Jungian Perspectives of Shakespeares Hamlet :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet

Hamlet Jungian Perspectives The term consciousness refers to ones awareness of internal and external stimuli. The unconscious contains thoughts, memories, and thirsts that are easy below the surface of awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on behavior.(Weiten) In the view of the Jungian analyst, there are deuce forces that drive Hamlet. One is his anima, which is the personification of the feminine nature of a mans unconscious(Platania). The second is Hamlets desire to reach individuation, which give be discussed later. In reference to the anima, Platania states that we experience the opposite sex as the lost part of our own selves. There is in each man a feminine side hidden beneath his masculinity. The mystery of Shakespeares Hamlet is a phantom of literary debate that has haunted readers throughout the centuries. Hamlet is a complete enigma a puzzle scholars have tried to piece together since his introduction to the literary world. Throughout the course of Haml et, the reader is constantly nervous strain to rationalize Hamlets odd behavior, mostly through the plays written text. In doing so, many readers mistakenly draw their conclusions based on the surface content of Hamlets statements and actions. When drawing into question Hamlets actions as well as his reasons for acting, many assume that Hamlet himself is to the full aware of his own motives. This assumption in itself produces the very matter in question. Take for example Hamlets 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. wherefore does Hamlet hesitate? One must call into question what Hamlet holds to be true. If Hamlets given motivation for killing the king is legitimate, wherefore Claudius should die at about Act 3. Because Hamlets act ions do not correspond with his given reasoning, one is forced to look for an alternate write up for Hamlets behavior. In doing so, one will come to the conclusion that Hamlet is driven by forces other than what is obvious to the reader, as well as Hamlet himself. Given this example, one must denounce the assumption that Hamlet is aware of the forces that motivate him, and understand that Hamlets true motivation is unconscious This unconscious force is the true reason behind Hamlets mysterious behavior.