The noted Viennese physician Sigmund Freud was one of the firsts to suggest workable cures for mental disorders. Although Freud's theories were at first disputed, his work became the foundation for treating psychiatric disorders through psychoanalysis. A psychological complex, according to Freudian theory, is a group of repressed feelings and desires. Based upon psychological research and various studies, Freud conceived the Oedipus complex. In Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the Oedipus complex is a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex. This attraction to the parent of the opposite sex and rivalry with the same parent of the same sex appears to be apparent throughout William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
             Hamlet is arguably one of the most criticized and well-known plays in British literature. The play is the story of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, whose father, King Hamlet, is killed. Barely after one month, Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, marries her deceased husband's brother, Claudius. Hamlet is appalled by his mother's lack of sympathy towards the death of his father. Then comes the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost. The ghost then tells Hamlet that its death was due to murder and goes on to name Claudius as the murderer. The ghost then tells Hamlet that he must take revenge upon Claudius and kill him. Hamlet hesitates greatly in enacting this revenge. This maybe is due to the fact that Hamlet suffers from the Oedipus complex. Later on, Hamlet verbally attacks his mother. While speaking to her, he goes on to denounce women and degrade her incestuous marriage. Then suddenly Hamlet hears a cry from behind the curtain and, assuming it is Claudius, pierces the curtain. This in fact fatally wounds Polonius, a lawyer and courtier of Claudius. Polonius' son Laertes, outraged by his father's death, demands revenge on Hamlet. Claudius subsequently orders Hamlet to England....