An Analysis of the Oedipus Complex in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison and Hamlet by Shakespeare

Compare Contrast: Song of Solomon and Hamlet

The Oedipus Complex, a term coined by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, describes a boy's desire to sexually possess his mother, and to that end, kill his father. Named for the character Oedipus in the play "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles, the Oedipus Complex also says that the boy in question is virtually unable to love any women other than his mother. The most famous example of this theory (besides the original play) is Hamlet by William Shakespeare, where it is heavily implied that the protagonist Hamlet's desire to kill his stepfather is propelled by sexual desire for his mother, Gertrude. In the modern novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the main character Milkman Dead struggles to grow because of his somewhat-erotic connection to his mother Ruth Dead. Both Milkman and Hamlet become victims to the Oedipus complex because both show violent antagonism towards their current paternal figures in defense of their mothers and have a difficulty in truly loving any other women. However, Milkman's suggestive relationship with his mother stems from her abuse, while Hamlet and Gertrude's relationship results from his desire to sexually posses her and to replace his father.

The hostility Milkman and Hamlet show towards their respective fathers and father figures exemplify the Freud's theory. For example, after Milkman's father Macon hits his mother, Milkman physically attacks Macon and says to him, "You touch her again, one more time, and I'll kill you." (67). This statement expresses the rage Milkman feels towards his father for abusing the woman that he loves. The Freudian theory is proved because the outrage at his father's actions most affect the woman learns to believe he loves the most. In Hamlet's case, when his uncle Claudius calls him "son", Hamlet says under his breath, "A little more than kin and less than kind." (25) This openly harsh statement, in which Hamlet basically condemns all familial ties he has to his uncle, summarizes his feelings towards his new father figure. He feels disgusted by having relations to such a horrible person, explaining the antagonism he shows towards him. By having both characters show open antipathy towards the men who dominate them, the Oedipal theory is proved.

Both Milkman and Hamlet are unable to love the two women who dominate their "romantic" lives, Hagar and Ophelia, respectively. Milkman summarizes his feelings towards Hagar in the expression, "She was the third beer" (91). This blunt statement about Hagar shows the very little care and love that Milkman feels towards his lover. By saying that he just liked her for their sexual relationship instead of for her personality, he proves his inability to love other women. It is also important to note in this context that his lover Hagar is also his cousin, which highlights the incestuous theme that possesses Ruth and Milkman's relationship. Hamlet renounces his love for Ophelia when he says, "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so (inoculate) our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not." (131). The way in which this statement can be interpreted is that Hamlet is telling the truth, that he truly doesn't love Ophelia and thus, cannot marry her. Although they were previously a happy couple, Gertrude's betrayal to Hamlet effectively destroys the love he can feel towards any other women. Though both women love the protagonists very much, neither of the men is able to express love for their set romantic partner.

Milkman's Oedipal relationship with his mother originates from the abuse he received from his mother at a young age. Until he was an older child, Ruth would breast feed her son in order to gain some sexual pleasure out of her otherwise abstinent life with her husband. The abuse is described when Morrison says, "She felt him. His restraint, his courtesy, his indifference, all of which pushed her into fantasy." (13). This description proves that Ruth was using her son to fill the sexual void her husband refused to fill, and that he simply acquiesced to it because he didn't know any better. Ruth unwittingly abused her son by using him in that way, which is proof of why he is so attached to his mother throughout most of his life.

The Oedipal relationship between Gertrude and Hamlet, stemming from Hamlet's desire to be his own father, is one of the most famous examples of the Freudian complex, and still contrasts the Milkman/Ruth relationship. He displays the concern he has for his mother in her new marriage when he says to himself, "It is not, nor it cannot come to good. / But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue." (1.2 157-159). This line shows Hamlet's concern for the well being of his mother as she lies in an incestuous marriage. Freud would argue that he says this because he unconsciously believed that his father's death eliminated his competition, and Claudius' marrying her takes away his object of desire. Hamlet's words grow in sexual candor when accuses his mother of living, "In the rank sweat of an enseamented bed stew'd" (3.4 93-96). By making graphic sexual references in regards to his mother's sex life, Hamlet expresses his own repressed desires for his mother. The scene, taking place during a confrontation between the two characters in Gertrude's bedroom, adds to the intimacy implied in Hamlet and Gertrude's relationship. Instead of having it's origins in an abusive relationship, Hamlet's Oedipal complex is out of repressed unconscious desire.

Both Milkman and Hamlet embody the three principle characteristics of the Oedipal Complex: a wish to kill their paternal figures, and an inability to love women other than their mother, for whom they feel a sexual obsession and desire. While both exemplify Freud's theory, it is important to note the differences between the lusts each character feels for their mother. Milkman's complex comes from his mother's abuse, while Hamlet's obsession comes from a longing to be his father. The Oedipus complex serves to contribute to the overall meaning of each book. Milkman undergoes a "re-birth" and overcomes the fixation as he finally matures and discovers his true meaning in life. However, there is no evidence that Hamlet moves on from his longings, and he dies before he has the chance to undergo such a drastic change in character, as Milkman had. Though the protagonists experience the Freudian theory in different ways, the classic characteristics of the psychoanalytical theory are evident in Song of Solomon and Hamlet.

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