[Kirsch considers Hamlet aplay which generates great intellectual energy, but perhaps more importantly rf!jlects an experience of pro
found pain and suffering for the protagonist According to the critic, grif!! is Hamlet s predominant emotion and thus acts as acontrollingforce in the play: the prince needs sympathyfor his grif!!, but he does not receive itfrom the court, his uncle, or, most significantly, his mother. Kirsch then examines how Hamlet's intense anger at his mother has come to be interpreted by some scholars as indicating that he suffers from an Oedipus Complex, arepressed desire to kill hisfather and many his mother. Followers of this theory maintain that this psychological disorder is the source of Hamlet's hesitation,for Claudius has carried out the deed which the prince himself had unconsciously wanted to perform. (See the excerpt by Ernest.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 5,399 words. This
study guide contains 92,332 words (approx. 308 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Hamlet Access Pass.
