Freudian Analysis on the Main Characters of “hamlet – the Prince of Denmark”
Taking into consideration that a Freudian analysis has to do with the unconscious, some of the characters may be analyzed more deeply than others. Hamlet, the Prince, for example, gives us a vast field of interpretations. Some would say that he had developed (like any human beign) the Oedipus complex and it would start his feeling towards his mother, the Queen. This, in the future, will develop in him a sort of misogyny that will influence his attitudes towards women during the play. The excess of care and love he nurtures for his mother and the worry he has with his mother’s sexual life is somewhat unusual even nowadays, mostly in that period. Besides, some would also say that Hamlet is homosexual, which I believe not to be true. Firstly, because even being so kind to Horatio and treating him with such intimacy, we should remember that he had no siblings and he might consider his best friend as a brother. If we take nowadays relationships among siblings as a model it wouldn’t work, but in that period we can imagine that, it was most usual to treat a sibling with such love than we do in modern times. Just take Ophelia and Laertes, the way they kiss and hug each other is similar the way Hamlet speaks to Horatio. Another important point when analyzing Hamlet’s character is what really leads him to act the way he acts. He over thinks and make long speeches along all the play and none of these speeches have a direct affect in Hamlet’s action in what concerns in Action. He does not act effectively. His speeches are what he has of most rich in his character but they do not impress anyone but himself. While Hamlet speaks to himself, thinks, and analyzes the situation, Fortinbras marches towards Denmark to take the kingdom. Hamlet is a great example of a phlegmatic- melancholic temperament. He is so phlegmatic that he cannot even decide how to act with Ophelia, if he dates her, enjoys her or even ignores Ophelia, this leads her to a final destiny neither approved nor desired by anyone, the suicide.
Ophelia is another character in the play that suffers with her incapacity of acting. Somehow, she matches Hamlet, they both are not able to take a decision. The only time she was brave enough to take a decision, and effectively acted, it was to end her suffering. That was her first and last great act. Some scholars say Ophelia committed suicide because she had no pleasure in living. This psychological current is based on Freudian theory that gave origin to the psychoanalysis, the unconscious speech of our minds. Her speeches and the way she is portrayed in the play makes us believe that she desired to enjoy sexual pleasure with Hamlet, she not only loved him, but she wanted him to have some pleasure with her. According to Freud, her superego prevented her to have sex with Hamlet or any other man she would desire. Her moral and religious beliefs, would accompany her in every act she would take, she had no escape. It is a matter of censorship imposed by her. Although, her censorship was not able to stop her when she decided to commit suicide, I believe it was due to the lack of a moral image. She might have taken his father as a judge, an image of morality and rightness, he was already dead now. She used to be obedient to him and do listen to his advices. Once this image had gone, she had no guide to tell her what to do or not, then she did what she thought, would end her suffering, she took off her life. Her brother’s presence only made things worse to her, because she also desired her brother, she wanted to have sex with him, she loved him also, he was the only man she had ever being touched, not in sexual aspect, but in terms of love, care, attention, things women want to have from men, he gave her all these things other than sexual pleasure, this was what she needed now that she grew up. But he could not give her the reason of living. Hamlet, on the other hand, was able to give her all the love and care she needed plus sex, the problem is that he just didn’t. He decided to keep having amusement with his thoughts while Claudius and Gertrude enjoy their marriage. Claudius is one that does not care a lot about moral and religion, he is capable to do anything, even killing, worst, killing his brother, to conquer what he desired most. Definitely, it was not the Queen, it was the throne, what made him feel satisfied was not the beauty of Gertrude nor the regal bed, but the power it all represented. He is a man, men usually seek power, and women usually seek love. It wouldn’t be different in this story, Gertrude represented power, she was the way to reach the throne, in every aspects. Gertrude was the one who guided Hamlet to the throne when she gave birth to the King’s son, and the same that would lead Claudius to the throne, what she did through the same way she gave the power to Hamlet, the tool was the same. The usage that was different. Gertrude’s pleasure in life was to be loved, she did not want to be only desired but loved and respected. She would believe in any romantic gentleman who spoke the right words to enlace her heart. That is how women are, they need to hear a couple of things and speak an amount of words, but the couple of things must be precise. The right words at the right time. That happened to Gertrude, she isolated her wildness natural feelings in order to be a role-model respected woman, the Queen, but during the first crucible she faced, she simply failed.
Horatio is a scholar, an intellectual, and it influences his thoughts, attitudes and feelings. In fact, Horatio is the kind of person that is practically impossible to find nowadays. He is a true friend, a wise man, he is faithful and honest. Horatio keeps all the good feelings and features the other characters do not have. Psychologically speaking, it is easier to me to think that Horatio is homosexual than think that Hamlet is. Horatio is almost a perfect person, but he loves no woman in the play and he does not demonstrate any attraction to women in general. He might have repressed it all along the play due to his religious beliefs, even being so intelligent, so wise and rational sometimes, he is a religious man still, just like all the characters in the play. Religion plays a special role in the play; it represses and influences all the characters, from the main character, to the minor one, that I would say is the grave man. Religion acts as a moderator, and moral and religion are the favorite walls our superegos use to stop us against our deep desires. In this case, religion manipulates Hamlet’s thoughts and actions, it pressures Ophelia and Gertrude, and it leads Claudius to regret what he did to his brother and pray for the King’s soul. Religion influences the character’s life as much as desire does.
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