Essay | The Nature of Love and Corruption within Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

To associate one of Shakespeare's most complex works with the modernist view of man as a frail figure, confused between an intrinsic Oedipal dependency for maternal love and sexual lust is something only a few critics have touched upon. Ernest Jones has provided an extensive critical appraisal on the enigma of Hamlet's affection for his mother and the detrimental effects this ultimately has on his `love' for Ophelia; a confused `love' ."..characteristic of intensely `repressed' sexual feeling..." (Jones, 1910)1. The confusion Hamlet faces between his feelings towards both Gertrude and Ophelia; respectively indicative of a long-established maternal reliance and sexual lust, causes him to not only exhibit resentment towards women in general, but also drives him to solipsistic madness.

Ernest Jones has described Hamlet's affection for Gertrude as the subconscious stimulus for a fierce resentment towards his uncle Claudius, who has not only usurped the throne but his...
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