I'm a psych major, it had to happen

Today's blog post is brought to you by Hamlet and the complex Oedipal. That's right everyone, we're examining Hamlet's attraction (or lack thereof) to his mother.

So let's start by assuming that Hamlet does have an Oedipal complex that has been stewing in the back of his mind since he was a child. It would certainly explain his anger towards both his mother and Claudius. His father's death was his first opportunity to get closer to his mother and the chance was ripped away from him by his uncle, a man that, assuming Hamlet does have an Oedipal complex, is living out Hamlet's dream. There's a lot of jealousy going on here. His anger towards his mother is more than just anger for her betrayal of his father, but is because by choosing Claudius, she rejected Hamlet. So almost in order to get back at his mother, he's flaunting Ophelia in his mother's face. When no one else is around, he doesn't treat her well at all, essentially calling her a whore when no one's looking. But when his mother is around, he says that Ophelia is more attractive than his mother and lies at her feet instead of sitting by his mother. Then in a lot of ways, Ophelia becomes his outlet for his feelings towards Gertrude. His accusations of Ophelia being unfaithful are really Hamlet chastising his mother. If we follow the logical conclusion to this theory, it's easy to say that Hamlet's sexual desires for Ophelia can also be applied to Gertrude.

Then there's the scene in Gertrude's bedroom where Hamlet chastises her, which is really only overtly creepy if you watch the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet.

(Note: the first kiss in the video is with Ophelia, the rest is footage of Hamlet and Gertrude.)

Nevertheless, Hamlet's major criticism of his mother is her choice in bedfellows and seems to be harping on her for taking a new husband that was not as attractive as the first, more than he is actually upset about her betraying his father. He focuses on her poor choice, almost as if to say that he himself would have made a better husband.

I think a problem we have in identifying Hamlet's Oedipal complex is how revolted we are by the idea. Yeah, incest is pretty gross, but nevertheless, it could very well be one of Hamlet's subconscious drives pushing him towards insanity. It certainly would explain some of his behaviors. For a more detailed and scholarly exploration of the subject, read Ernest Jones' paper titled Hamlet and Oedipus.