Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare over four hundred years ago, takes place in Denmark, and follows the main character, Prince Hamlet directly after his father’s death. Hamlet can be analyzed through the lens of psychoanalysis as it pertains to Prince Hamlet’s unconsciousness; more specifically, his id, ego, and superego while also considering how the characters around him affect his conscious actions, such as the Ghost and Horatio.
Psychoanalysis has developed over time, starting with Sigmund Freud, who is sometimes referred to as the father of psychoanalysis. The study of psychoanalysis was further developed by Carl G. Jung, Northrop Frye, and Jacques Lacan. Each of these social scientists took a slightly different stance on …show more content…
Multiple times in the play Hamlet gets positive advice from Horatio, who serves as superego. “Hamlet makes it apparent that he had discussed his misgivings about the Ghost with Horatio” (Reed 180). Reed goes on to discuss how much Hamlet respects Horatio; their relationship is one of the only things that tied Hamlet to reality. Horatio is Hamlet’s voice of reason in act one, scene four, when Horatio tries to convince him that he should not go and talk to the ghost alone because he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Hamlet. Even though he was unsuccessful in keeping Hamlet from going with the ghost alone, just the fact that he tried but still respected Hamlet’s answer shows that Horatio was a loyal and caring friend. Hamlet looks up to Horatio; he is everything Hamlet wants to be. Horatio is very intelligent and is content with how things are, unlike Hamlet who is so focused on getting revenge that he no longer thinks about the consequences of his actions. Because of Hamlet's depression, he does not have any friends except Horatio. Hamlet’s childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come back, but only to spy on him for the king. They were not very good at hiding it from Hamlet. This lead to Hamlet sending them off to England to be killed. This only made it harder for Hamlet to trust people because …show more content…
This soliloquy incorporates Hamlets id, ego and superego making it a very good section to analyze through the lens of psychoanalysis. Throughout the soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates committing suicide. He becomes very depressed, which, after the death of his father and the very fast marriage of his mother to his uncle, pushes Hamlet to the breaking point. “That is the question—/ Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/And, by opposing, end them?”( 3.1.57-61). Hamlet was asking if it was more noble to suffer through his trials or to remove himself from overwhelming amount of pain he is feeling. In Hamlet's unconscious, there was a battle between his id and his superego where the ego was trying to mitigate the situation and come out with the best solution. The emotional toll this is having on Hamlet can be heard through the passion with which he says these things. “ He now drops this idea, and reverts to his reasoning on death, in the course of which he owns himself deterred from suicide, by the thoughts of what may follow death.” ( Quarterly 275). Hamlet is weighing his options: life or death. The only reason Hamlet chose life is because he feared the outcome of death. Death is a very common fear for most people as it is a step into the unknown. Hamlet has a very legitimate fear, although this time
Psychoanalysis has developed over time, starting with Sigmund Freud, who is sometimes referred to as the father of psychoanalysis. The study of psychoanalysis was further developed by Carl G. Jung, Northrop Frye, and Jacques Lacan. Each of these social scientists took a slightly different stance on …show more content…
Multiple times in the play Hamlet gets positive advice from Horatio, who serves as superego. “Hamlet makes it apparent that he had discussed his misgivings about the Ghost with Horatio” (Reed 180). Reed goes on to discuss how much Hamlet respects Horatio; their relationship is one of the only things that tied Hamlet to reality. Horatio is Hamlet’s voice of reason in act one, scene four, when Horatio tries to convince him that he should not go and talk to the ghost alone because he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Hamlet. Even though he was unsuccessful in keeping Hamlet from going with the ghost alone, just the fact that he tried but still respected Hamlet’s answer shows that Horatio was a loyal and caring friend. Hamlet looks up to Horatio; he is everything Hamlet wants to be. Horatio is very intelligent and is content with how things are, unlike Hamlet who is so focused on getting revenge that he no longer thinks about the consequences of his actions. Because of Hamlet's depression, he does not have any friends except Horatio. Hamlet’s childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come back, but only to spy on him for the king. They were not very good at hiding it from Hamlet. This lead to Hamlet sending them off to England to be killed. This only made it harder for Hamlet to trust people because …show more content…
This soliloquy incorporates Hamlets id, ego and superego making it a very good section to analyze through the lens of psychoanalysis. Throughout the soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates committing suicide. He becomes very depressed, which, after the death of his father and the very fast marriage of his mother to his uncle, pushes Hamlet to the breaking point. “That is the question—/ Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/And, by opposing, end them?”( 3.1.57-61). Hamlet was asking if it was more noble to suffer through his trials or to remove himself from overwhelming amount of pain he is feeling. In Hamlet's unconscious, there was a battle between his id and his superego where the ego was trying to mitigate the situation and come out with the best solution. The emotional toll this is having on Hamlet can be heard through the passion with which he says these things. “ He now drops this idea, and reverts to his reasoning on death, in the course of which he owns himself deterred from suicide, by the thoughts of what may follow death.” ( Quarterly 275). Hamlet is weighing his options: life or death. The only reason Hamlet chose life is because he feared the outcome of death. Death is a very common fear for most people as it is a step into the unknown. Hamlet has a very legitimate fear, although this time