How Does Shakespeare Present Depression In Hamlet

The tragedy, “Hamlet” written by Shakespeare introduces the reader to a complex character who is the Prince of Denmark. The death of Hamlet’s father and the swift marriage of his mother to his uncle helped to shape Hamlet into the complex character that he became. In Act I, Hamlet is melancholic, which leads to him becoming delayed in his actions and finally towards the end of the story he becomes decisive, finally carrying out his revenge for the death of his father.
After the death of Hamlet’s father, his mood becomes melancholic, which dictionary.reference.com defines as “to be in a gloomy state of mind especially when habitual or prolonged; depression.” The melancholic Hamlet wishes to commit suicide, but knows he cannot because of God. …show more content…
Hamlet wants to die and this statement expresses his depression over his father’s death. Hamlet feels that life is worthless “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / seem to me all the uses of this world!” (I.ii.133-134). Hamlet sees the world as useless and no longer wants to live. Hamlet states “Tis an unweeded garden / that grows to seed. Things ranks and gross in nature / posses it merely. That things have come to this”(I.ii.135-137). Hamlet cannot believe that his life has taken such a turn for the worst, with his father’s death and the marriage of his uncle and mother these events make up the foundation of his depression. In the article, “Lovesickness and Gender in Early Modern English Literature” by Ms. Lesel Dawson she describes how lovelorn men and women have been represented in English Renaissance literature. Dawson states, “The sheer complexity and ambiguity of lovesickness, as it is depicted in this period, emerges most clearly in Chapter One.” Which is the chapter where Hamlet’s grief over his beloved father’s death and the marriage of his Uncle and Mother is depicted. …show more content…
Hamlet learns this information from a ghost, which is thought to be the ghost of his father, but is also sometimes thought as just being a demon. Hamlet promises the ghost that he will get his revenge “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift /As meditation or the thoughts of love, / May sweep to my revenge” (I.v.29-310). Hamlet is delayed in doing so. Meaning that he is unable to carry out the killing of his uncle. Hamlet states: “And thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain, unmix’d with baser matter. Yes, by heaven!” (I.v.103-102), meaning that he is going to keep the commitment to get revenge in his mind and think about it, which will delay him in actually getting his revenge. During Hamlet’s second soliloquy he states: “I should ha’ fatted all the region kites/with this slave’s offal” (II.ii.590-591). Hamlet is saying that he should have killed his uncle, which shows that his revenge is being delayed. In the article, "Hamlet, the Pseudo-Procrastinator" Robert R. Reed, Jr. discusses the reasons “Hamlet delayed in avenging his murdered father are motivated more by Elizabethan traditions and beliefs such as Hamlet’s orthodox doubt as to the legitimacy of the Ghost and other external obstacles.” During the Elizabethan period, it was the belief that “the souls of the dead went directly to Heaven or Hell, not to Purgatory,” and they did not return to this world. This