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The Role Of Oipus Complex Theory In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Prince Hamlet, son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude, returns from school in Germany only to discover the passing of his father. Marcellus and Bernardo, watchmen of the palace, have claimed to see a ghost who resembles the late king; they invite Horatio, a close friend of Prince Hamlet, to verify their assumptions. Horatio confirms that it is the late King and swiftly ask Hamlet to see the ghost for himself. Hamlet is astonished to see his father in the conformation of a ghost. The ghost reveals to him the truth about his death, he was murdered by his own blood; his brother Claudius, who assumed the role of King. Hamlet is now on a mission to avenge his father and kill King Claudius throughout the play. Many say he was hesitant and a victim of procrastination for waiting until the end of the play to avenge his father but Hamlet is capable, he just was never presented with the perfect opportunity. There were many obstacles preventing Hamlet to accomplish this task. Hamlet was held back by his love for his mother, his emotions, and fear of …show more content…

Did this unorthodox behavior restrain Hamlet from his destiny? The death of the late King Hamlet also marked the beginning of a new marriage, the marriage of Queen Gertrude to Hamlet Sr brother, Claudius. The Oedipus Complex Theory can be applied to Hamlet. The Oedipus Complex theory is the desire of a relationship between child and parent (Loewald). If Hamlet was truly attracted to his mother, this would delay his plan to murder Claudius. Hamlet was being deprived of his mothers affections by his father first and now his uncle. If Hamlet killed Claudius early on many would have begun to speculate and figure out the truth. Hamlet was afraid of being exposed and wanted to avoid the mental processes and possibly torture he would have been put through (Jones). Ultimately, Hamlet thought the plan through and decided to postpone the murder due to his love for his mother and his

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