analysis(2022)
This article covers the Psychoanalysis of Hamlet.
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Psychoanalysis of Hamlet
When it comes to psychology, there are always three sides to a coin. Two of them are heads and tails, and the other is the thickness of the coin, which is represented by the why factor. No action is ever deemed to be an unintentional act, which makes Hamlet a fascinating study subject.
The cognitive processes of young Hamlet’s mind are frequently debated by critics of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. To look at Hamlet from a psychological standpoint, you’ll need to be familiar with behavioral psychology, which is the study of behavior that exposes inner thoughts.
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Hamlet is a complicated figure with a lot of deep feelings and developmental issues. It is revealed through the play’s depictions of his actions, thoughts, and words. Traumatic events in a person’s life can have major mental consequences, including social isolation, self-blame, and long-term mental instability.
As a result, Hamlet’s behavior exemplifies classic signs of emotional and psychological trauma. With the death of his father and the fast remarriage of his mother, dramatic upheavals in Hamlet’s life become the catalysts for his behavior shift.
These psychological triggers are particularly important in today’s patient circumstances, such as a parent’s remarriage, a close friend’s death, or adolescent development. The provoked behaviors become perilous because Hamlet believes he will never be able to confide in another person.
Losing a loved one is never easy, and in Hamlets’ case, the tragedy triggers a downward spiral of conduct that impacts a wide range of people in his kingdom. This issue of seeking consolation or assistance in times of need is critical for adolescent growth.
Psychologists agree that suppressing emotions can lead to unreasonable and explosive behavior, as seen in Hamlet’s case. “Great ones’ madness must not go unchecked.” A person’s behaviors reveal a great deal about what is going on in his or her head to the rest of the world.
In the play, Hamlet’s actions show a mix of intricate planning and intermittent flashes of mental instability. Hamlet’s actions show his true mental state, such as his hesitancy in killing Claudius, his murder of Polonius, and his relationships with Ophelia. Over the years, many reviewers have questioned Hamlet’s decision not to kill Claudius.
“To many, Sigmund Freud’s response to this age-old conundrum seemed decisive: Hamlet is baffled by the strange convergence of Claudius’s guilt with his own oedipal ambitions.” (Kilgore) This remark encapsulates Hamlet’s psychological turmoil as a result of his fascination with his mother’s sexual conduct. “Hamlet is powerless to do anything but exact vengeance on the man who murdered his father and replaced him with his mother — the guy who reveals to him the repressed impulses of his own youth” (Kilgore).
This phrase implies that Hamlet secretly wished to be like Claudius. This phrase also explains why young Hamlet is so taken aback by Gertrude’s hasty remarriage to Claudius. “This complex, according to Sigmund Freud, is the cornerstone of the superego and the basis of all human relationships.” (From Columbia University’s Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia) The assassination of Polonius is another illustration of Hamlet’s brief insanity. After failing to kill Claudius while praying because he is unshriven, Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius.
The inconsistency of these two decisions demonstrates Hamlet’s emotional instability, according to behavioral psychology. This conduct also reveals that rage has supplanted logic. Emotions are one of man’s greatest assets, but they can also be one of his greatest liabilities.
Polonius’s murder, for example, leads to Hamlet’s death at the hands of Polonius’s son in Hamlet. Hamlet’s lack of cognitive reasoning ultimately clashes with his short-term plans, as the man he is attempting to murder sends Hamlet away from the kingdom.
This demonstrates that the disaster is caused by instinctive reactions rather than premeditation. “It is stressful and disease-related to actively inhibit one’s behavior; when individuals do not or cannot express thoughts and feelings about a traumatic event (i.e., when they engage in behavioral inhibition), there is an increased likelihood of having obsessive thoughts about the event and, in the long run, illnesses” (Kelly). Keeping secrets from others or being burdened by others’ secrets is a behavior that can be harmful to one’s health in multiple ways.
Hamlet’s act of withholding secrets from others exemplifies his distrust of others. Because Hamlet has no one to confide in, he makes irrational decisions and becomes obsessed. Most psychologists think that having someone to confide in during the growth process is critical.
Hamlet’s mental health is destroyed by his refusal to share such horrific facts, which causes him to go in and out of sanity. The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is an illustration of how secrets can devastate a relationship.
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The foundations of good partnerships are trust and communication, neither of which are displayed in their connection. Hamlet’s underlying skepticism of people’s ability to maintain secrets is projected into his relationship’s communication.
Ophelia believes Hamlet has gone insane, and her lack of contact drives her insane, resulting in her death. Secrets have the potential to destroy many people by unwittingly making them more dangerous due to subconscious tendencies. All authors inadvertently transfer their own life experiences and thoughts onto their work.
