Oedipal Complex with Hamlet

Oedipal Complex with Hamlet

    We can see that Hamlet and Ophelia was in love before the play takes place and it seems their love started to far apart as Hamlet's hatred towards his mother grow bigger. Hamlet hated his mother for remarrying to Claudius, his uncle. In Act 3 when Ophelia gave Hamlet back his presents to her, Hamlet began to lose his temper because at least Hamlet thought Ophelia was his last companion. This is against Oedipal complex because Ophelia and Hamlet love each other but their relationship is not blood related. But there is reason for Hamlet loved Ophelia.

    As a result, Hamlet began to focus more on revenge. His hatred towards his mother was some what weird since he hate her so much he care about her. Hamlet wanted her to stay away from Claudius because his father was superior then Claudius and he was furious about Gertrude's attitude as a wife. It seems like Hamlet was trying to appeal that he have his father's blood which makes him superior too. Also in scene 3, Hamlet tried to undo his mother cloth. It was really weird since Hamlet look at his mother as a somewhat woman not mother in this scene.

    But these doesn't solve Oedipal complex because Claudius is not Hamlet's real father. Claudius is related to Hamlet but he is still step-father to Hamlet. Oedipal Interpretation means that son wants to kill his father and marry his mother, sexual desire after that. If that is the case then Hamlet was furious because Claudius took Hamlet's place to marry his mother. This is hard to answer since we don't know what happened between after Hamlet Senior's death and Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius. But now, it makes sense that Ophelia was Hamlet's only way to show companionship towards woman since his mother was 'taken'.

    In my opinion, the play really doesn't support sexual desire towards mother except when Hamlet was in Gertrude's bed chamber. I think he was frustrated with Ophelia after she gave hamlet's present to her, who know what those two did back in the day. I mean Hamlet look after his mother too much but not in sexual way. It was too much for Hamlet when Gertrude married Claudius soon after Hamlet Senior's death, which makes him mad at Gertrude at the same time. At last, I do believe Ophelia's role in the play support Oedipal complex because Hamlet began to look women as a 'whore' and every women are like that, even his mother.

Chris Lee