Analyzing Freud's Oedipus Complex from the Perspective of the Films of Hamlet

Abstract：Freud's Oedipus complex has an important influence on the performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Analyzing Freud's Oedipus complex from a visual perspective， which helps understand Hamlet's suffering from oedipal conflicts more easily and visibly. This paper mainly focuses on two popular films. One is the most classical， the black-and-white film produced， directed and starred by Laurence Oliver in 1948， with Eileen Herilee as Gertrude. The other is the PBS version of 2010， lasting nearly three hours， directed by Gregory Doran.

Key Words：Oedipus complex；Hamlet；Gertrude；Laurence Oliver；Gregory

Doran

The particular problem of Hamlet， with which this paper is concerned， is that Hamlet suffers from an Oedipus complex. As a child， Hamlet has resented having to share his mother’s affection with his father， he therefore has regarded his father as a rival and has wished him out of his mother’s heart and had repressed this wish. According to Harris （2010， p.76）， “the infant child， before he is socialized， harbors a strong erotic desire for his mother. This turns him into his father’s competitor， whom he wishes to kill but from whom he fears castration as punishment for his desire”. To be sure， as it is turned out to be， in Shakespeare’s play --- Hamlet， it is supposed to have had a similar Freud’s psychoanalytic problem. Hamlet's inability to act is due to the dread of arousing to consciousness this submerged Oedipus complex.

Revenge， as the vital theme in the play， would have been reflexively expected of a person of Hamlet’s position in his era. Yet， for Hamlet， it clearly was not. He postpones to putting his revenge into action. As Goldberg claims， “the conflict in Hamlet is of such perplexing concealment that the reader can only discover the cause of Hamlet’s puzzling malady by the guidance of the oedipal metaphor” （1989， p.583）， the answer Freud provides to the question of Hamlet’s delay established the foundation of psychoanalytic character analysis. In examining Freud’s analysis of Hamlet， Hamlet delays because the task --- revenge --- reactivates certain mental and emotional processes that he has long repressed and which are too horrible for him to bear. Freud’s tells us that Hamlet is suffering from a guilty conscience of oedipal origins. When the play opens Hamlet’s uncle Claudius has murdered his father and is sleeping with his mother. Hamlet unconsciously senses that he has desired to do precisely what his uncle， Claudius， has consummated.

The call of duty to kill his stepfather cannot be obeyed because it links itself with the unconscious call of his nature to kill his mother’s husband， whether this is the first one or second. As for the first one， Claudius achieves what Hamlet wants to do. And then， Hamlet carries out his revenge against the second father who fulfilled the repressed wishes of Hamlet’s own childhood. Hamlet’s self-forbearance shows out from his unconscious realization that he is no difference from his uncle. “Killing his mother’s husband would be equivalent to committing the original sin himself， which would if anything be even more guilty” （Weitz， 1964， p.21）.

Since the phenomenon of Oedipus complex in the play of Hamlet is realized more and more obviously， it has a significant influence on the performance or productions of Shakespeare’s play. This idea is explored under a heavy load of theoretical and practical difficulties， but in the films of Hamlet， it seems to be more obvious and easy. Not only have those actors and directors all shown their belief in the Oedipal nature of Hamlet’s secret， but also the idea seems to have become fixed in the popular understanding of the play. So analyzed Freud’s Oedipus complex from a visual perspective， it helps us understand Hamlet’s suffering from oedipal conflicts more easily and visibly. In this paper， I will focus on two popular films. One is the most classical， the black-and-white film produced， directed and starred by Laurence Oliver in 1948， with Eileen Herilee as Gertrude. The other is the PBS version of 2010， lasting nearly three hours. This colorful film is directed by Gregory Doran， with David Tennant and Penny Downie.

In 1948， Laurence Oliver came to make his version of Hamlet. His Freudian understanding of the play was made visible. The voice-over at the beginning of the film tells us that this is the story of a man who could not make up his mind， but the camera tells a different story. Down and around the stairs， and more stairs， the camera looks for the source of story developing. A little later， in the second scene of the play， we see Hamlet and his mother together， and the strange couple they make. During the filming Oliver turned forty， thirteen years older than Eileen Herilee. And although Herilee is a bit strong and chubby， that does not really make her look old enough to be his mother. As a matter of fact， it’s quite obvious that this affair relationship exists exactly in the play. Toward the end of the scene Hamlet’s mother gives him such a prolonged and passionate kiss that the king is embarrassed for her， although Hamlet himself seems entirely unmoved.

