Major Depression In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Major—or clinical— depression is a serious mood disorder where extreme feelings of sadness, loss, anger, and other negative emotions affect a person’s every day life for several weeks, months, or even years. Some of the symptoms include agitation and restlessness, becoming withdrawn, feelings of hopelessness and self-hate, and thoughts of death. William Shakespeare’s character, Hamlet from the play Hamlet, displays these symptoms several times. Hamlet tells the story of young prince Hamlet who seeks to avenge his father’s death by killing his father’s murderer—his uncle, Claudius. Throughout the play, he withdraws from the people he loves, and expresses self-hatred and suicidal thoughts. Hamlet has depression, and it affects his ability to think clearly; therefore, he finds it difficult to maintain his relationships and morals, and struggles with many erratic emotions and thoughts that make it difficult for him to make rational, healthy decisions. …show more content…
No one knows exactly what causes major depression, but many doctors believe it has something to do with chemical changes in the brain. These chemical changes can come from problems with genetics, environmental factors, or both. Environmental factors include alcohol/drug abuse, other medical issues, trouble sleeping, and stressful life events. Sometimes depression runs in families, and sometimes it’s nowhere in a patient’s family history, but anyone can get depression. Anyone, no matter how great their life is, can suffer from depression, especially if they just experienced the heavy, sudden loss of a loved one. In Hamlet, Hamlet must see his mother marry his uncle, Claudius all while grieving the sudden loss of his