Shakespeare’s great tragedy, Hamlet was written around 1600 which was known as the Elizabethan era in which many aspects of life may have bizarre and inequitable compared to the society in which we live in today.

Tillyard believed that all Elizabethans were much closer to a Medieval way of thinking than a modern way (Dollimore’s theory) which is in my opinion reflected in many of Shakespeare’s plays including Hamlet. Elizabethans believed there was a hierarchy on earth and on top was the king who was seen to be in total control of making laws which were believed to be directed from God, what followed were the noblemen, the clergy, the landowners etc. Women were taught from birth that they were inferior to men and once they married, the husband gained ownership of the wife and household.

In this period it was considered incest for in-law brother and sister to be intimate in any way which was the relationship in which Claudius and Gertrude shared. What views would the Elizabethans have towards Hamlet (and his repressed emotions towards his mother?) It is arguable but the elder generation probably woul

At the end of Act 3 Scene 3 we see a great example of his tragic flaw which is his inability to act. It seems as if Hamlet is about to fulfil his revenge on Claudius from the way he speaks, “Now I might do it pat, now he is a-praying And now I’ll do’t” and the drawing of a sword would give most audiences an anticipation of the first death in the play. But his procrastination prevents him from taking action, “No. Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent: When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in th’incestuous pleasure of his bed”. It seems Shakespeare intended to make it look like Hamlet would rather kill Claudius whilst he is engaged in sexual contact with his mother and also considers this to be a sinful act which is speculative. This would presumably anger Hamlet and make him envy his uncle even more because this is what he desires from his mother. In Michael Almereyda’s depiction of this scene Claudius is in a car and recites half of his soliloquy in his mind but still looks to be in sorrow for his offence as Hamlet watches on from the front seat pondering whether to end his life with a revolver. Although Hamlet readies himself to shoot Claudius, he doesn’t possess a menacing or determined look to kill and this shows that Michael Almereyda wanted Hamlet to be a deep thinker because when someone doesn’t have the motivation or desire to act it is presumably because they are in doubt or have qualms with carrying out that particular action. Sigmund Freud’s idea that the dramatist might have created Hamlet being “classed as neurasthenic” is accurate here as Hamlet shows countless signs of nervousness through his soliloquies of deep thought and consideration and his oedipal complex which stops him from killing Claudius. This is because although he wants to displace him he can’t because he sees qualities in Claudius that he sees in himself.

d’ve been astounded and possibly offended by such controversial breakthroughs in playwriting whilst modern generations could relate to sense of rebellion of not following to conventions or rules although the oedipal complex is questionable to many. It is the Hamlet who I am going to be focusing on and how his oedipal complex makes him a tragic hero and ultimately prevent him from killing the king.

The pivotal scene to recognizing Hamlet’s Oedipal complex is Act 3 Scene 4, the closet scene. After failing to kill Claudius, Hamlet pays a visit to his mother in her bedroom. The setting here plays a vital role and the inclusion of a bed Hamlet know that this is where Gertrude and Claudius engage

Some topics in this essay:
Gertrude’s Claudius’, Gertrude Claudius, Claudius Gertrude, Freud Hamlet, Denmark Corporation, Claudius Almereyda, Oedipus Rex, Michael Almereyda, Hamlet Elizabethans, Claudius Shakespeare’s, oedipal complex, kill claudius, michael almereyda, hamlet’s soliloquy, act 3, suffering oedipal, act 3 scene, suffering oedipal complex, 3 scene, michael almereyda hamlet, sexual contact, almereyda production, gertrude claudius, michael almereyda production, hamlet kill claudius,