Freudian Response to Hamlet

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Early 20th Century Interpretations of Hamlet

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) disagreed with the Romantic view of Hamlet as a man who cannot act.

Freud on Hamlet's murders

Freud argued that Hamlet kills Polonius without a moment’s hesitation and later sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths with no trouble to his conscience.

Freud on Hamlet's delay

Freud developed his own theory to explain the problem of Hamlet’s delay in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900).
Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis, a set of psychological theories which explored a person’s unconscious and deep-seated thoughts, memories, emotions and desires. By probing a subject’s subconscious, one could discover the hidden impulses which drive a subject’s thoughts or behaviour.

Hamlet’s Oedipal feelings

For Freud, Hamlet’s inability to act is rooted in what he termed as Hamlet’s Oedipal feelings (or Oedipus complex) which he believed were common to all men but were deeply repressed.
The term is derived from the ancient Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, in which the hero, Oedipus, unknowingly kills his own father and marries his own mother.
Freud used the figure of Oedipus to illustrate his theory of psychosexual development, in which children view their same-sex parent as a rival for the opposite-sex parent's attention and affections.

Freud on Hamlet not killing Claudius

According to Freud, Hamlet is unable to kill Claudius because he cannot “take vengeance on the man who did away with his father and took that father’s place with the mother”.
Since Claudius has fulfilled “the repressed wishes” of Hamlet’s childhood, he subconsciously feels too strong an affinity with him which prevents him from taking out his revenge.
Hamlet is restrained by the realisation that he is “no better than the sinner whom he is to punish”.

Exploring Freudian Interpretations of Hamlet

Later writers also explored the Freudian interpretation of the play, such as Ernest Jones in his classic essay, Hamlet and Oedipus (1949).

Adelman on Gertrude

More recently, Janet Adelman’s Suffocating Mothers (1992) argued that Hamlet is primarily a family drama in which the figure of Gertrude, although not a particularly complex or fully-drawn character, inspires “fantasies larger than she is”.
In Adelman’s view, “both the play and Hamlet shift blame for old Hamlet’s murder to Gertrude”.
Adelman's view is common to several strands of 20th century criticism – of Gertrude being the cause of Hamlet’s psychological torment.

Setting: Gertrude's bedroom

Some productions of the play allude to the Freudian interpretation of Hamlet by setting Act 3, Scene 4 (the scene in which Gertrude is confronted by her son) in what is clearly Gertrude’s bedroom.
This helps to suggest the repressed Oedipal impulses which Hamlet has towards his mother.

1Introduction

1.1Introduction & Background to Hamlet

1.1.1Introduction to Hamlet

1.1.2The Literary Tradition of the Hamlet Story

1.1.3Introduction to the Settings in Hamlet

1.1.4Introduction to Social Issues Raised

2Plot Summary

2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas

2.1.1Act 1, Scene 1

2.1.2Act 1, Scene 2

2.1.3Act 1, Scene 3

2.1.4Act 1, Scenes 4-5

2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas

2.2.1Act 2, Scene 1

2.2.2Act 2, Scene 2

2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas

2.3.1Act 3, Scene 1: Key Events

2.3.2Act 3, Scene 1: Key Ideas

2.3.3Act 3, Scene 2

2.3.4Act 3, Scene 3

2.3.5Act 3, Scene 4

2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas

2.4.1Act 4, Scene 1

2.4.2Act 4, Scenes 2-3

2.4.3Act 4, Scene 4

2.4.4Act 4, Scene 5: Key Events

2.4.5Act 4, Scene 5: Key Ideas

2.4.6Act 4, Scene 6

2.4.7Act 4, Scene 7

2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas

2.5.1Act 5, Scene 1: Key Events

2.5.2Act 5, Scene 2: Key Events

2.5.3Act 5, Scene 2: Key Ideas

3Character Profiles

3.1Hamlet

3.1.1Hamlet's Speech & Mind

3.1.2Hamlet's Heroic Status

3.1.3Hamlet's State of Mind

3.1.4Hamlet's Indecision/Action Taking

3.2Claudius

3.2.1Claudius' Crime

3.2.2Changing Impressions of Claudius

3.3Gertrude

3.3.1Mystery & Hamlet's View of Gertrude

3.3.2Gertrude's Character

3.3.3Gertrude's Relationship with Hamlet

3.4Ophelia

3.4.1Ophelia

3.5Polonius

3.5.1Portrayal of Polonius & Treatment of Ophelia

3.5.2Polonius' Spying & Death

3.6Laertes

3.6.1Laertes' Popularity & Relationship with Ophelia

3.6.2Laertes' Character Traits

4Key Themes

4.1Regicide in Hamlet

4.1.1Regicide in Hamlet

4.2Madness in Hamlet

4.2.1Madness in Hamlet

4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet

4.3.1Guilt in Hamlet

4.3.2Punishment in Hamlet

4.4Settings in Hamlet

4.4.1Physical Settings & Historical Setting of Hamlet

5Writing Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure of Hamlet

5.1.2'Play Within a Play' Structure

5.1.3Play-Acting Motif

5.2Form

5.2.1Soliloquy

5.2.2Comedy

5.3Imagery

5.3.1Imagery of Corruption & Decay

5.3.2Imagery: Healing, Performance & Costume

5.4Language

5.4.1Word Usage & Hendiadys

5.4.2Questions & Classical Allusions

6Context

6.1Social & Historical Context

6.1.1Elizabeth I & Succession

6.1.2Cosmic & Social Hierarchy

6.1.3Renaissance & Emergence of Humanism

6.1.4Regicide

6.1.5The Reformation

6.2Literary Context

6.2.1Seneca Tragedy

6.2.2The Revenge Tragedy

6.3Performance & Textual History

6.3.1Performance History of Hamlet

6.3.2Textual History of Hamlet

7Critical Debates

7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.1.1Introduction to Critical Debates

7.1.218th Century Commentary on Hamlet

7.1.3Romantic Commentary on Hamlet

7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.2.1Freudian Response to Hamlet

7.2.2Other Early 20th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.1Introduction to Feminist Criticism

7.3.2Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.3Presentation of Ophelia

7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet

7.4.1Introduction to Marxist Criticisms

7.4.2Marxist Readings of Hamlet

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