“The mark of the psychopath is the inability to recognize others as worthy of compassion. » Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay – Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Tick? » They are not near my consciousness. » Hamlet, after condemning childhood friends to death Most readers consider Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet to be the archetypal hero: a man torn between duty and denial, between vengeance and reserve. Hamlet finds himself alone in the face of a vast conspiracy of regicide, incest and espionage. He remains alone until the tragic finale where the dying Hamlet strikes down Claudius, his murderous uncle. However, upon closer study, viewing Hamlet as a hero poses a great problem. For in creating Hamlet, Shakespeare achieved what no one could have done until the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation did it, some 400 years later. William Shakespeare, in the 16th century, provides in Hamlet not the archetype of the hero, but the prototype of the modern psychopathic killer of today. Prince Hamlet meets many of the requirements for such a distinction, as he comes from an unnatural family environment; he experiences a dominant feeling of revenge towards others; he disguises himself as another personality; and finally, he mercilessly kills anyone who crosses his path. All of these traits can be used to describe some of today's most vicious and deplorable murderers, and unfortunately for lovers of the "hero Hamlet", all of these traits can be applied to Shakespeare's Danish Prince. The family reveals quite tellingly that Hamlet may have been the recipient of very defective genes. Hamlet's father, Old Hamlet, was secretly murdered while sleeping in his orchard by Hamlet's uncle Claudius. So Hamlet has at least a family connection to someone cold enough to commit murder. A study from the University of Washington School of Medicine found that "individuals whose loved ones are murderers are four times more likely to become murderers themselves." Although this does not automatically make Hamlet a killer, Claudius' involvement in regicide weighs heavily on Hamlet's final outcome. It could be argued, however, that Claudius did not raise Hamlet as a child and therefore his actions should not be taken into account. This is a valid argument, but there remains the problem of Gertrude, Hamlet's biological mother. Although not specifically stated in the play, Gertrude may be involved in her husband's murder because she marries her murderer "within a month" of old Hamlet's funeral. This also suggests an adulterous affair with Claude before the murder. Sexually promiscuous mothers have long been blamed for being a factor in poor child development, and in fact, some of today's most notorious psychopathic killers (such as American Carroll Edward Cole) blame extramarital affairs from their mother only to their heinous actions. Because of these possible implications involving Gertrude, Hamlet develops an unnatural preoccupation with his mother's sexuality (another trait shared by some psychopaths). This is proven when he tells her that she is destined to live: In the sweat of a buried bed, Cooked in corruption, honey and love Above the wicked stye! Instead of simply pointing out that Gertrude married a murderer, Hamlet becomes furious over the fact that his mother is also sleeping with Claudius. This should be the last thing on a rational person's mind, but Hamlet brings the subject of his mother's sex life to the forefront. The familyof Hamlet is not doing well and, in the eyes of many experts today, this type of family breeds modern killers. Hamlet's similarities with the serial killer do not stop with his family, however. Hamlet develops a need for revenge against his oppressors. Again, this trait can be seen in most killers today. Modern psychopathic murderers will feel a dominant sense of vengeance toward a person or people, so much so that this sense will take precedence over all others until that vengeance is exacted in one way or another. Now, seeking out and destroying the object of one's injustice is a revenge that most people would understand, but Hamlet's (and the psychopath's) idea of ​​revenge is very different. It has to be perfect. In his efforts to make everything perfect for his uncle's murder, five others will die. Hamlet wouldn't kill Claudius while he was praying - just like Ted Bundy wouldn't kill women without black hair parted in the middle, just like Wayne Williams wouldn't kill non-black children. It's misguided revenge (Hamlet can't kill Claudius while he's praying because then he's not the evil Claudius who's going to hell; Bundy couldn't kill women who didn't remind him of his ex- girlfriend; Williams couldn't kill kids who did it doesn't remind him of the bullies he knew growing up) because all three don't actually get revenge from the right source. To most people, Claudius is Claudius, no matter what he does, and he should be killed at every opportunity --- but Shakespeare's Psycho is different. Hamlet will wait after receiving his orders from the ghost. In fact, even the idea of ​​parents speaking from beyond the grave is not new to the serial killer. “Many...serial murderers have reported voices whose incentives drove them