Examples Of Shadow Archetype In Hamlet

Hamlet Essay (Jungian Theme)

When people refer to someone as moral, they often think of someone who follows the rules of their religion, culture, and society. That person should show positive character traits; for example, generosity. On the contrary, this means they do not partake in forbidden tasks that contradict what society expects out of someone moral. This relates to an interesting theory by Psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung, who states: ”Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is” (Jung 76). In Jung’s theory, the shadow archetype is essentially a collection of repressed urges and thoughts which oppose social teachings. If a person is not conscious about their

shadow, then these repressed urges grow stronger. Throughout the play Hamlet, the shadow archetype plays a significant role in the sinful deeds of characters and their contribution to the tragedy that occurs in the play. These additions to the tragedy are caused by Claudius’s dark desires, Hamlet’s conflicting view of his own shadow, and Laertes’s blinding emotions.

The shadow of Claudius is the first major emergence of the immorality in Hamlet. His desires lead to the murder of his own brother for the crown, commencing the conflict of the play. What he gains is the satisfaction of his shadow which can be broken up into two main components, his sexual lust and his greed. The ghost focusses on his lust when commanding Hamlet, “Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damnèd incest” (1.5.87-95). The reminder of Claudius’ incest to Hamlet confirms Hamlet’s suspicions about him, which is one of the reasons Hamlet despises Claudius. His fear of Hamlet’s knowledge helps him realize that, “My [Claudius’s] stronger guilt defeats my strong intent (3.3.41)”. This realization with his shadow occurs too late, as he admits that his “cursed hand is thicker than itself with brother's blood” (3.3.83), meaning that he cannot escape from his crime. Claudius’ inability to step away from the path of his shadow cause it to grow “blacker and denser” (Jung 76). To remove Hamlet, Claudius undergoes many precautions to not involve himself in murder. He manipulates others to help fulfill his desire for him. In one case, Claudius leaves out the fact that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sending Hamlet to his death, which shows how corrupt and unfeeling Claudius’ shadow is. He also persuades the emotional Laertes into carrying out his revenge against Hamlet in a unjust duel and to “call it accident” in the event of Hamlet’s expected death (4.7.66). This established duel ends up as a slaughter, contributing to the tragedy of Denmark. Claudius’ shadow is portrayed at its darkest when he prioritizes a chance to kill Hamlet over the life of his own wife. Of the immoral deeds that occur in the play, Claudius consistently displays that his greed and lust guide him through a dark path that sparks many problems in Denmark, including worsening the grudge Hamlet had against him, his manipulation of others as pawns, and trading his wife’s life for an opportunity to kill Hamlet.

When contrasted with Claudius, Hamlet is a character who commits immoral deeds at a comparable level to Claudius; although both characters commit awful crimes, Hamlet’s deeds root from his vengeance and sense of justice rather than the desire of obtaining something. Hamlet’s shadow combined with his indecisive nature are traits that contribute to the tragedy. When classifying Hamlet’s shadow, the ghost of Old Hamlet can be interpreted as a physical embodiment of his shadow. Hamlet, being the only person able to interact with the ghost, abides the ghost like it is a part of himself. For example, Hamlet starts his path of vengeance by following the ghosts commands: “Revenge his [Claudius] foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.31). As Hamlet follows his goal of killing Claudius, his indecisiveness gets in the way. In a line where Claudius is open to being stabbed, Hamlet explains,“And so he [Claudius] goes to heaven. And so am I revenged” (3.3.76). This quote shows Hamlet undergoing a hard decision of completing his revenge and giving Claudius a chance in heaven, or waiting to send Claudius to hell later. He decides to side with his sense of justice, sparing Claudius temporarily. His decision causes multiple deaths that occur while his conflict with Claudius is escalating. Hamlet’s gruesome belief of justice is revealed furthermore in his encounters with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, where he disposes of his schoolmates while they are under Claudius’s order. Hamlet’s sense of justice combined with his hatred for Claudius allows him to unintendedly kill Polonius without guilt during his conversation with Gertrude. Instead of remorsing, he redirects the scene into an insult towards his mother, “A bloody deed? Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother”(3.4.2). He believes deep down that his actions are justifiable since Polonius is closely associated with Claudius. Hamlet’s murder causes Laertes to involve himself into the situation which in turn, adds a new layer of conflict Denmark. Hamlet’s conflicts with his shadows cause the survival of Claudius, the deaths of the innocent, and the introduction of Laertes to the conflict.

Hamlet’s actions drag Laertes into the conflict.

Throughout the play, Laertes is as an extremely caring member of his family. His strong emotions for family have an opposing side to it, a shadow that has repressed feelings of anger which cause him to add to the disaster in Denmark. An example that depicts this is when Laertes attempts to request more rites for Ophelia’s funeral. After he is denied, he starts a commotion by calling the priest “churlish”, explaining that Ophelia will be “A ministering angel” while the priest will “liest howling”(5.1.217-218). His compliments to Ophelia shows how much he loved her, while his nasty insults to the priest show his repressed rage. While this is occuring, Hamlet hears Laertes’s mention of Ophelia during the commotion and throws himself into a brawl with Laertes. It is the conflict built up from there that causes Claudius to target Laertes as his next weapon to kill Hamlet with. Laertes’s deep anger for Hamlet makes himself the best candidate for Claudius’s manipulation. Once Laertes’s sides with Claudius, he shows his dark intent by requesting Claudius to not “o'errule me to a peace”(4.7.58). On the day of the duel, Laertes undergoes a confrontation of his shadow while he clashes with Hamlet. His realization of his shadow comes too late into the duel when both Hamlet and Laertes are struck by poison, as this happens he declares that he is “ justly killed with mine own treachery (5.2.337).” In the moments that he is still alive, he dismisses his shadow and ends the circle of murder by announcing the true nature of Claudius. Laertes’s repressed anger guides the play into the duel where many deaths occur including Hamlet’s.
shadow and ends the circle of murder by announcing the true nature of Claudius. Laertes’s repressed anger guides the play into the duel where many deaths occur including

Hamlet’s.

The shadow archetype is present behind many of the contributions to the tragedy of Hamlet. Ranging from the varying contents of each shadow are shown in Claudius's desires which spark the main conflict, Hamlet’s conflicting views within his shadow that cause unnecessary deaths and tension, and Laertes’s negative emotions that help stir up the arranged duel. From a common viewpoint, the shadow archetype can be related back to many of Shakespeare’s tragedies because of the present duality of human nature that is within tragic heroes. The heroes have their good but also have their hamartia which is part of their shadow.