Hamlet Freud

I've come to notice throughout the past few weeks that psychology is one of the only subjects that can relate with almost any other subject. Even in literature.

In The interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud analyzes one of the greatest creations of tragic poetry, Shakespeare's Hamlet. Using the powers of psychology, Freud tries to understand Hamlet's behavior, even by relating it to the Oedipus Complex. He says that "Hamlet represents the type of man whose power of direct action is paralysed by an excessive development of his intellect." Long story short, he tells us that Hamlet can't get much done because he over thinks too much. Ironically, he implies it's a bad thing to do even though it's exactly what he does to be able to analyze and interpret the mind of Hamlet. He creates a paradox just as Hamlet does. In a way, Freud and Hamlet share parallel traits. In fact, it sometimes feels like Freud is only just analyzing himself. But, it would make sense of course, since psychology is based on the study of the behavior of human beings as a whole rather than the study of each individual being.



But just like Hamlet, there is one thing that Freud didn't really understand. After close examination he did find a logical reasoning in explaining the unusual crazy behaviors of Hamlet. I mean, it's natural for humans to feel that way when they are in the same situation as Hamlet. As a matter of fact, the crazy, yet intelligent, character of Hamlet actually seems to be a reflection and representation of the mind and feelings of Shakepeare since it was written immediately after his father's death. Furthermore, his son who died at an early age was named Hamnet (which really closely resembles the name Hamlet). But, Freud, the all-so-intelligent philosopher that impacted the world, had one thing that he couldn't quite grasp that Hamlet (nor Shakespeare) couldn't either. Freud once said, "the great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is 'What does a woman want?'”


...Yes, not even the most intelligent people in the world could answer that after all these years of existing on Earth. One of Hamlet's source of insanity comes from the disappointing behavior and actions of his mom. After the king's death, Hamlet's mom goes off to marry her supposedly beloved dead husband's brother. Not even the great power of psychology can explain that.

Anyway, besides that, we can trust Freud on the understanding of Hamlet's mind. His analysis might even be the most accurate one compared to all the others. After all, Freud easily empathizes with Hamlet, unlike most people who tend to feel sympathy instead.