There are two forces that drive Hamlet. One is his anima, which is the "personification of the feminine nature of a man's unconscious"(Platania). The second is Hamlet's desire to reach individuation, which will be discussed later.

One must assume that this battle between Hamlet's anima and his masculinity is of great proportions, for in the process Hamlet develops a hatred for all femininity, namely women. This unconscious hatred is consciously expressed through Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia. Hamlet at one point loves Ophelia, "I loved you once"(Act3 Sc.1), but then suddenly loses this love, "You should not have believed me, I loved you not." Hamlet's change of heart is a result of his unconscious inner battle. While he naturally wants to fall in love with Ophelia, Hamlet's urge to repress all femininity within himself is so great that he comes to hate the femininity in Ophelia as well. The struggle within Hamlet is proven to be unconscious by Hamlet's constant change of heart, as signified when Hamlet says "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum"(Act 5 sc.1) Hamlet wants to love Ophelia, but is torn between his love and his unconscious desire to hate all femininity.

In the opposing view of the Jungian analyst, one would argue that there is much more to Hamlet than unconscious sexual aggression. Sex as a basis for all human behavior is simply too limited a concept; Jung claims that "there has to be more to it".

Take into consideration the relationship between Hamlet and his mother. According to Freud, all boys develop a sense of sexuality at the early age of three. Due to the mother's proximity to the child, the boys sexuality is directed toward the mother. The child then develops a hatred for the main opposition for his mother's affection-his father. The stage of development where a boy falls in love with his mother and wants to kill his father is called the Oedipus Complex. Hamlet exhibits signs of a lingering Oedipus Complex.

Oedipus complex disappears when the young boy realizes "the impossibility of fulfilling the sexual wish for the mother"(Hall) The main factor in making the young boys wish impossible is the father. When Hamlet's father dies, his main opposition disappears. This poses an opportunity for Hamlet to achieve his boyhood dream-to "have" his mother. As Jones states, "The association of the idea of sexuality with his mother, buried since infancy, can no longer be concealed from his consciousness." These feelings are what drive Hamlet to self-repulsion, and ultimately to the question "To be or not to be-that is the question",(Act3 Sc.2)where Hamlet questions the worth of his own life.

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Approximate Word count = 2517
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)