The Psychological Depth of Hamlet: An Interdisciplinary Approach

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Shakespeare wrote his play Hamlet during the English Renaissance. Even though the play was written between 1599 and 1601¹, it comprises a number of scenes that illustrate various distorted beliefs. This essay aims to appreciate the play through the lenses of psychology and literary criticism and examine the profound role of Prince Hamlet's madness, procrastination, existential crisis and other Freudian defence mechanisms in shaping the trajectory of the play.

The term tragedy refers to a dramatic play that unfolds a disastrous downfall with several poignant scenes recurring.2 Hamlet aligns well with the conventions of tragedy as the play ends in massive bloodshed. Based on Greek theatrical conventions, the ultimate objective of a tragedy is to achieve an effect of purification and to evoke a sense of pity and sympathy from the side of the audience.² In Hamlet, the prince struggling to overcome his late father's death, ends up behaving in an erratic way that ultimately culminates in a chain reaction of deaths, hence the purgation of the audience.

Prince Hamlet is a round character who oscillates between genuine and feigned madness, using the latter to deceive the king and his spies, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.³ Though Hamlet's insanity may appear fabricated at first, at the end of the play, he has developed a neurotic attitude. To illustrate this, the prince inadvertently kills Polonius assuming him to be his uncle behind the curtain. Polonius’s unexpected death further perpetuates the mental state of other characters as his daughter Ophelia becomes mentally unstable and commits suicide. Laertes challenges Hamlet to a duel, culminating in the deaths of Laertes, Hamlet, Gertrude, and Claudius.4 Though the absolute absence of sympathy for Hamlet from his environment plays a pivotal role in the disastrous outcome, the story is heavily embedded in the complex personality of Hamlet’s character.

The prince is a blatant example of a procrastinator. Procrastinating individuals are prone to delay their responsibilities as they lack the motivation to do so.⁵ The same is the case with Hamlet, who is indecisive about killing Claudius while he is praying. The protagonist constantly overthinks his actions and whether killing his uncle is the right action to do. Thus, he constantly questions the validity and morality of his actions, which allows Claudius to stabilize his power and talk his environment into serving his own opportunistic goals.

           However, there are several other maladaptive patterns discernible in the prince’s behaviour that foreshadow the tragic outcome of events. He intellectualizes suicide in his "To be or not to be" soliloquy (Hamlet 3.1.65) and focuses not on the emotional but the philosophical aspects of suicide.⁶ In his speech, the audience can gain a deeper understanding of his point of view and his state of emotional turmoil. A soliloquy is a monologue uttered by one of the characters on their own.2 Hamlet splits the question of living into two options: "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (Hamlet 3.1.67) or entering "the undiscover’d country" (Hamlet 3.1.88). There are more than two alternatives for him to choose from in pursuit of a better life.7 This false dilemma further deepens the animosity between Hamlet and his uncle.

Beyond philosophical ruminations, Freud’s theories introduce another layer of psychological interpretation to Hamlet’s behaviour, particularly the Oedipus complex. Even though Hamlet develops an aversion to his stepfather, it cannot be ascribed to any repressed fixations towards his mother.⁸ I am convinced that part of the problem stems from the fact that Claudius deprived Hamlet of succeeding the Danish throne after his father.1 Despite Hamlet ferociously opposing their corrupt marriage, Freudian reasoning is not directly linked to the prince’s insanity. The reason behind his madness is Gertrude's sudden marriage to Claudius within a month after Lord Hamlet’s death.

In conclusion, Shakespeare’s play Hamlet effectively weaves literary criticism and psychology together and showcases their overarching role in shaping the trajectory of the play. Whether viewed from a Freudian perspective or drawn on contemporary psychology theories, Hamlet’s unique psyche masterfully intertwines the two disciplines into one meaningful piece and serves as the main driving force of the tragedy.

Works cited:

       1 Bevington, David. "Hamlet". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Oct. 2024,

      https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hamlet-by-Shakespeare. Accessed 28 November 2024.

2 Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford University Press, 2015.

3 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "flat and round characters". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Jan. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/art/flat-character. Accessed 1 December 2024.

4 Brown, John Russell. The Shakespeare Handbooks Hamlet. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

5 “Procrastination.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/procrastination. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

6 “Defense Mechanisms.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/defense-mechanisms. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

7 “‘to Be or Not to Be’: Is That Really the Question?” Edited by Ekua Hagan, Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/finding-meaning-in-an-imperfect-world/201806/to-be-or-not-to-be-is-that-really-the-question. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

8 “The Oedipal Complex.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/life-after-50/201804/the-oedipal-complex. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.