Hamlet depicts an array of father-son dynamics, as the young prince dismisses his stepfather the reigning king in Act 1 of the play. When Claudius addresses him in Act 1 Scene 2 of the play Hamlet says in an aside, “A little more than kin and less than kind.” (Line 24) This seems to be his scornful estimation of his relationship to his uncle cum father. He is inferring that Claudius may be more than kin as he is now his stepfather but definitely not of his ‘kind’ as in he could never take the place of his biological father. He is also conveying his resentment towards his uncle’s hasty marriage to his mother that he views as insensitive to his deceased father. The fact that he speaks during Claudius’s speech is proof that he does not respect him as a father figure and is unlikely to listen or obey him. Also, he goes on to say, “I shall in all my best obey you, madam.”(Line 44) Thereby making it clear that he does not consider Claudius a father figure by promising obedience to his mother only. However, Hamlet attends deferentially to his father’s ghost as he says, “Speak I am bound to hear”(Line 107) which translates that it is his duty to attend to his father. His father reminds that it is his duty to avenge his death, “ So art thou to revenge, when thou shalt hear.” (Line 111) This task that his father imposes on him causes him much anguish he hesitates as he is torn between honoring his father’s wishes and his own morality. He contemplates suicide on multiple occasions to escape his predicament.
In contrast to Hamlet, Laertes a loyal son obeys and respects his father Polonius. As he listens to Polonius’s redundant advice patiently without interrupting him and only ventures to speak after his father is done only to “humbly…take leave.” (Line 56) While he is deferential to his father he also ventures off to France even though Polonius is not all together pleased with this decision. Laertes deigns to come into his own and live for himself without being told how to live by his father. Yet, in the second half of the play it is clear that he is a dutiful son as he returns to seek revenge for his father’s death. As he proclaims, “How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with. To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil!”(Line 578)) he is demanding answer to his father’s untimely demise and unlike Hamlet who indulges in self-pity he is motivated to take action. He goes on to say, “Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!”(579) Implying that he can set aside his conscience when it comes to filial responsibility and even go against the King whom he believes to be the guilty party. Laertes seeks revenge at any cost, “Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father.”(Line 579) It is clear that father and son relationships are bound by loyalty and obedience whilst the adolescents are struggling to come into their own simultaneously a theme that is relevant even today.
There is a father-daughter relationship between Ophelia and Polonius and it is apparent that she obeys all as Gabrielle Dane writes, “motherless and completely circumscribed by the men around her, Ophelia has been shaped to conform to external demands to reflect others’ desires” (406). When her father questions her about her affair with Prince Hamlet she responds with "I do not know, my lord, what I should think," (Line 101) she is dependent on her father and thus incapable of deciding for herself. Polonius respond with, “"You do not understand yourself so clearly/ As it behooves my daughter and your honour" (Line 105-6). His speech shows his dominance over her and the fact that he feels she is incapable of making sense of the situation left to her own devices. Even though he is speaking directly to her he says “my daughter”, pointedly claiming authority and possession over her. When he speaks of her “honor” he is in fact concerned with his own image as it is necessary for his offspring to act decorously in society to maintain an appropriate image since it reflects back on him as her father. Although it is her private matter she allows her father to interfere and carries out his wishes as she informs him later in the play, “As you did command, I did repel his letters and denied his access to me.” (Line 105-107). Her identity seems to depend upon her father so much so that after his demise she loses herself to madness having no one to puppeteer her any longer. The father-daughter relationship seems built upon a male hierarchical system of dominance.
In King Lear there is another father-daughter scenario that is somewhat similar. Lear is at once a father and monarch yet at times both the roles seem to merge into one as he is not able to separate them. The play opens with the king demanding his three daughters Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia to publicly demonstrate their devotions to him in order to gain their inheritance. The first two appease his ego with flattering speeches punctuated with over the top recommendations of love for him. Yet through the youngest, Cordelia’s aside’s it is apparent that the two are insincere as she says, “And yet not so, since I am sure my love’s more ponderous than my tongue.” (Line 17) She feels love is not something to be spoken or declared rather it is to be felt, as expressions of it do not always ring true.
The father has created a competitive atmosphere amongst his children and Corderlia is not about to compromise her values and stoop to her sisters’ level. Thus, she says, “Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave/My heart into my mouth, I love your majesty/According to my bond, no more nor less.” (Line 31) This is her truthful evaluation of her love for him it is her duty to feel for him as a father and king and there is no measure of love she refuses to barter affection for material gain. He is enraged by her refusal to comply with his wishes as a father and king as he believes he is entitled to not only to filial allegiance but also royal duty from his kin, and so he banishes her from the kingdom.