to commit criminal acts.” Herbert Mullin, murderer of thirteen Santa Cruz residents, heard his long-dead father say repeatedly, “Why won’t you give me anything?” Go kill someone --- move! Henry Lee Lucas heard the mother he had just murdered telling him to go out and kill more people. Yes, people other than Hamlet have seen the ghost (so he is not "crazy" like the others, one would say), but who can wonder if these killers did not also hear what they thought they were an authentic voice in their head. ? Shakespeare, by creating Hamlet as a haunted individual seeking the perfect revenge, effectively gave Hamlet another psychopathic trait that he shares with many modern serial killers. However, once again, the similarities between Hamlet and the modern psychopathic killer are not limited to a need for revenge. . Because in seeking revenge, experts agree, the killer will adopt a different personality to both commit the crime and avoid responsibility. Hamlet adopts a different personality---that of a mad person---to lure Claudius closer to his trap and attempt to deflect blame for further murders. Hamlet admits this when he says he will “make a ridiculous arrangement” to deceive the world. Shirley Lynn Scott could have described the plot of Hamlet when she wrote: “Due to their psychopathic nature, serial killers do not know how to feel sympathy. This is a manipulative act intended to lure people into their trap. Serial killers are actors with a natural penchant for performance. Doesn't this term "leaning for performance" bring to mind Hamlet's "crazy" jump into Ophelia's grave after his brother? This is a woman whom Hamlet regarded highly enough to mercilessly play with his emotions, feigning love and thendisgust, until she is finally driven to suicide, crazed with emotion. This jump is supposed to make the reader believe that Hamlet actually loved Ophelia? No, this leap simply proves how far Hamlet will go to erect this facade of madness. Even dead, Hamlet the psychopath will never stop using Ophelia as a means to achieve his ends. His blatant use of others as tools is uncomfortable. Additionally, as Scott attests, when caught, the serial killer will don a "mask of madness" - posing as a multiple, schizophrenic personality - anything to escape responsibility for his actions. Anyone familiar with the play knows that Hamlet uses this exact tactic – pleading insanity – to deflect responsibility. When explaining to Laertes exactly who killed his father, Hamlet cries "Never Hamlet", and that it was rather "his madness" that killed Polonius. This must be reminiscent of Hillside Strangler Kenneth Bianchi's flimsy multiple personality disorder defense, or Son of Sam David Berkowitz's tales of demonic possession. These defenses didn't work for these cold-blooded killers, and they shouldn't work for Hamlet either. Hamlet was in complete control when each of his murders occurred, but he resorted to the now often used excuse of madness to try to escape punishment. This tactic of using a different personality to get results is just another trait this "hero" shares with some of the most dastardly murderers of all time. Of course, to ultimately become a psychopathic killer, one must eventually kill another human being. Many psychopaths never cross this final hurdle into the abyss. Hamlet, however, has no problem overcoming this final obstacle to becoming a prototypical chain murderer. In fact, if one rightly blames Hamlet for the deaths of Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Claudius, then it is obvious that England's greatest playwright created a man with a higher body count than England's "greatest" murderer. Jack the Ripper only killed five people. However, it is not the number of casualties Hamlet achieves that proves his psychosis (as that would define anyone who went to war as a serial killer), but how he goes about it. His cold-blooded murder of Polonius is a prime example. Realizing a spy behind his mother's curtains, Hamlet runs his sword through the sheets without even knowing who he is sending. When Hamlet discovers his victim, it is not an apology that he offers, but a simple: "I took you for your best." Hamlet would have liked to kill the king! This proof of a lack of remorse or Guilt on Hamlet's part is the last thing a reader should need to convince Hamlet of being a psychopathic killer, as most experts agree that this "missing conscience" is the key to identifying a personality psychopath It is ultimately his murders that betray Hamlet as a psychopath Hamlet's callous attempt to have his childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed by the English is another excellent example Yes, Hamlet had to rewrite the letter to save himself. of death, but did he have to write that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern should die instead No, because Hamlet could have written to the English that they should simply pay the tribute and leave - but Hamlet simply wanted the satisfaction of? namely that he had killed two other men who he believed were in his path. Even Horatio is surprised by this, but Hamlet coldly responds - in a classic psychopathic response - that his old friends "are not close to my conscience". Does Hamlet really have a conscience? All of the above should."