Kimberly Barrios
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a classical revenge tragedy that encompasses the murder of a king, a treacherous queen, and their son’s desire for vengeance. Throughout the play, Hamlet not only grieves for his father’s death but also must manage his emotions regarding his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle. In 1969, Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross introduced a model of five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Given Kübler-Ross’ model, one can understand that Hamlet’s actions are not solely based on strong negative emotions but founded on the difficult process of grief. In addition, Hamlet is deeply perturbed by the apparition of his father’s ghost, which only adds more confusion to his already debilitated state of mind. His mother, Gertrude, with her improper actions, also furthers Hamlet’s inner turmoil and does not allow him to process his grief in a timely manner, although Gertrude’s ultimate repentance helps to allow him to recover from his grief. Although Hamlet’s actions and reactions can resemble those of an indecisive, insane, and somber man, he endures an acute grieving process brought upon by the contradicting messages from the Ghost and Gertrude; eventually, Hamlet is able to reach acceptance of his reality.
In the Elizabethan period, because the cause, effect, and prevention of grief were not well understood, people were accustomed to reject the notion of grief. Furthermore, Richard Corum states that anyone experiencing grief in the Elizabethan era was viewed as feminine and was subjected to powerlessness, rage, and marginality, traits associated with women (97-98). On the other hand, the concept of melancholy was better accepted because it was perceived as a possible personality defect and not as an illness. Corum explains melancholy as, “one of the four cardinal humours recognized by ancient and medieval physiologists” (100). Melancholy was approved of more since it was common and it was not considered as an abasement of men. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s depiction of Hamlet as a melancholic man can be juxtaposed with the modern understanding of grief as a way to explain his behavior.
Since there is no “typical” loss of a loved one nor a “typical” response to this loss, each person experiences his or her own distinct combination of feelings. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross presents five specific stages that provide tools to understand the complex feelings of grief and to learn to survive a loved one’s death. However, Kübler-Ross notes that the five stages are just a general guide since it is possible to experience the stages in any order or not to live through all of them while coping with grief (7). Denial, the first stage, occurs when a person perceives life as meaningless, overwhelming, and questionable. Nonetheless, denial contributes to a person’s healing process and thus leads to a more optimistic future by enabling one to endure the conclusiveness of death. Secondly, anger is a necessary stage because underneath it one will find the pain that accompanies a loss. While grieving, feelings of emptiness and being lost are constant; however, anger anchors the mind to a temporary structure that directs a person towards a recovery path.
The third stage, bargaining, concerns itself with the anguish of causal statements like “what if” and “if only.” Sadly, these questions always lead to the reality that the loved one is gone. Depression, the fourth stage, is crucial in the grieving process because it requires people to slow the speed of their thoughts and actions, in order to analyze themselves based on the loss experienced. Ultimately, depression slowly encourages one to reassemble one’s life. Furthermore, Kübler-Ross makes a distinction between clinical depression and depression as a part of grieving: “When depression follows loss, there are specific sorrows that can be identified. In more serious and long-lasting depressions, it is difficult to receive support” (23). Although both sub-classes of depression have differences, grieving depression, if not treated accordingly, might lead to clinical depression. Lastly, the final stage in the grieving process is acceptance, which helps a person to acknowledge all that has been lost and to learn to live with that loss. Completing the healing process allows a person to remember and establish a new relationship with the lost loved one.
The Kübler-Ross model has helped many people understand the mourning process that follows a great loss. In Shakespeare’s time, the Kübler-Ross model was not available; however, the depiction of Hamlet’s actions and reactions after the loss of his father can be explained as his path through the stages of grief. The first signs of denial can be perceived when Hamlet states: “oh God, God, / How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1.2. 132-134). Hamlet has lost interest in daily activities because the death of his beloved father has disturbed the perception of his surroundings. Hamlet’s path through anger occurs after the Ghost shares that his own brother murdered him. Hamlet states, “That one may smile and smile and be a villain – / At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark. / So, uncle, there you are” (1.5.108-110). Hamlet’s display of anger helps him to have a purpose that moves him beyond the initial stage of denial.
Hamlet does not experience bargaining with a higher power for a different outcome of his father’s death. Although the death of his father is devastating for Hamlet, his royal status might have made him immune to negotiations. Hamlet’s depression is easily recognizable when he states: “‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, cold mother, / Nor customary suits of solemn black, / Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, / No, nor the fruitful river in the eye” (1.2. 77-81). Hamlet describes how black clothes and tears cannot fully depict his true feelings. By the end of the play, Hamlet accepts the changes that followed his father’s death because he attributes them to a higher power. Hamlet’s comments to Horatio: “Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well / When our deep plots do fall – and that should learn us / There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, / Rough –hew them how we will” (5.2.8-10). With those words, Hamlet announces that he has reached the final stage of grief and thus is able to accept life and death as part of his reality. Despite Hamlet’s inability to mourn through the stage of anger, because he is drawn-out by those close to him, his experience through the remaining stages guide him to accept the complexity of life and death.
Gertrude plays an important role in Hamlet’s distorted grief, as her mixed messages further anger him and hinder him from passing to the next stage of mourning. It is not known what motivates Gertrude to marry Claudius, but both Hamlet and the Ghost are troubled by what they believe to be her adulterous lust. The Ghost in his interaction with Hamlet states: “Oh wicked wit and gifts that have the power / So to seduce – won to his shameful lust / The will of my most seeming-virtuous Queen” (1.5.44-46). One interpretation of these lines is that Gertrude has been seduced even before King Hamlet is murdered, thus implying that she possesses a healthy amount of sexual desire. Hamlet believes that his mother is also a wanton woman who puts her appetite first. Moreover, Gertrude marries the person who has seduced her, Claudius, less than two months after her late husband is laid to rest (1.2.138). Gertrude’s apparently quick acceptance of death prolongs Hamlet’s ongoing anger in the grieving process.
Moreover, Gertrude demands that Hamlet welcome Claudius, her new husband, as his new father figure. However, she has not merely married a new man; she has married her deceased husband’s brother, an action which was considered incest. Gertrude’s hasty marriage is apparently motivated by her own welfare, satisfaction, and, ultimately, her sexual desires. Hamlet is confronted with having to both grieve for his deceased father and accept his uncle’s mock attempts at fatherhood (1.2.64). What further angers Hamlet is his mother’s inaction at Claudius’ words, since they can be taken as a silent agreement with Claudius’ paternal behavior. Finally, Gertrude’s actions, and at times lack of action, prove to Hamlet that nobody in the court can empathize with his loss and grief.
Although Gertrude has imposed the effects of her lust and marriage on Hamlet, she also demands that he retains his love and respect for her as a mother figure. Although Hamlet apparently loves his mother, she constantly challenges those sentiments with her actions and abuse of motherly power. Gertrude’s lack of support, comfort, and compassion encourages Hamlet to spend more time engulfed in the anger stage of grief, which also leads Hamlet to view his mother as an object of his rage.
While Hamlet’s extended experience in the anger stage is caused by Gertrude, the Ghost plays an even more important part in the development of Hamlet’s wrath and vengeful tendencies. Overall, the Ghost is an influential character in Hamlet’s actions. Lily B. Campbell claims that Hamlet is quick to accept the apparition of the Ghost because it appears in a likeness of his father (126-127). The similarity between King Hamlet and the Ghost helps makes the demands of the Ghost more authoritative, which further draws Hamlet to rage. The Ghost’s first demand is for Hamlet to avenge “his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). As the Ghost shares with Hamlet how he was poisoned by Claudius, he relies on Hamlet’s ability and desire to revenge his murder. Discovering that his father was murdered furthers Hamlet’s rage and fuels the desire for a vicious revenge against his uncle.
Although the Ghost reveals Gertrude’s ambitions and deceit, he still orders Hamlet to cause no harm to her in the process of seeking redress for the crime. As the Ghost instructs Hamlet: “But howsoever thou pursues this act / Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive / Against thy mother aught; / leave her to heaven” (1.5.84-86). The Ghost is clear and specific regarding the burdening task he is imposing on Hamlet. Nevertheless, as Anna K. Nardo notes, in order for Hamlet to avenge his father, he must also punish Gertrude by revealing that she married her husband’s murderer (187). The Ghost is able to awaken in Hamlet both a desire for action and inaction with respect to the revenge of his assassination. The Ghost helps to create a deep rage in Hamlet because Claudius is the embodiment of many negative emotions. Also, Hamlet is left in despair because while he secretly seeks to understand Gertrude, he must not allow any harm to come to his mother.
The Ghost causes further havoc for Hamlet by obliging him never to forget the murder of his father and to seek vengeance at the same time. The Ghost’s parting words to Hamlet are: “Adieu, adieu, adieu, remember me” (1.5.91). Hamlet is left with a reason and a way to channel his anger to a murderous revenge, yet he is also powerless to act as he completely wishes. On the other hand, this statement also makes Hamlet’s mourning brutally intense because it does not allow him to reach the last stages of Kübler-Ross’ grieving model. As Arthur Kirsch comments, that part of mourning involves cutting ties with the one who has died, which the Ghost forbids (26). In addition, the Ghost’s petition reinforces a lack of sympathy for Hamlet’s grief, since it is selfish to demand so much from Hamlet, especially knowing he will comply with any request from his admired father.
Although Hamlet’s grief is extended, especially in the stage of anger, his grief reaches by the end of the play the last stage of the mourning model, acceptance. Hamlet reaches a point in his grief where the accumulated anger consumes him, and he needs a way out of the chaos and sorrow. For Hamlet to heal, he needs to confront the person he loves and despises the most, his mother. Yet, he needs to remain in accordance with the Ghost’s wish to not cause harm to Gertrude, which he achieves during a conversation in her private chamber. Scott Huelin highlights the fact that Hamlet “has an interest in serving as a sort of spiritual director for his own mother” (35). Hamlet is able to make his mother aware of her mistakes and thus repent for her wrong doings. Although Gertrude continues to be loyal to Claudius, Hamlet has advanced from anger to an attitude of acceptance.
Moreover, Hamlet canny interrogation of his mother forces her to acknowledge and regret her actions. After Hamlet presents Gertrude with a metaphorical mirror of her actions, she exclaims, “Thou turn’st my very eyes into my soul / And there I see such black and grieved spots / As will leave there their tinct” (3.4.88-90). In addition, their relationship benefits from the exchange because they feel free to show their care for one another. William Kerrigan states that: “The scene cannot end until ‘Good night, mother’ … no doubt, one of the deepest traces of filial tenderness” (58). As Hamlet departs, he allows himself the opportunity to reward his mother’s declarations with a sentimental comment that reflects their relationship.
The difficult emotional and physical situations Hamlet experiences assist him in his path towards acceptance. By banishing Hamlet to England after the murder of Polonius, Claudius indirectly frees Hamlet from prison and Denmark (Nardo 195-196). Although being forced to leave his native country is a harsh punishment, Hamlet obtains the freedom that he needs to get one-step closer to a complete acceptance of his loss. Furthermore, Hamlet’s voyage to England exposes him to life-threating situations that make him value life. Horatio reads a letter from Hamlet, “Ere we were two days old at sea, a pirate of / very warlike appointment gave us chase” (4.6.15-16). With the letter, Hamlet describes himself as a lucky prisoner because the pirates are merciful, refusing to kill him. Troublesome aspects of life lead Hamlet toward acceptance of the people around him, his religious beliefs, and the concepts of life and death.
Although one can claim that because Hamlet experiences a difficult mourning process throughout the play, his actions and reactions can also be understood as being characteristics of his personality. For example, Hamlet displays features of an indecisive, somber, and mad person. A. B. Shaw states, “He is repeatedly violent, callous, and crude […]. [The play] is a study of a man unable to make himself do what he knows he must do” (93). Hamlet knows he needs to revenge his father and punish his mother, but his indecisive nature prevents him from acting. Also, it is possible that Hamlet is overall an unhappy person because he shows no interest for anything in the world. Thus, he is not interested in obtaining vengeance. Another popular theory is that Hamlet is partially insane. However, Shaw believes that if Hamlet was experiencing depression, it would be difficult to continue to pretend he is mad (93). In addition, Hamlet’s madness allows him to counteract his antisocial ways brought upon by his natural unhappy state.
In conclusion, Hamlet’s actions can be understood through the way he copes with a devastating grief, complicated by his mother and the Ghost’s confusing demands. In the Elizabethan era, the concept of melancholy was better accepted than grief, which was attributed to a person of weak and feminine character. With psychological advances, one is now able to better understand Hamlet’s behaviors using the Kübler-Ross grief model. Moreover, one can understand that Hamlet’s difficulty in overcoming the anger stage is due to his loved ones making it harder for him. Gertrude’s hasty actions were the first reason for Hamlet’s extended and angered grief. The Ghost added to Hamlet’s turmoil by demanding revenge yet mercy regarding his mother’s deceit. Furthermore, Gertrude’s repentance launches Hamlet on a recovery path that ultimately leads him to the final stage of the mourning process, acceptance. In addition, one can argue that Hamlet was not depressed because his actions can be explained as part of his indecisive, somber, and mad personality. Lastly, grief is an illness that can disturb a person’s view of life and death; nonetheless, as Shakespeare’s Hamlet shows, with the proper support the last stage of acceptance is reachable.
Works Cited
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Huelin, Scott. “Reading, Writing, and Memory in Hamlet.” Religion & Literature, vol. 37, no. 1, 2005. pp. 25-44. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/40059975.
Kerrigan, William. Hamlet’s Perfection, Johns Hopkins UP, 1994.
Kirsch, Arthur. “Hamlet’s Grief.” ELH, vol. 48, no.1, 1981, pp. 17-36. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/2873010.
Kübler-Ross, Elisabeth, and David Kessler. On Grief & Grieving. Scribner, 2005.
Nardo, Anna K. “Hamlet, ‘A Man to Double Business Bound.’” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 2, 1983, pp. 181-99. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/2869833.
Shaw, A. B. “Depressive illness delayed Hamlet’s revenge.” Med Humanities, vol. 28, 2002, pp. 92-96. Highwire Press Free, https://mh.bmj.com/content/28/2/92.
Thompson, Ann, and Neil Taylor, ed. Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Arden Shakespeare, 2006.