To be Mad, or to be Sad? That is The Question: A Psychoanalytic Analysis of the Five Stages of Grief in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
As one reads the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the question of if the young prince of Denmark is able to accept his father’s death arises, and as the play continues, the reader contemplates the idea of if Hamlet will ever be at peace with the concept of his father being gone and his mother having married his uncle. A modern reader is able to use Kϋbler Ross’s five stages of grief to understand Hamlet’s processing of his feelings as the play progresses. Within his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare utilizes the five stages of grief, being: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance in order to …show more content…
Hamlet’s fury is enhanced by learning of his mother’s prompt, incestuous marriage to Claudius, in which fuels his disappointment of her throughout the play; “would have mourn 'd longer--married with my uncle, my father 's brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules: within a month: ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes, she married. O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets” (Act I scene ii 151-157). The people that surround Hamlet add to his vexation in the façades they wear; Ophelia becomes less of his lover and more of a puppet to Polonius, Claudius is a killer, liar, and constantly demands Hamlet is overreacting, Gertrude is indifferent to the death of her husband and Hamlet’s feelings, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are used to try and get the truth behind Hamlet’s outbursts for Claudius. With all of the betrayal going on Hamlet acts out with large overdramatic outbursts fueled by his anger as a type of defense mechanism in his grieving process, so that Hamlet does not have to face the fact that everyone, but Horacio, is against him now with his father …show more content…
Ophelia has died and is being buried, this is where Hamlet finally admits to loving her, however, this leads to a conflict between Laertes and Hamlet. Laertes and Hamlet fence with the King’s unwritten idea of ‘to the death’ do to poison in the goblet and on the fencing foil. Laertes is stuck by the poisoned blade tip and so has Hamlet, they are able to exchange words of peace before Laertes dies. Gertrude drinks from the gauntlet and too dies, aiding in Hamlet’s acceptance in that she can no longer bring disappointment to him. Though Hamlet knows he is dying, he is able to poison Claudius and kill him, thus avenging his father. The last loose end that Hamlet has to tie up before he can peacefully die and accept his father’s unfair death is that someone must take his father’s place on the throne. With his last few breaths, he tells his only true friend (and survivor) Horacio; “on Fortinbras: he has my dying voice; so tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, which have solicited. The rest is silence” (Act V scene ii 338-340). At this time Hamlet is able to come to peace with the idea of someone else taking the place of his father on the throne and can now fully accept his father’s death, complete his grieving, and die without loose ends like his father
As one reads the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the question of if the young prince of Denmark is able to accept his father’s death arises, and as the play continues, the reader contemplates the idea of if Hamlet will ever be at peace with the concept of his father being gone and his mother having married his uncle. A modern reader is able to use Kϋbler Ross’s five stages of grief to understand Hamlet’s processing of his feelings as the play progresses. Within his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare utilizes the five stages of grief, being: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance in order to …show more content…
Hamlet’s fury is enhanced by learning of his mother’s prompt, incestuous marriage to Claudius, in which fuels his disappointment of her throughout the play; “would have mourn 'd longer--married with my uncle, my father 's brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules: within a month: ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes, she married. O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets” (Act I scene ii 151-157). The people that surround Hamlet add to his vexation in the façades they wear; Ophelia becomes less of his lover and more of a puppet to Polonius, Claudius is a killer, liar, and constantly demands Hamlet is overreacting, Gertrude is indifferent to the death of her husband and Hamlet’s feelings, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are used to try and get the truth behind Hamlet’s outbursts for Claudius. With all of the betrayal going on Hamlet acts out with large overdramatic outbursts fueled by his anger as a type of defense mechanism in his grieving process, so that Hamlet does not have to face the fact that everyone, but Horacio, is against him now with his father …show more content…
Ophelia has died and is being buried, this is where Hamlet finally admits to loving her, however, this leads to a conflict between Laertes and Hamlet. Laertes and Hamlet fence with the King’s unwritten idea of ‘to the death’ do to poison in the goblet and on the fencing foil. Laertes is stuck by the poisoned blade tip and so has Hamlet, they are able to exchange words of peace before Laertes dies. Gertrude drinks from the gauntlet and too dies, aiding in Hamlet’s acceptance in that she can no longer bring disappointment to him. Though Hamlet knows he is dying, he is able to poison Claudius and kill him, thus avenging his father. The last loose end that Hamlet has to tie up before he can peacefully die and accept his father’s unfair death is that someone must take his father’s place on the throne. With his last few breaths, he tells his only true friend (and survivor) Horacio; “on Fortinbras: he has my dying voice; so tell him, with the occurrents, more and less, which have solicited. The rest is silence” (Act V scene ii 338-340). At this time Hamlet is able to come to peace with the idea of someone else taking the place of his father on the throne and can now fully accept his father’s death, complete his grieving, and die without loose ends like his father