The Oedipus complex is at the root of performances of the “closet” scene in the films. The closet scene offers Gertrude little room for device. Already compromised by allowing the dialogue to be heard. In Oliver’s version of the closet scene， it is only a few seconds into the scene when the bed comes into play. As Hamlet is saying “come， come， and sit you down” （3.4.17）， he throws his mother onto the bed， and there she stays——either on the bed or briefly standing at its foot——for the remainder of the scene.

As for embrace， Oliver not only shows it but also leads up to it. He presents the final portion of the scene， after the exit of the ghost， as a process of gradual reconciliation between Hamlet and his mother. As Hamlet is saying “do not spread the compost on the weeds/To make them ranker” （3.4.149-150）， Gertrude is sitting on the bed， turned away from him， and he approaches her from behind and puts his hand on her shoulders. From that point on， he gives her a filial smack which audiences can hear above her right eyebrow. Then， when he bids her “once more good night” （3.4.168）， he kneels before her； when she tenders the blessing her son begs of her， she takes his head in her hands and kisses him maternally upon the cheek， and then， for a bit longer， on the lips at line 173—— “That I must be their scourge and minister”， as Hamlet saying. Actually， Hamlet， as a son， “asks for the kiss by looking her mother’s face up and down in Hollywood’s best pre-osculatory style” （Biggs， 1993， p.55）. And then， He says， “I must be cruel only to be kind” （3.4.176）， and pensively drops his head into her lap. Hamlet then remembers Polonius and sits up， but his hand is still on his mother’s shoulder， and after he says， “I’ll lug the guts into the neighbor room” （3.4.210）， we are given the climax of the reconciliation between mother and son. Indeed the son gives the mother clearer signals， while alluding to some inconvenient guts， when he becomes the one to launch into the fully impassioned embrace that closes their encounter.

At this point， Oliver abandons Shakespeare’s words entirely. Hamlet and Gertrude look into each other’s eyes for a moment； in the next moment， Hamlet， looking her up and down， shows a flicker of a smile； and then， for a much longer moment， they lock into a lover’s embrace and kiss. Hamlet then rises to take care of Polonius， and the camera fades out on the Queen， an arm outstretched to her departing son. So the closet scene ends with Hamlet’s parting view of Queen， as she moves across the screen with the whole bed as background， sitting lonely and desperately upon it to a very slow fade of lights.

A little more than sixty years later， the 2010 PBS version of Hamlet was released. It was directed by Gregory Doran and starring in David Tennant and Penny Downie. This production made some cuts in the text and ran for nearly three hours. Doran’s cut-and-paste treatment of Shakespeare’s play and his abundant use of the modern settings make Shakespeare really come to life for the first time. In this version， actors are in modern dress but with Elizabethan English this play works. Because of the director’s bold innovation， this version evokes worldwide repercussions and makes the most modern and realistic afterlife production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

In Doran’s version， the suggestions of mother-son affair relationship are in full force， coming earlier and even stronger than Oliver’s film. At the beginning of the scene of 1.2， when Claudius pretends to lament for the death of Demark King with any sobbing， he advocates marry the queen at the same time. As Claudius is saying， in a humorous sense， “Have we， as’twere with a defeated joy，/With an auspicious and a dropping eye，/With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage” （1.2.10-13）， all people laugh， except Hamlet standing at the corner quietly. And then， as Claudius speaks of “Take to wife” （1.2.14）， in a very slow speed， tossing with the queen， the queen——Gertrude shows a flicker of a smile. A second later， she stares at Hamlet and finds his face looking seriously without any expression， her smile fades away. With this embarrassed eye contact， Gertrude feels a little bit guilty to Hamlet. And then， when Claudius turns back to ask Laertes， “What wouldst thou have， Laertes？” （1.2.49）. Gertrude stands behind Claudius， peeking at Hamlet anxiously， because she cares and worries about Hamlet’s feeling of her new marriage. But for Hamlet， he keeps standing quietly and numbly， sinking into lamenting for his father’s death and his mother’s marriage as well. Apparently， it emerges silently with his puzzlement over his mother’s hasty marriage. Later， when Gertrude begs Hamlet not to go to Wittenberg and remains here， she speaks the lines， “Let not thy mother lose her prayers， Hamlet” （1.2.118）， in a very tender voice. And then she raises her hand， fondling Hamlet’s lip gently， and she says pleadingly， “I pray thee stay with us， go not to Wittenberg” （1.2.119）， which seems like that Gertrude tries to flee Hamlet and she does not want Hamlet to leave her alone. When Hamlet answers， “I shall in all my best obey you， madam” （1.2.120）， Gertrude’s “Ah” shows she is so excited to hear the right answer she wants.

In the closet scene of the 2010 film of Hamlet， Doran gives nearly 15 minutes to Tennant and Downie to act this scene which plays a vital role in the whole film. Gertrude wears pajamas， with her shoulder showing off， sitting on the chair， and she waits for Hamlet’s coming. The scene begins with Hamlet’s running into Gertrude’s chamber. As he is saying “Mother， mother …， Now， mother， what’s the matter” （3.4. 6）， With Hamlet entering， the closet scene starts.

Gertrude sits up， approaching to Hamlet. She beats Hamlet’s breast， looks at him soulfully and asks him sobbingly， “Have you forgot me” （3.4.14）. Surprisingly， Hamlet seizes her hands rudely， saying “ No， by the rood， not so. You are then Queen， your husband’s brother’s wife， And， would it were not so， you are my mother” （3.4.15）. And then， as Hamlet speaks of “Come， come， and sit you down” （3.4.17）， he pursues her， seizes her hand， drags her to the bed， flings her upon it， and then gets on both the bed and her. As Hamlet addresses the lines “ You go not till I set you up a glass/ Where you may see the inmost part of you” （3.4.18-19）， he is astride her， jostling her， and Gertrude’s collar falls， showing off her sexy shoulder. He soon discounts， to let Gertrude climb on the bed.

When Hamlet compares the two miniature portraits of his father and his uncle， he approaches Gertrude and drags her hair cruelly， asking her to see the portraits clearly， by saying “A combination and a form indeed/ Where every god did seem to set his seal！ To give the world assurance of a man； This was your husband” （3.4.58-61）. Gertrude kneels on the bed， her tears flowing freely， begging “O Hamlet， speak no more” （3.4.86）. One moment later， Hamlet loses his control. He breaks out at the lines——“In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed/ Stewed in corruption， honeying and making love” （3.4.90-91）， tearing at the golden sheet. The mother， raising her hand to cover Hamlet’s mouth， tries to stop him speaking. She is addressing “O speak to me no more！ These words like daggers enter in my ears. No more， sweet Hamlet” （3.4.92-94）. Her cheeks are streaming. Then the ghost enters， and things quiet down. After the ghost exists， the mother sits on the bed， while the son is sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed. But when Gertrude thinks Hamlet creates “ecstasy” （3.4.136）， Hamlet becomes insane again. He drags Gertrude’s hands and throws her onto the chair， asking her to “Confess yourself to heaven” （3.4.147）.

Here then two films of Hamlet， one produced in the twentieth century， the other produced in the twenty-first century， have a large time span of more than half a century， both observed in the microcosm of their most significant scenes. The two films are both thus firmly grounded in the Freud and Jones’ reading of Hamlet， that is， Freud and Jones’ reading of Hamlet in terms of the Oedipus complex. It incorporates the central insights of that reading： the sexual treatment of the mother-son affair relationship； the attribution of Hamlet's delay to an implicit equation between a take-over and a would-be revenger， and the understanding of Hamlet's final “success ”——killing Claudius——as a kind of self-destruction. Oliver’s Hamlet， as the most classical one， is more physical and athletic. However， Tennant’s Hamlet， as the most modern one， is more impulsive. David Tennant is beyond good in this adaption of Hamlet. He draws audiences into the soliloquys so effortlessly and provides the breakthrough to understanding this complicated play. The passion and depth of emotion that he brings into the part created a new understanding and meaning to this timeless story. All in all， Olivier's Hamlet and Tennant’s Hamlet display both the greatness of spirit and the tragic waste of gifts that Shakespeare's text calls for. They are vigorous， courageous， intellectually powerful， and ethically sensitive. As such， these two Hamlets consciously or unconsciously interpret Oedipus complex in their own ways.

References：

[1]Harris， G. J. （2010） Shakespeare and Literary theory. New York： Oxford University Press.

[2]Weitz， M. （1964） Hamlet and the Philosophy of Literary Criticism. Chicago London： The University of Chicago Press.

[3]Goldberg， C. （1989） The Shame of Hamlet and Oedipus. The Psychoanalytic Review， 4：581-603.

[4]Biggs， M. （1993） He’s Going to his Mother’s Closet’： Hamlet and Gertrude on Screen. Shakespeare Survey， 45： 53-62.

[5]Thompson， A. Taylor， N. （2006） The Arden Shakespeare： Hamlet. London： Methuen Drama.

[6]http：//www.tudou.com/programs/view/Cka9shn9GX0/

[7]http：//www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/hamlet/watch-the-film/980/