Hamlet Analytical Essay

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The playwright, David Mamet, claimed that “The main question in drama, the way I was taught, is always, ‘What does the protagonist want’ That’s what drama is. It comes down to that. It’s about theme, it’s not about ideas, it’s not about setting, but what the protagonist wants.” The drama, Hamlet, written by Shakespeare reflects this idea very well, except for one qualification. According to David Mamet, the drama centers around what the protagonist desires, but it goes beyond that. The drama centers around the protagonist’s whole being and how they grow. Although the complete analysis of Hamlet’s life is necessary, the important themes of the drama cannot be interpreted without the knowledge of his motives. Hamlet plans on murdering King Claudius,…show more content…
The protagonist’s motive is very important to the drama, but an analysis of the whole character is necessary in order to achieve a greater understanding of the drama. According to Hamlet and Oedipus, written by Adrian Poole, Freud associated Hamlet with Sophocles’ Oedipus. Poole explained how “freud seizes the role of analyst for himself, displacing the Oedipus and the Hamlet who make such courageous efforts to understand the story of their lives in the very act of its composition” (Doc A). The audience follows this path that the protagonist takes to understand himself and find answers to questions, which is what creates the purpose of the drama. In Freud’s analysis of the Hamlet, he solely focuses on what Hamlet desires, “but Hamlet too has a side to him that Freud ignores” (Doc A). The drama is not complete without the analysis of the protagonist’s whole being. Hamlet is a very powerful character, “but the questions to which [he] addresses [himself] involve [his] own being” (Doc A). The drama centers around more than just the Hamlet’s desires; Hamlet attempts to find an answer to his questions, discovering more about himself along the

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