HAMLET S WOMEN AS MAJOR IMPETUSES FOR HIS ABNORMAL CONDUCT

William Shakespeare is no doubt one of the most distinguished playwrights in Western literary canon. Therefore, his works have not only been appealing to academics around the world, but also to a wide range of avid readers because of the universality of his themes, characters, stories and conflicts. Amongst his renowned works, on the other hand, Hamlet has been subject to different critical debates due to his protagonist’s problematical mind-set and the role of Hamlet’s beloved women in the formation of such mental health state. When look at this perspective, the quest for Hamlet’s central problem has always been and will probably be an interesting topic for literary circles. As a result of the King’s loss and Hamlet’s interaction with the ghost, Hamlet’s extreme emotional reactions have mainly revolved around his mother, Gertrude and his love, Ophelia. His love, hate, passions and last for revenge have all contributed to the self-destructive disposition of Hamlet and problematic structure of his psychology. Thus his psychological projection has been upon the female characters around him. In this regard, this article aims to focus on the women in Hamlet’s life and to discuss how these characters have functioned as main catalysts for Hamlet’s aberrant behaviours.