Dilemma and Dream in Hamlet

Psychoanalytical criticism importantly identifies the emotional dilemma of the central character of a text. Dilemma is defined as “a situation involving choice between two equally unsatisfactory alternatives” (Meriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 1986). It means that sometimes a person or character faces a critical situation in which he or she has to make a choice between decisions those are equally important. But the person can be completely satisfied with none of those. Such a situation is defined as the dilemma of the person or character.

In the psychoanalytical study of Shakespeare’s Hamlet the character of Hamlet is found in an unresolved dilemma. From a surface view it is seen that Hamlet is always determined to take revenge of his father’s death. But if we think a bit more about the psyche of the character his indecisiveness will be clear to us.

Firstly, we find Hamlet’s dilemma in his delay in taking any active step to avenge. Hamlet is informed about the murder of his father by his father’s ghost and later he is confirmed of the truth of the information with the planned performance of a play named “The Murder of Gonzago”. In this situation Hamlet has two options: 1. to take revenge killing Claudius, and 2. to keep silence ignoring everything. Consciously Hamlet knows his duty of avenging and wishes strongly to perform the duty. But through the whole play we see that he is delaying in his task. He never takes any step to take revenge. Even he does not seek for any scope to kill Claudius rather Hamlet reluctantly gives up an opportunity in the prayer time of the murderer. Actually no action for revenge is found in Hamlet’s character. Though in the scene of Gertrude’s bedroom Hamlet stabs Polonius thinking him the king Claudius it is nothing but an incidental action. In the last scene also Hamlet kills the king without any pre-plan. Only the situation compels him to kill his uncle. So, it is evident that Hamlet is always unable to take a certain decision about taking revenge on Claudius. He lives in confusion and delays about two months to murder his father’s murderer.

In the matter of Gertrude’s guilt also Hamlet faces dilemma or indecisiveness. He guesses that the mother may have some responsibility behind the unnatural death of the father. The ghost gives an indication of Gertrude’s guilt but it asks also Hamlet to be kind to his mother. Ghost’s direction actually reflects Hamlet’s conflict in his mind. From the hasty marriage of Gertrude Hamlet easily can infer that she might have some share in the intrigue of murdering senior Hamlet. Hamlet cannot forgive his mother for her guilt. On the other hand, he is unable to make any harm to Gertrude because of his weakness for her. This weakness is identified with the psychoanalytical criticism as Hamlet’s Oedipus complex from which he cannot come out yet. In this psychological state Hamlet faces an emotional dilemma about his mother’s guilt.

Hamlet’s dilemma reaches at a time to an ultimate state of existential crisis. This crisis is expressed through his most remarkable soliloquy-

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep---.” (Act III, scene ii)

Passing through different indecisiveness Hamlet comes to a state of mind where he has to think whether he will exist or not. If we think of the tragedy of the play Hamlet it can be said that tragedy lies more on the dilemma of Hamlet’s mind than on his death in the last scene.

In a critical analysis of Hamlet’s character his dilemma or indecisiveness is identified as the central fact. If the causes behind this dilemma are searched it is found that sometimes the cause belongs to his consciousness and sometimes to the unconscious. Hamlet’s action of revenge is delayed by his reasoning as well as the emotional biasness of his mind. Whatever the cause is Hamlet’s dilemma can be personified as the central character which directly or indirectly controls all actions and in actions of the play.

Freudian Dream and Symbols in Hamlet

Psychoanalysis is concerned with the dynamics of interpersonal relations and with the way the self is formed through interactions with its familiar and socio cultural environment. Dream is the representation of our unconscious desire. So here we should discuss on how dream effects work in Hamlet and more so how the dreamy situations are turned into reality. According to Freud “Dream is the royal road to unconscious.” (The Interpretation of Dreams) An important Freudian terminology is the dream work, a process by which real events or desires are transformed into dream images. These include displacement whereby one person or event is represented by another which is in some way linked or associated with it.

 Here, it is seen that the sin committed by Claudius is the dream of Hamlet. As there is an Unconscious desire represented in Hamlet’s mind it has some association with Claudius’s action. From the beginning to the end the activities of Hamlet have no explicit statement and his feelings are almost abstract. Apparently it is seen that Hamlet is very much conscious and careful as well as rational. But if we judge Hamlet from Freudian point of view we will find much irrationality in Hamlet. That is to say dream dominates him most of the time and he tries to justify his action through his consciousness. Now some particular incidents of the text can be sort out.

The character of ‘Ghost’ can be considered as the dream of Hamlet. It is seen that the Ghost appears at night that a dreamlike environment is created. The audience can not differentiate between the reality and the appearance of Ghost. The dreamlike environment or setting of the play makes us believe that Hamlet is in dream. The Ghost reveals the cruel truth about the murder of him (senior Hamlet). Though the Ghost first appears to other minor characters he does not talk to them. The author here makes us believe that the Ghost is real as it is seen by other characters not Hamlet. But if we consider Hamlet’s encounter with Ghost from psychoanalytic point of view we can say that it is the dream of Hamlet. The main reason is that the Ghost does not talk to anybody else. Again he orders Hamlet to take revenge of his father’s unnatural murder without hurting his mother.

“Ghost: Taint not thy mind nor

Let thy soul contrive

Against thy mother aught. Leave

her to heaven, And to those

thorns that in her bosom

lodge to prick and sting her.” (Act I, scene ii)

So, Hamlet does not want to hurt his mother not only for his father’s order but it is also the desire of Hamlet to save her.

Again, the Ghost appears twice in the play. In Act 3, scene 4 the Ghost warns Hamlet to aid and save her. In this scene Hamlet reacts with his mother out of his anger. This time also the Ghost talks to Hamlet. As a fixated son Hamlet wants to save his mother. So his unconscious mind comes out to reality as a form of dream which has got a shape of Ghost.

“ Ghost: Do not forget. This visitation

Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose.

But look, amazement on thy mother sits.

O, step between her and her fighting soul!

Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works.

Speak to her, Hamlet.” (Act I Scene iv)

So Hamlet is always thinking to save his mother which is repressed in his mind. This desire comes out as a form of dream and orders Hamlet to be cordial towards mother. Thus the dream is personified as the Ghost of the play and it appears real to the audience. The Ghost is the dream of Hamlet and he never contradicts with Hamlet’s desire for his mother because dreams are biased by the Unconscious.

Moreover, the dreamy environment of Hamlet is identified with different symbols which come out through psychoanalysis. These symbols are related to Hamlet's Oedipus complex. In Act III, scene II Hamlet uses the word 'dagger' for his mother and wants to be cruel. "I will speak daggers to her, but use none." (Act III, scene II) In the bedroom scene, Gertrude says Hamlet" O, speak to no more! These words like daggers enter in my ears. No more, sweet Hamlet."(Act III, scene IV). In psychoanalysis, the dagger is a symbol of phallus which is uttered by Gertrude and Hamlet several times. This is an indication of Hamlet's sexual behavior towards his mother. Dream comes out distortedly as different kinds of symbol and we again find it in the song of Ophelia. She sings about flower and gives flower to the ladies in act 3, scene 4. As Ophelia's sexual desire is repressed, her unconscious comes out distortedly as a dreamy behavior where flower is the symbol of female sexual organ .These symbols stand for the id or unconscious desire of their mind. So there is a close relationship between dream and Freudian symbols.