A Freudian Reading of HamletThere are many different theories in the world today. The theory that will be discussed in the following paragraphs is the Oedipus theory and its connection with Hamlet. So what are we still talking about?! What I mean is, did Hamlet have real romantic feelings for his mother? Well, I don't know, does he?! No seriously, this deranged guy was going through a lot, his father died and came to him like a ghost, his mother married his uncle, his girlfriend jumped off a bridge and his friends are traitors! Come on, how would you be after all this? Oh yeah, my topic is his relationship with his mother! Oops ! So, what is the Oedipus theory? Well, that's all crazy thinking from this cool cat guy named Freud! Wow what a character! Well, what this guy was thinking is that boys have unconscious sexual motivations for our mom's! Yeah, that nice woman who blows you kisses, bakes cookies, and buys your clothes. That's right! Well before calling Freud crazy, think about it! Yes, of course, and in the following paragraphs you will see how I feel that Freud is right (in this one) and that Hamlet had such unconscious motivations for his mother. It was Freud himself who, in an essay published in 1905, was the first to attempt to resolve in psychoanalytic terms the enigma offered by Hamlet's behavior. According to Freud, the personal crisis experienced by Hamlet awakens his repressed incestuous and parricidal desires. The disgust that his mother's remarriage arouses in him, as well as the violent behavior during their confrontation in the queen's bedroom, are signs of the jealousy that he constantly experiences, even unconsciously. The bedroom scene is just one example of Hamlet's aversion to sexuality, which he most often associates with vulgarity and disease. Despite his violent reactions, he is nonetheless fundamentally incapable of acting, Freud tells us, because he cannot bring himself to take revenge on the man who killed his father and took his place at his mother's side. Those are some pretty strong influences that would drive a person crazy, right? Well, how about some evidence from the text, eh? Of course, no problem! The Ghost's announcement that the father's death is a prime example.