Essay - Hamlet's Emotional State the Oxford American Dictionary Defines an Emotion...

Hamlet's Emotional State

The Oxford American Dictionary defines an emotion as "a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances" (Oxford). Throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet, the prince ***** the title experiences many different *****s, among them depression, melancholy disillusionment, and disconnectedness, as he attempts to come to terms with his father's death and his mother's incestuous and illicit marriage. Though some, notably T.S. Elliot in "Hamlet and His Problems," have charged that Hamlet's emotional state is not justified by ***** circumstances, an objective examination of the text provides evidence that says otherwise (Elliot). In fact, Hamlet's ***** state is not only *****, but is much more essential to the events of ***** tragic m*****terpiece th***** his intellect or any other dramatic element. The extreme circumstances ***** Hamlet finds himself demand ***** emotional reactions, and these drive the play.

The guards' dialogue at the very start of the ***** is evidence that there is indeed something rotten in the State of Denmark. According ***** Theo Lidz, ***** conversation in Act I, scene one is full of corruption, deceit, passion, ruthlessness, ***** ambition in degrees that Hamlet is not used to (Lidz 70). This creates the confusion that quickly becomes apparent ***** ***** character. Knowing ***** his m***** is involved at ***** very heart of the situation ********** it especially hard for Hamlet to handle this situation; he has try ***** find meaning, direction and a stable identity in ***** midst of all evil about him (Lidz 74). It is Hamlet's attempt to ***** or restore stability and meaning to h***** world that drives Hamlet and the play *****ward--his extremely conf***** ***** overloaded ***** ***** forces ***** ***** try and sort things out.

***** sudden marriage ***** Hamlet's mother to his uncle creates a deep emotional disturbance for the ***** Dane. Russell Leavenworth assumes that Hamlet suffers from Oedipus complex, which Freud famously described as the desire for a young boy ***** kill his fa*****r and become sexually ***** with ***** mother. After his father's *****, Hamlet expects to become the most important person in ***** *****'s affections, but to his great disappointment his mother has remarried replaced ***** father, whose place Hamlet is ready ***** take, ***** his uncle (Leavenworth 85). Hamlet interprets this as a betrayal by his mother, which leads to feelings of frustration and anger. These emotions mix with the love Hamlet bears his mo*****r both ***** a son and perhaps sexually as a result of his Oedipal *****, creating even ***** confusion and causing him--through a building of his anger--***** lash out at her. He ***** her to cradle him ***** take care of his needs in reaction to his ***** dis*****. ***** needs this ***** order to feel safe in the chaos of his ***** since ***** fat*****'s death. When his mother does not react in the way he expects, Charlton maintains that he *****s disillusi*****d and hostile toward his mother, and suspicious that Gertrude might ***** been in the plot to kill his fa*****r (Charl*****n