Hamlet From Avenging His Father's Death

Decent Essays
What prevented Hamlet From Avenging His Father’s Death?

Prince hamlet disposes the duty of avenging his father upon himself but has a difficult time accomplishing the goal he had set out for himself, why? No concrete study could explain why it was so until Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory in 1899. Sigmund Frued’s theory indicated that young children have sexual feelings towards the opposite gendered parent called the Oedipus Complex.

In Mark Robsen’s analysis of Hamlet he sees thinking external that could be hindering Hamlet’s ability to assassin King Claudius earlier on in the play. Robsen’s hypothesis is that the young prince has repressed feelings towards his mother that are only coming to the surface now. The prince of Denmark himself

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    On the other hand, some people might say that Hamlet takes long to avenge his father’s death because as George Detmold states, “ Perhaps the most significant reason why Hamlet hesitates , the critic concludes, is that although he is tempted by love, kingship, and even revenge, he is long past the point where he desires to do anything about them. None of these objects gives him a new incentive for living” (219). Detmold questions how come it took Hamlet approximately three months to take action, and then succeed in the very last minute whether it was unintentional or after he processed the thoughts through (219)? Well, the answer to this is just because he wasn’t curious in doing so and his mindset was someplace else, thinking about the consequences…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Hamlet, Hamlet thinks greatly over what to do about what he should do, he thought and planned, wanting to make sure that the justice he wished to bring was to be the correct judgement. He took great care to make sure he would not be duped by the phantom appearance of his father. Hamlet had to assure that his choice and actions were absolute, without mistake but with hesitation. The hesitation brought him to lose his opportunity to execute Claudius, to make it known to the people of Denmark that the villain was ended and that the town was safe. Both characters display the qualities of what makes a good king; to be smart and clever as a fox to trick their enemies and to be mighty and proud as a lion to fearlessly display their power and rule.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1. According to Polonius, what are the things associated to youth and liberty? Gaming, drinking, fencing, swearing, quarrelling and drabbing. 2.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Masculinity In Hamlet

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Parents serve as crucial role models towards their children. More specifically, a father shapes the core of stability within most families. Society has created the ideal father as secure, strong, and knowledgeable, a keystone for a successful child. In literature, there has always been common traits that father-son relationships poses, such as prideful masculinity, carrying the family’s name with honor, advisement, and security. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, once stated “I cannot think of any need in a childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection,” thus when a father figure becomes absent, the sense of stability gets thrown out the window.…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the events in Shakespeare's Hamlet Claudius’ hand has worked its way throughout Elsinore, deceiving its inhabitants for his own greedy ambitions. In his attempts to further himself he has remained directly responsible for death of Old Hamlet and all the events which unfold during the duration of the play. Claudius’ manipulative grasp encompassed Denmark and sent the castle into a spiraling descent of madness and utter chaos. Money, power, and love, Claudius desired these things so greatly that he went to such radical lengths as to murder his own brother, Old Hamlet, the king of Denmark. Nothing stood in his way, he could marry Gertrude, claim the throne and gain the riches of a king, except until Hamlet began acting as a threat…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet's Revenge

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hamlet is not so sure his uncle really killed his father despite him appearing in a ghost manifestation and instead puts his uncle to the test by having traveling actors put on a play that involved what he thought to how Claudius murdered his father and if he reacts in upsetting manner than Hamlet shall kill him. Claudius does react and he races to the church to ask God for forgiveness and Hamlet is there to put a finishing blow when he decides that it would not be in his favor as God has forgiven him and justifies he would go to heaven so he allows him to live to sin again. At this moment in the play Hamlets supposed madness backfires on him and will lead to his grave, when the king orders hamlet to be taken to England, Hamlet goes and confronts…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mystery Of Death In Hamlet

