Analysis of Hamlet’s Behavior in Hamlet by William Shakespeare in the Perspective of

Psychoanalysis

Introduction

William Shakespeare is considered as an influential author in English literature, especially in

Renaissance era. He was a poet, playwright and actor who were born on 26 April 1564 in
Stratford-upon-Avon. He is also called the national poet of England and even Avon's Bard. He
wrote around 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long poems and several other verses, some of which are
unclear about the authorship. His plays were translated through each important world language
and played more often than any other playwright. His work has been adapted into 80 languages,
including Star Trek's Klingon. It has helped establish today's English with up to 300 words and
scores of well-known sentences. Known around the world, Shakespeare's writings reflect the
complexity of human experience and struggle and have been preserved for more than 400 years.

Among all of the Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet is one of the remarkable tragedy play written
sometime between 1599 and 1601. It's Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in
Denmark, the play portrays Prince Hamlet and his desire for revenge against his uncle, Claudius,
who murdered Hamlet's father in position to obtain the throne and marry Hamlet's mother. The
play provides a confrontation between a variety of individuals who pursue dominance or
interrupt moral justice themselves. It covers the subjects of trickery, manipulation, and evil,
creating a "perfect storm" of exploitation, chaos, and perhaps foolishness.

The Hamlet of William Shakespeare is distinguished from other vengeance plays of Elizabethan
in the way, that the playwright has made a lot of effort to portray Hamlet's psychological
composition. The way Shakespeare presents Hamlet's social dynamics; the play has become a
valuable text for critics to see through the psychoanalytic scope. Hamlet's analysis of
psychoanalytic critique exposes the inside states of Hamlet's subconscious.
Hamlet is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a
story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others" [ CITATION Tho06 \l
1033 ]