While King Lear may be offering his kingdom to his children he is not doing so freely as he has expectations of his children in return. This theme of unconditional love is a pervasive one as even today everything has strings attached, sometimes even a parents love. When parents help put their children through school are they expecting the child to help them in return in their old age? For King Lear his paternal and legal pride result in his downfall as he struggles to release power and control over his daughters. Just as Polonius felt it his right to dominate Ophelia so does Lear, only in his case his power is faltering and his older daughters see that as they usurp it from him and turn him out on the streets. Perhaps, the reason Regan and Goneril treated their father so poorly is due to his blatant favoritism as he declares to Kent, “I loved her most and thought to set my rest.” (Line 53) The fact that he so openly doted on Cordelia would undoubtedly cause the two old daughters to harbor years of resentment at not having received the same sort of affections from their father. It seems that Lear did not really know his children as his oldest daughters so easily swayed him with sweet words and he was unable to see the deceit yet he misunderstood the sincerity of his youngest. At times parents fail to truly build relationships with their children whether they are kings or just busy professionals.
While Lear’s relationship with his daughters is undoubtedly dysfunctional it is not the only one in the play that is so. Gloucester and his two sons the illegitimate child, Edmund, and his heir Edgar also have a rather complex dynamic. As a father he bestows upon each son what he feels is fitting based on social expectation he proffers his title upon Edgar and Edmund receives only what Gloucester deems to give him. It is understandable that as the ‘bastard’ child Edmund would feel not only neglected by his father but also insecure and inferior. Thus, it is not surprising that he plots against his stepbrother and convinces his father that Edgar intends to kill him for his inheritance. Gloucester convinced that Edgar does in fact harbors such ill intentions towards his sets out to kill him. The fact that as a father he can so easily be persuaded against his favorite son shows the weakness in his belief in his own kin. He so easily believes false words over the love he shares with his son. Much like Lear he chooses to ignore the relationship he built with his child and chooses to think and believe the worst instead which leads to his downfall just as it does for the king.
Parents seem to have trouble bestowing complete trust in their children, as even in Hamlet, Polonius sends someone to spy on Laertes while he is off in France. He tells the spy, “By indirections find directions out.” (Line 144) He suspects his son will partake in activates that would tarnish his reputation and thus his family’s by association. To a certain extent he is protecting his own interest. He also seems to have had his own interest in mind when he advised his daughter to end relations with Prince Hamlet so that he could appear as “faithful and honorable” (Line157) before Claudius. Even today parenting falls short sometimes when they become self-interested and undermine the needs of their children.
Parent child relationship also plays a large role in determining the child’s romantic liaisons’. As in King Lear, Cordelia loved her father dearly and always looked up to him regardless of his betrayal of her and thus she had a successful marriage. Conversely, in Hamlet the young prince and his mother seem to have an Oedipal relationship. As throughout the play Hamlet shows great hostility towards his uncle, his mother’s lover. He seems more concerned with her sexual relationship than with the prospect of avenging his father’s murder. As he remarks that she seeks, “incestuous pleasure of his bed” (Line 123) and later on he goes on to say “in the ran sweat of an ensemented bed Stew’d”. (Line 322) He also feels betrayed by his mother who rashly married her brother in law and he exclaims, “Fraility, thy name is woman” (Line 245). He becomes misogynistic as a result as his mother represents women and moral corruption. Perhaps this is the reason he is unable maintain a relationship with Ophelia who he advises, “Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monster you make of them.” (Line 189) It is clearly that he is projecting his mother’s vices on Ophelia, as he believes if his own mother is capable of adultery then he should not expect more from any other woman.
Though Hamlet and King Henry have different plots, the reader can draw similarities in the way familial Shakespeare portrays relationships. Both plays deal with issues that are relevant in today’s society. The parent’s treatment of their children has lasting effects in their socialization. As children like Ophelia who are sheltered too much find that they are unable to function in society independently. Also, in families where children are brought up in a competitive environment the familial bond can become weak and ends up with sibling rivalry and children resenting parents, as was the case in King Lear. Moreover, romantic relationships are greatly influenced by the relationship the child observes at home between parents and the one he or she shares with them. While Shakespeare set up many stereotypical relationships he aptly illustrated the downfalls of negligent parents that can still be applied today.
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