1 Psychoanalysis of Hamlet

Hamlet, which is known as one of the masterpieces of Shakespeare, is also important having ingenious psychoanalysis of Hamlet in it and when we search we can see that actually it is related with Shakespeares life. Hamlets character and madness also have deep meanings. In this paper, I will examine Hamlets character, his madness, his psychology and I will also talk about the psychologists ideas about Hamlets character. I will try to explain the deep meanings which are lying under his madly behaviours. I will discuss about Hamlets psychology, how we can understand Hamlet and how it is related with Shakespeares life. First of all, I will introduce the story shortly. The events that affect Hamlet deeply are the death of The King Hamlet, after that his uncles marriage with his mother and Hamlets seeing his fathers ghost and learning the reality that his father was killed by his uncle Claudius. Those events, which follow one after another, continue with Hamlets always trying to take revenge of his father which is always resulted with failure. The only wish of Hamlet is to take revenge of his father. He always makes plans for this revenge but he cannot act for a long time. However, Hamlet showed his sadness by saying that the funeral baked meats, did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.(Act 1 Scene 2; 190) And also Hamlet wears black clothes which represent mourning and lamenting. With his desire to take revenge and from his dialogues with his fathers ghost, he makes us to think that he is ready to take revenge of his father. However, actually he is not ready and he needs proofs firstly. In the very beginning, the question is that; what are the invisible powers which prevent Hamlets acting? According to psychological researches, Hamlets suppressed desire which stands in his subconscious was achieved by his uncle. This suppressed desire is to kill his father, marrying with his mother and to be the King of Denmark. According to psychology, this desire is common among all the boys. Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a

2 breeder of sinners?(Act 3 Scene 1; 130) These words of Hamlet are from a dialogue of him with Ophelia and they show us that with his mothers marriage just after his fathers death, Hamlet lost his trust to all the women. He thinks that women are breeder of sinners and they cannot love anybody sincerely. Because his ideal woman, his mother did wrong. When Hamlet killed Polonius, the Queen says that O what a rash and bloody deed is this! Then Hamlet answers her, A bloody deed. Almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king, and marry with his brother. (Act 3 Scene 4; 35) Here, Hamlet implies that the murderer of his father is the Queen who marries with his brother soon after the Kings death and this event and words of Hamlet also shows that the reason of Hamlets mistrust is his mothers being in an abnormal situation. Secondly, the psychologists are trying to explain Hamlets psychology and behaviours by attributing to Shakespeares life. Researches about Hamlets psychology include this topic. There is limited knowledge about Shakespeares life; however two of them are attracting attention. One of them is Shakespeares marrying with a woman who is older than him. This event evokes marrying with mother. And also the other is his sons dying when he was too young. Psychologists think that this first event can be a proof of that Shakespeares life was reflected in Hamlet. We do not have a chance to learn that with which ideas Shakespeare created his work. We cannot know whether mystery and uncertainty in the work was only used to increase its intensity or not. However on the other hand some psychologists say that his creativity based on his abnormal spiritual life in his childhood. It is widely known that there is a similarity between the name of the character and the name of Shakespeares dead son, Hamnet. A son, who dies in his early years, leaves traces in a fathers spirit and this traces reflection to his work is inevitable. And also when we come to the hesitation of Hamlet, we know that, Claudius as a king who kills his brother and marries his wife feels guilty and Hamlet sees him while he is

3 praying and delays to take his revenge. This seems us as an abnormal situation; however we know that Hamlet is written in a transition period. There was a shift from religious community to secular community, so, Hamlet is also in between. He is a religious man therefore he does not kill Claudius immediately when he saw him while he is praying. Because if he kills Claudius while he is praying, Claudius will go to the heaven and this is not a punishment, this can be a prize for Claudius so Hamlet puts off his revenge. Actually, we see that Hamlet in between throughout the play. Michael Taylor also thinks that and he says in his The Conflict in Hamlet; The essential conflict in Hamlet, I believe, is that between man as victim of fate and as controller of his own destiny.(Taylor, 150) Taylor also says that Hamlet is in between so he hesitates and makes wrong. The worst decision is hesitation. Because of his ambivalence Hamlet makes wrong. When we come to the point that how we can actually understand Hamlets true feelings and ideas, the seven soliloquies of Hamlet are important to understand Hamlets character and psychology. He gives us important information about his thoughts and subconscious only in his soliloquies, because he puts on a mask of madness throughout the play. Therefore we can understand his real character only from his talking himself, from his own sentences. Otherwise we cannot understand his behaviours and speeches from his dialogues with the others. To be, or not to be? 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? To die, to sleep(Act 3 Scene 1; 65) This is an extract from his well-known, the most important and the most famous soliloquies of Hamlet. With this speech, all the conflict becomes clear. Here, Hamlet fights himself. In first

4 four lines it is not clear whether he thinks about death or not. However in the fifth line it becomes clear. He is in between, to live or to die, to act or not to act, to keep silent or to guard against the troubles. We can also see that Hamlets hesitation clearly. He is a Renaissance man so he is questioning, however he is also religious, he believes in after life so he cannot commit suicide to end his sufferings. Because when we look from religious perspective, committing suicide is a big sin. There will be a punishment after world, and Hamlet also believes that to suffer in the hell will be worse than in the world. And also when we look from the Renaissance mans perspective, after world is unknown. You might end your suffering in the world but your sufferings will really end when you killed yourself? We do not know what will happen after the world and unknown is dangerous according to Renaissance mind which focuses on human mind and science. In this extract we see why Hamlet hesitates and how he is in between the two goods. This extract clearly shows us Hamlet psychology and what are in his mind. Consequently; all of Hamlets behaviours and his madness have a meaning and it requires a great effort and researches to understand him. Hamlet is a play that includes perfect psychoanalysis in it and even in psychology departments it is used as a source. A lot of psychologists are studying on it and trying to solve its enigmas. I have learnt from a source that Hamlet is known as Mona Lisa of English Literature. The reason for this comparison is that although he had a lot of chance to take his revenge, his delaying to act is a situation that is not solved yet. Hamlet is a play of enigmas and Mona Lisa also has a lot of mysteries. Claude C. H. Williamson also agrees that by saying; The character of Hamlet attracts the reader with the fascination of a mystery that forever invites discovery and forever precludes the possibility of being laid wholly bare.(Williamson, 89) As the Mona Lisa of English Literature, Hamlet will be researched throughout the years and will wait to be understood one day.

Works Cited Lawlor, J. J. The Tragic Conflict in Hamlet The Review of English Studies. New Series, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr., 1950), pp. 97-113 Shakespeare, William. Hamlet Taylor, Michael. The Conflict in Hamlet Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Spring, 1971), pp. 147-161 Williamson, Claude C. H. Hamlet International Journal of Ethics. Vol. 33, No. 1 (Oct., 1922), pp. 85-100