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” is believed to have been written between the year 1599 and 1601, and although the play actually takes place in the Middle Ages occasionally reference to the Elizabethan era are made. During this time plays revolving around revenge and tragedy were quite popular. It was not uncommon to see at the end of a play that all the major characters end up dead. In this particular revenge tragedy, Prince Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost who tells him his uncle Claudius is responsible for his murder, who did it in order to become king and marry his mother. Hamlet becomes a sort of a madman trying to prove his uncles guilt before actually taking his revenge.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Seeing Hamlet’s country sake in danger, he realized that he needed to save his country by killing Claudius. Claudius wasn’t mentally sane and put the country of Denmark in a very threatening…

    • 2100 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, involves many difficult decisions the main character contemplates in order to please his own motives. Throughout the text, Hamlet makes rash decisions in order to complete his most important task: the strive for revenge. Hamlet 's actions and emotions primarily revolve around the death of his father. This causes many people to believe Hamlet is insane. However, Hamlet believes he is fine and with his ludicrous plans and actions, he is determined to find Claudius guilty.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The lust for power In the play “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” by William Shakespeare the drama of conflict between Prince of Norway Hamlet and his uncle the king Claudius takes center stage. The Prince of Denmark seeks revenge after the ghost of his father revels to him that his uncle king Claudius was the one who murdered him. Claudius is a king who is an ambition and cunning political figure that will do anything to stay in power. He is the essential figure that causes so much pain and despair throughout the play.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Hamlet is willing to hurt and push away his loved ones in order to perfect his insane act, Claudius is willing to go to much more dangerous and morbid lengths to preserve his great image and create a flawless façade. To make sure Hamlet will not expose the real him, Claudius is prepared to plan Hamlets own murder. After Claudius confirms that Hamlet knows of the murder and is a threat to his “good guy act”, he tells Hamlet he is set for England, and later reveals his letter to the King of England which says that he must help him with ‘”the present death of Hamlet, for like the hectic in [Claudius’] blood, he rages” (4.3.65-66). Claudius is willing to do whatever it may take to tie up his loose ends and perfect his image, all to hide his true self. There is no limit to what Claudius’ will do to remain hidden and prefect his façade, not even the murder of his step son/nephew.…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    For any son, the death of one’s father will definitely have a huge impact on their life however it appears that for Hamlet rather than simple grief or remorse, Hamlet instead turns to madness. Hamlet’s psychological development can be analyzed during his soliloquy of Act 2, Scene ii where he decides to plot against Claudius to revenge his father as well as Act 3 Scene IV. After King Hamlet’s death and putting Hamlet in a situation of where he must pretend to be insane, Hamlet’s true sanity can be questioned through his decision making and through the analysis of his pleasure seeking id, his realistic ego, and his over-thinking superego from a psychoanalytical reading of the text. By taking a look through the psychoanalytical lens, it is apparent through Hamlet’s long soliloquy that the death of his father is very much taking a toll on his mind. Upon analyzing the mental state of the struggling prince, one can…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hamlet’s desire for revenge comes forth after he learns of his father’s murder. Initially, Hamlet acted very different upon hearing of his father’s death, as he acted more depressed and clads himself in all black…

    • 1065 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He tells his son that while he was sleeping, Claudius poured poison into his ear. Hamlet is shocked by the ghosts words. The ghost asks Hamlet to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” (I.5.25) Prince Hamlet vow’s to avenge his father’s death, and promises not hurt his mother even though he blame’s her for re-marrying to his uncle right after his father’s death. Since the revenge was requested, and not Prince Hamlet’s own decision, we could question if Hamlet would consider avenging his father, even if he wasn’t told to.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Hamlet 's indecision and continuous delay of Claudius 's murder until the end is explained through several concepts of psychology, delving into his innermost thoughts which act as the driving forces behind his behavior, actions, and attitude towards other characters. From a psychological perspective, Hamlet’s lack of action towards his intended goal is not surprising, especially from a person who shows many symptoms of major depressive disorder including inactivity, thoughts of suicide, frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, agitation, anxiety, and hopelessness. Despite being dead set on getting revenge for his father after he met 'his ghost ' in act 1 scene 4, Hamlet soon began contemplating suicide in his ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy…

    • 1427 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays