id - the rash, passionate, unknown, irrational part of the mind

ego - the logical, rational, conscious part of the psyche

superego - the self- sacrificing part of the mind, society>self. this part of the inner self seems to dwell outside the body, making moral judgments. it tells us to place the greater good above our own well-being, which is not really logical or rational.

how does this theory apply to Hamlet?

1. The Id: Hamlet’s Primal Desires and Instincts

The id is the part of the psyche responsible for our most basic instincts and desires. It operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification without concern for morality or consequences. Hamlet’s id manifests in his darker impulses, such as his desire for revenge and his violent tendencies.

Examples of Hamlet's Id:

• Revenge Against Claudius: The primary motivation of Hamlet’s id is his desire for revenge. After learning from the Ghost that his father was murdered, Hamlet is driven by a deep, instinctual need to avenge his father’s death. This primal urge for retribution is emphasized when Hamlet exclaims in Act 1, Scene 5:

  "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift

  As meditation or the thoughts of love,

  May sweep to my revenge."

  Here, Hamlet’s id speaks in a rush of emotion, expressing a desire for swift, immediate action, untempered by rational thought or moral considerations.

• Impulsive Killing of Polonius: Another example of the id taking over is Hamlet’s rash killing of Polonius in Act 3, Scene 4. Without thinking through the consequences or confirming the identity of the person behind the curtain, Hamlet stabs Polonius, driven by an impulsive desire to act:

  "How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!"

  This sudden outburst of violence demonstrates the id’s control, as Hamlet’s instinctual aggression overrides his capacity for reason.

• Sexual Desires and Obsession with Gertrude: Hamlet’s id can also be interpreted through his conflicted feelings about his mother, Gertrude. Freud famously suggested that Hamlet’s hesitation in killing Claudius is rooted in an Oedipal complex—the unconscious desire to replace Claudius in Gertrude’s affections. Hamlet’s fixation on Gertrude’s sexuality is evident in his confrontation with her in Act 3, Scene 4, where he expresses disgust at her relationship with Claudius:

  "Nay, but to live

  In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,

  Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love

  Over the nasty sty."

  This fixation may be a projection of Hamlet’s own suppressed desires, revealing the id’s involvement in his emotional turmoil.

2. The Ego: Hamlet’s Rational, Mediating Self

The ego is the rational part of the psyche that operates according to the reality principle. It mediates between the desires of the id and the moral restrictions of the superego, trying to find a balance between impulsive urges and societal expectations. Hamlet’s ego is what causes him to reflect, deliberate, and hesitate before acting on his desires.

Examples of Hamlet’s Ego:

• Hamlet’s Hesitation and Internal Conflict: Throughout the play, Hamlet’s ego is evident in his frequent self-reflection and hesitation to act. His soliloquies reveal the inner workings of his mind as he grapples with the moral and practical consequences of killing Claudius. The most famous example is the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1:

  "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."

  Here, Hamlet’s ego is fully at work. He is weighing the moral implications of living or dying, and considering the consequences of action versus inaction. The ego’s rationality slows down his ability to act impulsively, as it attempts to balance the id’s desire for revenge with the superego’s sense of right and wrong.

• The Play within the Play (The Mousetrap): Hamlet’s ego is also evident in his strategic planning of The Mousetrap, the play within a play designed to "catch the conscience of the king." Rather than rushing into killing Claudius, Hamlet carefully orchestrates a situation in which he can confirm Claudius’s guilt. This shows the ego mediating between his desire for revenge (the id) and his need for certainty (the superego). In Act 2, Scene 2, Hamlet reveals this plan:

  "The play's the thing

  Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

  Hamlet’s ego recognizes that direct action without proof could be reckless, so it devises a more measured approach.

3. The Superego: Hamlet’s Moral Conscience

The superego is the part of the psyche that internalizes societal rules, ethics, and morality. It acts as a moral compass, guiding behavior and restraining the id’s desires. Hamlet’s superego is represented by his internalized sense of duty, guilt, and moral hesitation, which constantly conflict with his desire for revenge.

Examples of Hamlet’s Superego:

• Moral and Religious Scruples: One of the clearest signs of Hamlet’s superego is his concern with the morality of killing Claudius. His Christian beliefs cause him to worry about the state of Claudius’s soul. This is particularly evident in Act 3, Scene 3, when Hamlet refrains from killing Claudius while he is praying, as Hamlet believes that killing Claudius in a state of repentance would send him to heaven:

  "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;

  And now I'll do't: and so he goes to heaven;

  And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd:

  A villain kills my father; and for that,

  I, his sole son, do this same villain send

  To heaven."

  Here, Hamlet’s superego is preventing him from acting on the id’s desire for immediate revenge, as he struggles with the moral implications of his actions.

• Guilt and Self-Reproach: Hamlet’s superego is also responsible for his self-reproach and guilt over his perceived failure to act. He criticizes himself for his inaction in Act 2, Scene 2:

  "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!

  Is it not monstrous that this player here,

  But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,

  Could force his soul so to his own conceit

  That from her working all his visage wann'd...

  Yet I,

  A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,

  Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,

  And can say nothing; no, not for a king,

  Upon whose property and most dear life

  A damn'd defeat was made."

  His superego condemns him for not living up to his moral and filial duty to avenge his father, showing how the internalized sense of responsibility weighs heavily on his conscience.