Abstract
This paper defines the Oedipal Complex and show how it emerges as a theme in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', through the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, his mother. The closet theme is shown as a major scene that reflects their relationship, as well as other scenes which show Hamlet's anguish at being replaced in his mother's affection by another man.

From the Paper
"A young boy suffering from the Oedipal Complex has sexual desires for his mother and aggressive feelings toward his father. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the object of Hamlet's Oedipal Complex, Gertrude, follows the criteria of this theory. Although Hamlet outwardly disapproves of his mother's marriage, Gertrude constantly expresses her undying affection for her son. The Closet Scene, in addition to revealing the Oedipal Complex, best exemplifies the conflict in Hamlet's relationship with his mother. "

Tags:mother, son, oedipus, Gertrude, Ophelia

Abstract
This paper examines Shakespeare's portrayal of the female characters, Gertrude and Ophelia in his play, "Hamlet." The author shows how the portrayal of these women as weak and frail individuals is a theme that Shakespeare carries throughout the entire play. Several scenes are used to demonstrate how the flaws in these women's characters were the catalyst for many of the problems they faced and as a result, they were treated poorly by the men in their lives.

From the Paper
"Because of Ophelia's lack of self-confidence, she becomes a target for abuse from Hamlet. Although it is apparent to the audience that she is the epitome of an honest woman, Hamlet sees her as "a dubious whore," (Act III, Scene II) Due to his lack of trust in females, Hamlet doesn't want to listen to anything Ophelia has to say. Because Ophelia is so dependant on the men in her life and lacks any identity of her own, she is completely torn between making everyone happy. As she states in Act III, Scene II, "I think nothing, my lord," she has been hurt so badly that she doesn't consider her thoughts to be important. When all three men in her life are gone, she feels completely helpless, therefore, when Hamlet says; "frailty, thy name is women" he is proven to be correct."

Tags:brother, family, frail, hamlet, insane, love, mother, ophelia, oppressed, polonius, shakespeare, weak

Abstract
This paper analyzes Hamlet's incestuous attraction to his mother, Gertrude, in relation to the Oedipus Complex. The paper provides textual evidence as well as interpretation. Through a review of the play, the writer illustrates the background to Hamlet's behavior and explains his insanity which is incited by his subconscious sexual desires.

From the Paper
"Hamlet's Oedipal feelings toward his mother caused him to have an incestuous attraction to her and an intense feeling of rivalry towards Claudius. The Oedipus Complex is a Freudian term designating attraction on the part of the child toward the parent of the opposite sex and rivalry and hostility toward the parent of its own (The Columbia Encyclopedia). Typical characteristics of this complex include jealousy and anger towards the parent of the same sex, and a subconscious desire towards the parent of the opposite sex. While most of the urges are repressed by early childhood, extreme circumstances can bring them to the surface in the later stages of life. In Hamlet's case, it took the murder of his father to draw out his incestuous instincts."

Tags:gertrude, incest, claudius, sexuality, parent, ophelia, perverse, obsession, desire

Abstract
An analysis of Shakespeare's famous play, "Hamlet", concentrating on the storyline and characters. The author discusses Hamlet's contemplative nature and shows its importance. The author feels that if Hamlet was able to put aside his thoughts earlier, Claudius would have been killed in the second act, and the play would be about forty-five minutes long. But the author of this paper believes that Shakespeare does not make Hamlet's rational thoughts disappear until Act III, at the death of Polonius, making Hamlet one of Shakespeare's longest plays. He feels that Shakespeare uses the death of Polonius to show what happens to a man when he kills another human being. In this play, the author says, the murder of Polonius starts a chain reaction of the rest of the deaths the tragedy has to offer.

From the Paper
"There are people in this world who are thinkers and dreamers, who think things through completely before anything gets done. And there are people who get things done without thinking too much before hand. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, is a complex character who thinks about everything to the point where things don't get accomplished. Throughout the play, the audience can see that Hamlet is a procrastinator, and he cannot kill Claudius, even when he has numerous chances to do so. The key moment in the play when Hamlet's mindset changes is when he mistakenly kills Polonius. Shakespeare decided to include the murder of Polonius to show that by killing a man, Hamlet's mindset has changed and his rational instincts are gone, allowing him to finally avenge his father's death by killing Claudius."

Tags:death, Hamlet, killing, Shakespeare, tragedy, character, Polonius, Claudius

Abstract
This essay compares and contrasts the behaviors and actions of Hamlet and Othello. In particular, the two characters' handling of love, grief and revenge are examined.

From the Paper
"Chance, coincidence, and circumstance influence the actions one takes when dealing with highly emotional situations. Everyone has their own way of dealing with these emotional situations, but the actions one chooses to carry out portray an image of the character they have become. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Othello, Hamlet and Othello, respectively, are similar in ways of handling their emotional states, but are very unalike in some aspects also. Hamlet and Othello's handling of love, grief, and revenge can be compared and contrasted in their respective plays. The love of their women, the grief of their losses, and the revenge that consumed them, have different, yet similar approaches by Hamlet and Othello."