“Hamnet, Shakespeare’s son, perished of the bubonic plague years before the play Hamlet.” 127–153 (Wheeler) The play takes on a deeper psychological aspect as a result of Shakespeare’s own child’s death. The soliloquy “to be or not to be” in Hamlet can be interpreted as a projection of Shakespeare’s own problems. The death of a loved one has a strong psychological impact and might lead to emotions of depression and suicide. This soliloquy is one of the most well-known in the world because of its contemplation of life and death as a result of Hamlet’s hardships.
“Is it nobler in the spirit to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take weapons against a sea of afflictions and by opposing end them?” (Shakespeare) Hamlet is clinically sad and overburdened by his problems. He hasn’t been able to kill his father’s murderer, thus he is unlikely to kill himself. “Shakespeare gives us a detailed depiction of a man’s cognitive processes as he makes a key decision in his life.”
As a result, many people believe Hamlet is overthinking the situation. If a psychiatrist heard this soliloquy, he would prescribe antidepressant medicine. We all go through a process of contemplating life and death at different times throughout our lives. The way we handle our lives and deaths, on the other hand, defines us as individuals. Hamlet has a liberal education, and as a result of his taught critical thinking and questioning of every move, he is obsessed with self-criticism.
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Hamlet’s Act 2 Scene 2 soliloquy reveals his innermost thoughts of self-disgust for his passivity. “But I am pigeon-livered and lack the courage to improve persecution, else I would have fattened all the region’s kites with this slave’s offal before this.” (Shakespeare)
As a result of this harsh self-criticism, Hamlet makes irrational decisions. The frontal lobe is still developing in teenagers, and it affects his self-perception as well as his decision-making. Hamlet is a perfect storm of pathos-driven rather than logos-driven decisions.
Hamlet’s judgments, while occasionally needing deliberation, are frequently irrational and rash, symbolizing the trial-and-error technique of learning. Hamlet’s words are crucial in shaping his personality. His stance regarding the murder of Polonius separates him from society’s conventions.
Making jokes about the body of someone he just murdered reveals a psychopathic inclination brought on by high stress levels. Furthermore, Hamlet is in a position where his acts have no consequences, as indicated by the town’s indifference to his activities.
The psychological effect of having no repercussions for behaviors beginning at a young age can have severe implications on adolescent development, and can often lead to the development of Oppositional defiance disorder in children. “They have little (or no) respect for what their parents or society expect of them,” says a child with ODD. (Abraham) Hamlet is unconcerned about how he should act in society and does whatever he wants. Hamlet believes he has the right to manipulate other people’s lives for his own selfish gain, and he has no regard for anyone’s well-being save his own.
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From a young age, Hamlet was destined to fail in cultural norms. The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia provides more insights into Hamlet’s mental state. “I loved Ophelia forty thousand brothers/ could not make up my amount with all their quantity of affection,” he said. Shakespeare (Shakespeare 296). Due to his immaturity, Hamlet has a misunderstanding of what love is, as evidenced by his harsh remarks to Ophelia and his inability to explain his distresses and fears to her.
Furthermore, Hamlets’ and Ophelia’s relationship is warped by his attitude toward his own mother and women in general. Hamlet’s instruction “Get thee to a nunnery” demonstrates that he believes all women are whores. Nunnery was a name in Shakespeare’s day that meant brothel. His connections are greatly influenced by his projections of past experiences onto current events. Hamlet’s cruel attitude and remarks to others have a significant impact on the lives of those around him.
Finally, adolescence and passing through life crises that induce developmental and textbook psychological disorders are blamed for Hamlets complexity and behavior. Using Hamlet’s actions, thoughts, and words provides the reader with a microscope through which they can examine the character deeper. Shakespeare was a genius at developing complicated characters, some of whom were inspired by his own personal experiences. Hamlet’s reactions to the events in his life closely resemble the types of behavioral changes that people in real life go through after experiencing similar trauma. Since the inception of psychoanalysis, Hamlet has been a popular subject for study.
Related FAQs – Psychoanalysis of Hamlet
1. What is psychoanalysis in Hamlet?
According to Freudian critics, Hamlet’s character is catalyzed by his father mother son unstable relationship. Based on this argument, Hamlet is bothered, and he is eventually jealous of his uncle. Going by other psychoanalytic critics, Hamlet’s character is catalyzed by his lack of moral resolution and courage.
2. What mental illnesses does Hamlet have?
In studying the arc Hamlet’s moods throughout the play I came across an idea that became stuck in my head. Hamlet’s moods cycle through episodes of depression and mania. This cycling is very common with Bipolar Disorder.
3. What is the core idea of psychoanalysis?
Psychoanalysis is defined as a set of psychological theories and therapeutic techniques that have their origin in the work and theories of Sigmund Freud. 1 The core of psychoanalysis is the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories.
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4. Is psychoanalysis a theory?
Psychoanalysis is defined as a set of psychological theories and therapeutic methods which have their origin in the work and theories of Sigmund Freud. The primary assumption of psychoanalysis is the belief that all people possess unconscious thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories.