Literary Approaches to Hamlet

I am amazed at how many different literary analyses of Shakespeare's Hamlet exist. There is no single "right" way to interpret Hamlet because critics can only examine the work, Shakespeare, and his time. No one can ask Shakespeare what he "meant" in certain parts of Hamlet, so interpretations can vary greatly. One approach to Hamlet is Psychoanalytical.

Crtitics using this approach view Hamlet's struggle as internal. His desire to kill Claudius and prevent Gertrude from sleeping with Claudius are results of an Oedipus complex. Basically, all of Hamlet's hostilities stem from an internal struggle of conscious vs. unconscious. The unconscious repressed memories or desires etc. fight to surface and Hamlet spirals into a need to avenge his father. Symptoms of Hamlet's Oedipal Complex are his many descriptions of dreams for events, mocking/revulsion of sex, and obsession with death. In this approach, Hamlet's past is the cause of Hamlet's troubles. Of course, the internal struggle comes to light after his father's death, but it was always a part of Hamlet.

A problem with this approach is that readers don't know Hamlet's behavior before Claudius takes the throne. Was it really a bad relationship with his father and mother to blame for Hamlet's Oedipus Complex? Is it really Hamlet's past that causes him issues in the future?

This is where literary criticism runs into issues: readers cannot know the full story. An almost polar opposite to Hamlet is a Marxist approach. Instead of "psycho-drama" (family and personal), "social drama" (social classes) is more of the cause for Hamlet's conflict. Marxist literary critics would see Hamlet's revenge against Claudius as a lower class (which Hamlet seems to identify more with) sticking it to the upper class. However, both approaches interpret Hamlet as a window into Shakespeare's life. Psychoanalysts would say Shakespeare was wrote about his repression, while Marxists would say Shakespeare wrote about his expereince with class conflict. Shakespeare could have had both issues, but no one can be certain that one facet of his life over the other influenced his works.

No single literary criticism can express an author's true message in writing. Specific approaches to literary criticism could interpret some correct aspects, but completely misinterpret others. To better understand a work such as Hamlet, it is crucial to examine multiple literary criticisms to get a more complete picture of analyses. Then, the reader must decide which aspects of each approach fit the best with their interpretation of the work.