The Oedipus Complex is a psychoanalytic term introduced by Sigmund Freud. It describes a child's unconscious desire for the parent of the opposite sex and a sense of rivalry or hostility toward the parent of the same sex. Specifically, it refers to a son's unconscious romantic attraction toward his mother and jealousy of his father.

Early psychoanalytic criticism, heavily influenced by Freudian theory, focused on the author's psyche. Critics sought to uncover the unconscious motivations, childhood experiences, and neuroses of the writer as reflected in their creative output. While later developments shifted toward the reader or the text itself, the initial phase was largely biographical and author-centric.

Freudian psychoanalytic criticism examines literary characters as if they were real individuals with complex psychological structures. In 'Hamlet,' the protagonist's erratic emotional shifts, his obsessive fixation on his mother's sexuality, and his verbal lapses are all interpreted as symptoms of underlying unconscious conflicts. These behaviors provide evidence of the Oedipal struggle, repressed desires, and the tension between the id, ego, and superego, which drive the character's actions and the play's tragic trajectory.

Trauma theory is deeply rooted in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic explorations of the unconscious, particularly his work on 'repetition compulsion' and the ways in which traumatic experiences disrupt the psyche. His theories regarding how the mind processes overwhelming events provide the essential framework for contemporary literary trauma studies.

The mirror stage is a developmental phase where an infant identifies with their own reflection. Lacan posits that this moment is crucial because the child perceives a unified image of themselves, which contrasts with their actual physical fragmentation. This identification allows the child to distinguish their ego, or the 'I', from the external world and other people, marking the beginning of the formation of the subject.

The term 'Oedipus Complex' was coined by Sigmund Freud to describe a child's unconscious desire for the parent of the opposite sex and a sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex. He drew this concept directly from Sophocles' tragedy 'Oedipus Rex' (Oedipus the King), where the protagonist unknowingly fulfills a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother.

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, developed the concept of the 'collective unconscious' to describe the part of the unconscious mind that is derived from ancestral memory and experience and is common to all humankind, as distinct from the individual's personal unconscious.

'Hamlet and Oedipus' is a seminal work of psychoanalytic literary criticism written by Ernest Jones. Published in 1949, it expands upon Sigmund Freud's earlier theories to argue that Hamlet's hesitation is rooted in an Oedipus complex, providing a psychological interpretation of the play's central conflict.

Sigmund Freud is the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. His theories regarding the unconscious mind, repression, and the interpretation of dreams fundamentally altered 20th-century literature, influencing writers to explore the hidden motivations and psychological depths of their characters.

Lacan explores the psychoanalytic dimensions of Hamlet's behavior. He suggests that Hamlet's desire is structured by the lack of the object. Ophelia becomes an object of desire for Hamlet precisely because she is positioned as unattainable or lost, reflecting the broader Lacanian concept that desire is always directed toward an object that cannot be fully possessed.