Clinical Depression of Hamlet

Kassem Azooz
Mister John Smallwood
ENG 4U0
14 May 2011
Clinical Depression of Hamlet
“Clinical depression is defined as a serious state in which one is considered abnormal due to the prolonged negative effect of an event that disrupts a person’s daily life| (Lee, 1). This does not allow an individual to act they same as before and will cause them to lose interest in activities they once found entertaining. “Clinical depression lasts for a prolonged period of time and affects the way one acts causing mood swings” (Jirdane, 2). In essence, this form of depression makes a person feel like someone else. A person like Hamlet is a victim of clinical depression but he is at a very advanced stage.
In the first act, Hamlet finds out that his father was killed and like anyone, losing a father is extremely hard, especially in cases where the son views the father as a role model. “Losing a loved one affects a person deeply and causes them to enter a state of depression, they must accept the fact that their loved one is gone for good and all that remains are memories” (Smith, 2). Soon afterwards, Hamlet found out that his uncle Claudius had murdered his father . Hamlet was devastated at the fact that his own uncle had killed his father just to inherit the crown, these actions enraged Hamlet and resulted in him becoming slightly insane. Although Claudius acts nice to Hamlet and encourages him to go forward with his life, Hamlet is clearly affected by the fact that someone would kill their own brother just for power.
The funeral of Hamlet’s father leads into the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet is shattered and shocked at the quick transition from a funeral to a wedding. He shows his anger towards Claudius when he says, “A little more than kin and less than kind” (1, 2, 64-65). Hamlet depicts a part of his depression outwardly but words cannot explain what he is really feeling on the inside. His view of womanhood completely changes because as...