Hamlet and Frued
In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the concept of the unconscious and the conscious plays a large role in its reading. Through a model where The Ghost represents the unconscious, the cast (other than Hamlet) represents the conscious, and Hamlet caught between the two, one can read the play Hamlet and make meaning; especially the meaning of Hamlets supposed insanity. Throughout the course of Hamlet the reader is constantly striving to rationalize Hamlet’s strange behavior. In doing so, many readers incorrectly draw their conclusions based on the exterior meaning of Hamlet’s statements and actions. When questioning Hamlet’s actions as well as his reasons for acting, many assume that Hamlet himself is fully aware of his own motives. For example, there is Hamlet’s hesitation to kill the king. Hamlet believes that his desire to kill King Claudius is driven by his fathers’ demand for revenge. If this were true, Hamlet would kill Claudius the moment he has the chance, if not the moment he knows for sure that Claudius is guilty of murdering his father.