Hamlet Essay

What have you come to understand about the intense human relationships of Hamlet? How has this understanding been affected by the perspectives of others? In you response you should focus on 3 scenes in the play and a range of perspectives. The intense human relationships of Hamlet have been viewed through numerous perspectives yet all have reached the same conclusions. With the exception of just one, the friendship of Hamlet and Horatio, all the relationships are dishonourable, dysfunctional and destined to fail. Being a revenge tragedy it is immediately clear this play is filled with lies, deceit and treachery. The exact time of Hamlet’s composition is unknown, however it is assumed to be between 1599 and 1602. This was a dark, melancholy time in Shakespeare’s life with the death of his father in 1601 and the death of his only son, Hamnet aged 11, in 1596. It is believed that these events had a significant impact on the writing of Hamlet as the play is heavy with death and has a great similarity with this son’s name. Some perspectives that have been adopted to view and understand the intense human relationships of Hamlet are a religious, psychoanalytic and feminist perspective. When Shakespeare first wrote Hamlet he lived in a strongly religious society where people could be fined for not attending church. Therefore, at this time in history many people had a religious attitude and perspective on the play. The psychoanalytical perspective focuses on the unconscious mind and how it dictates behaviour. This perspective became popular when Sigmund Freud, a well-known psychologist, began developing his psychoanalytic theory, The Oedipus Complex, in 1897. The feminist perspective is often centred around strong women and became particularly popular in the 1950’s being a post world war 2 period. Women were involved in many aspects of the war and made ground in their equality with men. However, when the war ended, women were encouraged to return to their household duties and this sparked much controversy. The family relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude is one of the most intense in the entire play. Their relationship reaches a climax in act 3 scene 4 when Hamlet confronts his mother about her relationship with Claudius and her involvement in the murder of King Hamlet, â€Å"mother, you have my father much offended†. Hamlet sees Gertrude as an adulteress for marrying her husband’s brother two months after his death and believes she is aware that Claudius killed King Hamlet, â€Å"Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother†. When exploring this scene from a feminist perspective it can be seen that Gertrude cares deeply for her son yet he scorns her for her recent actions, â€Å"You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you†. Despite there being no evidence that Gertrude is aware of Claudius’s deed, Hamlet does not trust his mother and this consequently results in his inability to trust other women. The Oedipus Complex comes to the fore when the relationship of these two characters is examined with a psychoanalytical perspective. Freud’s complex suggests that every boy from the age of 3-4 years begins to have unconscious sexual desires for his mother and regards his father as his rival. Through studying this scene from a psychoanalytical perspective it is prominent that Hamlet has an obsession with his mothers sexual relationship with Claudius. He claims that she lives â€Å"In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed†. The scene takes place in Gertrude’s bedroom, which is important as its privacy and intimacy allows Hamlet to express himself fully to his mother and being a place where sexual activity occurs, suggests Hamlets repressed sexual desires. The scene ends with Hamlet possessively demanding her â€Å"but go not to my uncle’s bed† and uses multiple sexual references when he tells her to not let Claudius â€Å"Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse†. Relating this to the Oedipus complex, Hamlet appears to be more like a jealous lover than a concerned son. Examining act 3 scene 4 from different perspectives gives varied insights into Gertrude and Hamlet’s relationship, yet each perspective deduces that it is a dishonourable relationship with no mutual trust or respect. Another dishonourable family relationship in Hamlet is that between Ophelia and her father Polonius. Polonius manipulates Ophelia for his own benefit, treating her like a tool rather than a person. Their relationships becomes pitiful when she receives orders from her father and responds with â€Å"I shall bey, my lord†, implying that she is at the service of her father. Through the analysis of act 4 scene 5 a deeper understanding can be reached about Ophelia’s relationship with her late father. Following the death of Polonius, Ophelia’s mind becomes unhinged as she drifts into insanity, speaking in songs and rhymes. Considering this scene from a feminists perspective it can be thought that Ophelia went mad with guilt having her desire for Hamlet to kill her father so that they can be together fulfilled. This theory strongly supports the idea that the relationship between Ophelia and Polonius was dysfunctional as she felt she’d never be free to make her own choices until her father was dead. The friendship between Hamlet and Horatio is the only admirable one. Horatio is the one character that Hamlet speaks to openly and confides in. He remains loyal and swears himself to secrecy about the ghost and the pretence of Hamlets madness. He conspires with Hamlet to prove Claudius killed King Hamlet and he stands by him through Ophelia’s death. It is the final scene of the play when the true extent of their friendship is confirmed. Act 5 scene 2 begins with Hamlet confiding in Horatio and reciting the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to him. This further validates their friendship and Hamlets trust in his loyal friend. The scene draws to a close with Horatio wishing to join Hamlet in death. This selfless declaration and his final words to Hamlet before he dies â€Å"good night sweet Prince, and flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest† convey his everlasting faithfulness to Hamlet. Through examining the friendship of Hamlet and Horatio from the beginning of the play to the end, it is clear that, unlike all the other relationships, there is never a doubt about the sincerity of their friendship. Through the close and critical analysis of Hamlet, you can come to the understanding that all but one of the intense human relationships within the play are dishonourable, dysfunctional and destined to fail. Considering this interpretation in the light of other perspectives the same conclusion can be drawn about the relationships.