Psychoanalytic Criticism of Hamlet The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet can be considered one of Shakespeare's most complex works.A superficial view of Hamlet is that of a play including an evil king and vengeful prince, but thorough analysis reveals a far superior conflict; the internal struggle of a prince with an Oedipus complex.Re-engulfment is defined as a child's gravitation towards the parent of the opposite gender and can be caused by the lack of a maternal or paternal figure, or the encouragement of the child to partake in activities that counter their gender stereotype; for example, a male child being taught to cook as opposed to playing sports (Shaffer and Kipp 550).Re-engulfment is defined as a child's gravitation towards the parent of the opposite gender and can be caused by the lack of a maternal or paternal figure, or the encouragement of the child to partake in activities that counter their gender stereotype; for example, a male child being taught to cook as opposed to playing sports (Shaffer and Kipp 550).Re-engulfment is defined as a child's gravitation towards the parent of the opposite gender and can be caused by the lack of a maternal or paternal figure, or the encouragement of the child to partake in activities that counter their gender stereotype; for example, a male child being taught to cook as opposed to playing sports (Shaffer and Kipp 550).Re-engulfment is defined as a child's gravitation towards the parent of the opposite gender and can be caused by the lack of a maternal or paternal figure, or the encouragement of the child to partake in activities that counter their gender stereotype; for example, a male child being taught to cook as opposed to playing sports (Shaffer and Kipp 550).Re-engulfment is defined as a child's gravitation towards the parent of the opposite gender and can be caused by the lack of a maternal or paternal figure, or the encouragement of the child to partake in activities that counter their gender stereotype; for example, a male child being taught to cook as opposed to playing sports (Shaffer and Kipp 550).Hamlet's sanity, or insanity, is undoubtedly one of the most argued discussions in literature, but the psychoanalytic criticism proves one undeniable matter.Hamlet suffers from an Oedipus complex.It is clear that Ophelia returns Hamlet's love when she becomes deeply concerned when he appears to her in a bewildered state, so it can be assumed that Hamlet is referring to Gertrude, the other woman in his life who can never return his feelings.Hamlet's mother does nothing to stop Claudius from plotting against her son throughout the text, although she is aware Claudius is trying to rid Denmark of him.Hamlet's downfall is usually solely attributed to his tragic flaw of procrastination, but his inability to kill Claudius delves deeper into his unconscious love for Gertrude.They foreshadow the similar endings to the texts; both characters descend to their destructions, Hamlet's death and Oedipus' exile, losing their crowns in the process.Like Hamlet, Oedipus too suffers immense emotional trauma after discovering Jocasta's lifeless body and it drives him to gauge out his own eyes Sophocles166-167).The first instance of this is displayed in Act III, where Hamlet denounces his love for Ophelia and is involved in an incestuous affair with Claudius, Ophelia has premarital encounters with Hamlet.Theorized by Sigmund Freud, the Oedipus complex originates from the play Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, in which Oedipus fulfills a prophecy killing his father and marrying his mother.Hamlet does hold these feeling for his mother, Gertrude, but Hamlet's situation contrasts greatly to that of Oedipus; Hamlet never fulfills his oedipal desires.In Harry Berger's analysis of Shakespeare's works, he quotes another Shakespearean play, Henry IV, by saying -Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown?Using the psychoanalytic lens, the reader examines the psychology of the characters and author through the author's choices in creative writing.Neurosis involves any series of mental disorders involving distress and is characterized by not being able to pass the Oedipus complex during childhood.First, Hamlet's portrayal as an immature adolescent affirms that he has retained his Oedipus complex.When applied to Hamlet, this quote shows how growing up as the child of a royal family, Hamlet was destined to exhibit some type of psychological theory, and this theory manifests itself in Hamlet's Oedipus complex.During their conversation, Hamlet warns Gertrude against committing adultery with Claudius, telling her to live in the -purer other half?Claudius becomes the new father figure in Hamlet's life, and his desire to eliminate King Hamlet is now transferred into his desire to eliminate Claudius.The likeness that Hamlet and Oedipus the King share contributes to the shared Oedipus complex between the characters.Text after text proves that an Oedipus complex always ends in catastrophe, but that did not stop Shakespeare from constructing one of the greatest oedipal cases in literature.Hamlet features a range of themes including revenge and corruption; however, it is through critical analysis that the greatest understanding of the text can be found.Hamlet and Oedipus from Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, have striking similarities which augment Hamlet's Oedipus complex.The Oedipus complex is a psychoanalytic theory which encompasses the idea of unconsciously desiring the parent of the opposite sex, while desiring to eliminate the parent of the same sex.According to Freud's theory, all children have an Oedipus complex which is resolved during the phallic stage of life (Shaffer and Kipp 548-549).Hamlet's neurosis can be seen through soliloquies in where his inner conflict implies that his mad-front is not a front but a psychological disorder.During Hamlet's childhood, King Hamlet was more than likely away for major portions his son's life performing the duties of a king, for example King Hamlet's trip to Norway to duel King Norway.Later in the text, when Hamlet is contemplating suicide, he cites -the pangs of despised love?Shakespeare chooses to have Hamlet and Gertrude's meeting within Gertrude's bed chambers, which Hamlet rushes to when he is told to meet her.Hamlet is willing to forgive Gertrude for her treacherous act which demonstrates his yearning for the woman he once worshipped.Hamlet's indifference pertaining to his father's death is seen through the play's progression; Hamlet begins to mention his father less frequently, and only directly mentions him once in Act V as -my king,?Thebes in Oedipus the King is being ravaged by Apollo's plague as a result of the late King Laius' actions.Like Victor Frankenstein and the ancient mariner who share the same fate because of their disregard for the laws of nature, Hamlet and Oedipus share a similar fate because of the complications of the Oedipus complex.Because of the theme of insanity in Hamlet, a popular critical lens associated with the text is the psychoanalytic lens.Analysis of Hamlet using this criticism reveals the mental states of the characters, especially Hamlet.Despite this fact, Hamlet is said to have one of the greatest Oedipus complexes through all of literary history, second to none other than the complex's archetype, Oedipus.Hamlet's unresolved Oedipus complex leads to his neurotic tendencies.Hamlet's psyche exhibits the characteristics of a person with an Oedipus complex.King Hamlet's absence during the most important time of Hamlet's life, his transition into adulthood, caused an attachment of Hamlet to his mother.King Hamlet's inability to be part of Hamlet's life, and his later death, also promotes a retrogression of the oedipal theory.During infancy, children are reliant on their maternal parent, but in the years following infancy, children tend to gravitate towards their same-gendered parent.It is Hamlet's biological destiny, his inevitability to repeat his earliest relationships with others, to try and replicate his relationship with his mother with others (McDonald 367).It is Hamlet's biological destiny, his inevitability to repeat his earliest relationships with others, to try and replicate his relationship with his mother with others (McDonald 367).It is Hamlet's biological destiny, his inevitability to repeat his earliest relationships with others, to try and replicate his relationship with his mother with others (McDonald 367).It is Hamlet's biological destiny, his inevitability to repeat his earliest relationships with others, to try and replicate his relationship with his mother with others (McDonald 367).It is Hamlet's biological destiny, his inevitability to repeat his earliest relationships with others, to try and replicate his relationship with his mother with others (McDonald 367).Hamlet continually expresses the affection his mother had for his father with an unusual adoration for their relationship.of life, which suggests Hamlet's past view of Gertrude as the quintessential example of a pure, chaste woman (181).(Sophocles 157).(McDonald 366).(Shakespeare 141).(283).(4).