Freud and Hamlet’s Relationship with His Mother Essay

When analyzing the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, one can note that even at a young age, the Oedipus complex manifests in the boy, which reflects a number of his conflicting experiences about his father. These experiences are based on an unconscious craving for mother and jealousy. According to Freud’s concept, sexuality manifests itself extremely early in children, and a mother is the closest object of adoration on the part of her son. Since boys at this age live by the principle of pleasure, ignoring reality until the stage of growing up, their desires are sometimes quite active. Hamlet is unconsciously inhibited by his internal memory of hatred for his father and lust for his mother. As a result, his tense relations with his father-killer may be interpreted from the position of unconscious love for the closest person and the desire to protect her at all costs from palace intrigues and conspiracies.