Everyone at one point of their life, has written, yet another hackneyed paper about Hamlet and his relationship with his mother. Some argue that Hamlet didn't love his mother at all, but himself instead. Others argue that he was torn between his mother and Ophelia. But the most common argument has been for the classic Oedipus complex - Hamlet was in love with his mother.
However, I reject all of those options. My argument is that Hamlet was not in love with either himself, his mother, nor Orphelia…but with his uncle - the new king of Denmark.
The play starts with Hamlet's father already dead and buried, with no response from Hamlet (which speaks volumes) but when he receives word that his mother is marrying his uncle, he immediately rushes home. Once there, he finds out that the wedding has already taken place, and sets about, moping around the castle, bemoaning life, and wondering about the perfidy of his mother marrying his uncle. Hamlet was not upset that his mother had remarried so soon, but rather her marriage to his uncle. Through all of his rants and his moping - he only rails against his mother's actions and his uncle's. This is the first sign that Hamlet may have feelings for his uncle - he won't see his uncle's fault…instead he lays the blame at his mother's door - maybe feeling that his "hussy" of a mother, lead his uncle astray?
During his despair, and in a fit of jealousy, he sees a vision of his father. His father's ghost tells Hamlet that his beloved uncle is the one that murdered him. At this moment, Hamlet's dilemma begins. His unrequented, unspoken love for his uncle makes so much more sense. He is saddened and angry at finding out who his father's murder is - but his love for his uncle, prevents him from exacting the revenge that honor dictates.
His inability to commit to a course of action - his refusal to unmask his uncle as the murder, is plainly the actions of one in love. One in love with his father's murderer. If Hamlet was in love with his mother, finding out that her new husband is also his father's murder, would just spurn him on, giving him a stronger reason to challenge his mother's lover, avenging his father, and "saving" his mother for himself. But he does not. Nor is it the actions of a person in love with Orphelia, for, if it was truly in love with Orphelia, Hamlet would have had no trouble in challenging his uncle, as his death would result in Hamlet's coronation as king, with Orphelia, his bride, as his queen. Who would not wish to make his beloved queen of a kingdom.
Instead, he acts like a jealous lover, both angry and depressed, his mood flaring out and striking everyone around him. His callous manner drives Orphelia to her death. His pent up frustration cuts his mother with cruel words. The only one unscathed by his wrath, is his love, his uncle. Every time Hamlet converses with his mother, he always acts disgusts or bored. After Orphelia commits suicide, he calls his mother a hussy, and questions her right on lecturing him! From all outward signs, it may seem that he's acting jealous over his mother, but upon closer inspection to the dialogue, instead of treating his mother like a wayward love interest, he treats and speaks to her as if he was an interloper. An object of scorn. As if she was the "other woman" that stole his beloved away from him. He does not see his mother as a lover, but as a rival.
Then, when Hamlet speaks with his uncle, he never outright accuses him of murder, but rather harps on his uncle's relationship with his mother. His love for his uncle, blinds him and causes the conflict and the angst that plundges him into depression and dispare. It is his unrequented love of his uncle that drives his need find a solution. If he was in love with anyone else, challenging his uncle to a fight would not have caused a problem, but how can anyone, challege his love to a fight to the death? Even if it is his love that murdered his father most fouly?
When Hamlet stages the place to "prove" the murder, it proved nothing. The only thing that it did, was get a reaction out of his uncle. To have a confrontation so that his uncle would have to talk him, would have some kind of interaction with him. For, isn't any kind of attention, better then no attention at all? The play was created, tailored by Hamlet to show his uncle that he knew. That he knew how his father was murdered, but has done nothing about. It was as much of a declaration of love, as Hamlet would dare to show. This was Hamlet's desperate attempt to show his uncle how deep his love for him ran. Enough to not challenge his father's murderer, but to keep the secret and live with the burden.
It is true that Hamlet is a tormented soul, but he is not tormented by his love for his mother, nor by the weight of the burden to avenge his father's death. He is trapped by the love of his uncle, a love which drives him nearly insane, but through it all, he never once says a harsh word to his uncle, nor raises a hand against him. He rather live with the guilt of not honoring his father, and despising his mother, then to live on, as the cause of his uncle's disgrace. It is this love, this love for his uncle, that drives Hamlet's actions, and ultimately, is death.