Tags:comparative, essay, comparison, contrast, desdemona, evil, iago, jealousy, moor, murder, ophelia, othello, revenge, shakespeare, venice

Abstract
This paper deals with the protagonist Hamlet, and his inability to complete his task of revenge. Although Hamlet does kill Claudius, who is his uncle and the man who killed his father, the plan for revenge is not properly fulfilled due to elements that cause Hamlet's downfall and his unfortunate demise. The essay discusses how the factors of procrastination, melancholic behavior, and constant indecision stop Hamlet from properly fulfilling the task assigned by the ghost of Old Hamlet.

From the Paper
"Hamlet observes how Fortinbras is willing to go blindly to Poland, to fight for a piece of land, which is worthless, all in the name of honor. When he looks at himself, he sees that he is not a man of action. The prince has had months of time to fulfill his act of revenge, which he has all the reason for, but he has not gotten any closer to his goal than the first day. Fortinbras, on the other hand, appears as a foil to Hamlet, highlighting his own quick-acting ability, and contrasting Hamlet's continuing procrastination. The extensive delay of Hamlet's revenge is what creates a tragedy and contributes to his downfall at the end of the play. As well as the stretching of time, Hamlet is also not up to the task assigned to him by the ghost because he is melancholic and too overwhelmed by other surrounding situations."

Tags:claudius, death, downfall, ghost, hamlet, hero, procrastination, shakespeare, tragedy

Abstract
This is a literary essay that discusses William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and how the character of Hamlet would have been perceived by an Elizabethan audience. The paper contends that, in the eyes of an Elizabethan audience, Hamlet is a failure, both as an avenger and as a human being.

From the Paper
"In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet the central character, Prince Hamlet of Denmark and heir to the throne has a personality that is often considered flawed. He possesses several negative attributes that would have given the Elizabethan audience of the time good reason to find him failing as a human being and as an avenger. However, there is evidence throughout the text that suggests Hamlet is not a total failure as a human being and avenger. To draw a conclusion, one must explore Hamlet's character and analyze his actions throughout the course of the play."

Tags:death, brother, claudius, father, lie, cheat, mother, gertrude, king, queen, polonius, madness

Abstract
This paper examines how Tom Stoppard is able to use Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to create a contemporary perspective in his text "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" by exploring the values which Shakespeare presented in the 17th century in a way that reflects their reception in the modern context in which he composed. It looks at how the plays are vehicles for both writers to explore the values of language, death and fate in their respective eras.

From the Paper
"Death in Hamlet is a significant occurrence. It is undeniably permanent and there are always consequences. The entire play in fact is sparked on by said consequences. Hamlet is driven to revenge by his father's "foul and most unnatural murder", as is Laertes. Shakespeare transmits the idea of the permanence, the inevitability of death. Hamlet refers to 'poor Yorick'. He reminisces about the court jester: "Here hung those lips / that I have kissed I know not how oft." He recalls joking and laughing with Yorick, but now all that remains is his vacant skull, tossed away to make room for Ophelia. "

Tags:death, fate, yorick, ophelia

Abstract
This paper compares William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and Sir Tom Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead." It specifically explores how these works address the existence or the non-existence of God and the implications of this for moral order. It examines the plots of the plays and the major thematic issues that are presented by the writers.

From the Paper
"In both plays, death is the pivot for the debate about moral order. In Hamlet, death has a specific function and is valued differently to in Ros and Guil. In Hamlet, death is essential to the grand order of things. Shakespeare's audience believed that we die in order to be judged by God on our life's actions. The ghost is a constant reminder of this. Hamlet's father was "doomed for a certain term to walk the night" because he was not able to absolved himself of his sins before he was murdered. Hamlet contemplates death in his soliloquies, most notably in his "to be or not to be" soliloquy, which reflected his sceptical humanist inclining. Hamlet rather impersonally considers the attractions of death, which he likens to a sleep, over life, whose pain seems unavoidable. It reflects on the metaphysical value of living and 'being' in the face of great dispair and loss, and invites the audience to consider the value of life and the ability of individual autonomy to rebel against dispair, reflecting the scepticism of Montaigne. But in the end he notes that the fear of possible suffering in the afterlife "that we know not of" (as opposed to the known evil that is life) tends to stop human beings from actively ending their existence. Hamlet thus shows a Christian humanist bent in probing humanist metaphysical questions."

Tags:God, death, character, life

Abstract
This essay suggests that Hamlet was not insane, but emotionally devastated by what he perceived as betrayal by those closest to him. Quotes from the play are used skillfully to support this theory.

From the Paper
"As the curtain opens on Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the audience is introduced to an extremely bleak young man. The grief triggered by the death of his father and the hasty re-marriage of his mother to his uncle, has left Hamlet feeling disorientated. It is in this state of emotional vulnerability that Hamlet begins to distort reality and doubt the intentions of those around him. Hamlet's initial sense of hopelessness deepens as the play progresses and more of the people in his life appear to betray him. He is left alone in a world where he is unable to trust anyone and even begins to doubt the strength of his own character. The perceived betrayal by those closest to Hamlet, causes him to become disillusioned about himself and others."

Tags:betrayal, disillusioned, gertrude, hamlet, insane, ophelia, shakespeare