Genetic Makeup and the Oedipus Complex
Every individual has a specific genetic makeup, which is what distinguishes them from one another. Sigmund Freud was one of the researchers who had a positive impact on the world of biology by coining the word "Oedipus complex," which lets scientists and psychologists explain whether certain people adopt or display those behaviors. Sigmund Freud described the Oedipus complex as a disorder in which a child (3-6 years old) develops a compulsion to have sexual intercourse with the parent of the opposite sex (Freud 14). The infant subconsciously maintains this feeling in a mechanism known as complex repression. The scholar further described the term by stating that the condition becomes evident in the third stage of development (the phallic stage) where the origin of libidinal pleasure is in a different erogenous spot of the child's body.
Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex
It is right to argue that Hamlet had an Oedipus complex because of how he seemed to get close to his mother after the demise of his father who served as the king of the land. He feels jealous when his uncle shows interest in marrying his mother and this is what prompts him to come up with a plan on how to kill him. Apart from being overprotective of his mother, the leading character makes some statements which openly express the unique feeling he has for his mother. The protagonist mentions at one point when they have a talk with his widowed mother that "I rather spend my entire life with you than to let any other person come in between us" (Shakespeare). Even though the statement does not appear to have any harm, readers learn that the closeness becomes too much when the two cannot spend longer hours when apart from each other.
Works Cited
Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. New York: Basic Books, 2010. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. N.a
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html. Accessed March 20, 2017.
