"The hallmark 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay-Shirley Lynn Scott, What Makes Serial Killers Tick?"They are not near my conscience."Hamlet, after sentencing his childhood friends to death.Most readers consider Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet as the archetypal hero: a man divided between duty and denial, between revenge and confidentiality. Throughout the film, Hamlet single-handedly opposes a vast conspiracy of regicide, incest, and espionage. He remains alone, until the tragic ending, when the dying Hamlet kills Claudius, his murderous uncle. However, after further study, considering Hamlet as a hero poses a major problem. In fact, by creating Hamlet, Shakespeare achieved what no one could do until the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation managed to do some 400 years later. William Shakespeare, in the 16th century, provides in Hamlet not the archetype of the hero, but the prototype of today's modern psychopathic murderer. Prince Hamlet meets many requirements for that distinction, as he comes from an unnatural domestic environment; feels a strong sense of revenge towards others; 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 the most vicious and deplorable murderers of our day, and unfortunately for lovers of the "hero Hamlet", all of these traits can be applied to Shakespeare's Danish prince. For example, the study of Hamlet's family quite significantly reveals that Hamlet may have been the recipient of some very defective genes. Hamlet's father, Old Hamlet, was secretly murdered while he slept in his orchard by his uncle Claudius. Therefore Hamlet has at least a familial connection, with someone cold enough to commit murder. A study from the University of Washington School of Medicine revealed that "individuals whose relatives are murderers are four times more likely to become murderers themselves." While not automatically making Hamlet a murderer, Claudius' implication in the regicide weighs heavily on Hamlet's final outcome. It could be argued, however, that Claudius did not raise Hamlet as a child, so his actions should not be taken into consideration. This is a valid point, but the problem of Gertrude, Hamlet's biological mother, remains. Although it is not specifically stated in the play, Gertrude may be implicated in her husband's murder as she marries his murderer "within a month" of Old Hamlet's funeral. This also suggests an adulterous relationship with Claudius before the murder. Sexually promiscuous mothers have long been accused of being a factor in poor child development, and indeed some of today's most famous psychopathic killers (such as the American Carroll Edward Cole) blame the mother's extramarital affairs solely for their actions atrocious. Because of these possible implications involving Gertrude, Hamlet develops an unnatural preoccupation with his mother's sexuality (another trait shared among some psychopaths). This is proven when he tells her that she is destined to live: in the rancid sweat of a soaked bed, stewed in corruption, honey and making love in the pigsty! Instead of simply pointing out that Gertrude married a murderer, Hamlet becomes enraged that his mother is also sleeping with Claudius. This should be the last thing on a rational person's mind, yet Hamlet brings the topic of his mother's sexual life to the forefront. Hamlet's family is notwell and, in the eyes of many experts today, this type of family generates today's modern killers. Hamlet's commonality with the serial killer, however, does not end with his family. Hamlet develops the need for revenge against his oppressors. Again, this characteristic can be seen in most of today's killers. Modern psychopathic killers will feel a predominant sense of revenge towards a person or a people, so much so that this sense will prevail over all others until that revenge is somehow exacted. Now, seeking 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 more will die. Hamlet wouldn't kill Claudius while praying, just like Ted Bundy wouldn't kill women without dark hair parted in the middle, just like Wayne Williams wouldn't kill children other than black ones. It's misguided revenge (Hamlet can't kill Claudius while he's praying because otherwise he won't be the evil Claudius who goes to Hell; Bundy couldn't kill women who didn't remind him of his ex-girlfriend; Williams couldn't kill children who didn't remind him of the bullies he knew as a child) because all three are not actually taking revenge on the right source. To most people, Claudius is Claudius, no matter what he's doing, and he should be killed every chance he gets. arises --- but Shakespeare's psychopath is different. Hamlet will wait after receiving his orders from the ghost. Indeed, even the idea of ​​parents speaking from beyond the grave is not new to the serial killer. “Many…serial killers have reported voices whose solicitations forced them into criminal acts.” Herbert Mullin, murderer of thirteen Santa Cruz residents, heard his long-dead father say repeatedly, "Why don't you give me anything? Go kill someone---move!" Henry Lee Lucas heard the mother he had killed only recently tell him to go out and kill more people. Yes, people other than Hamlet have seen the ghost (so he's not as "mad" as the others, one would say), but who can doubt that these murderers also didn't hear what they thought was an authentic voice in their heads? ? Shakespeare, in creating Hamlet as a tormented individual seeking the perfect revenge, actually gave Hamlet another psychopathic trait that he shares with many modern serial killers. Even in this case, however, the similarities between Hamlet and the modern psychopathic murderer do not end in the need for revenge. . In seeking that revenge, experts agree that the killer will adopt a different personality to both commit the crime and avoid responsibility. Hamlet adopts a different personality, that of a madman, to lure Claudius closer to his trap and attempt to deflect responsibility for more murders. Hamlet admits this when he says that he will "have an old-fashioned disposition" to deceive the world. Shirley Lynn Scott could have described the plot of Hamlet when she wrote: Because of their psychopathic nature, serial killers do not know how to feel sympathy. It's all a manipulative act, designed to lure people into their trap. Serial killers are actors with a natural penchant for performance. Doesn't this term "propensity for performance" remind us of Hamlet's "mad" leap into Ophelia's grave after his brother? This is a woman Hamlet considered high enough to play mercilessly with her emotions, feigning love and then disgust, until she was finally driven to suicide, mad with emotions. This leap should make the reader believe thatDid Hamlet really love Ophelia? No, this leap simply demonstrates how far Hamlet will go to put up this façade of madness. Even in Hamlet's death the psychopath will not stop using Ophelia as a means to an end. His blatant use of others as a tool is disconcerting. Furthermore, as Scott attests, once caught, the serial killer will assume a "mask of madness" - pretending to be a multiple, schizophrenic personality - anything to evade responsibility for his actions. Anyone familiar with the play knows that Hamlet uses this very tactic – invoking madness – to deflect responsibility. In explaining to Laertes exactly who killed his father, Hamlet cries "Never Hamlet," and that instead it was "his madness" that killed Polonius. This must be reminiscent of Kenneth Bianchi's flimsy defense against multiple personality disorder, the Hillside Strangler, or Son of Sam David Berkowitz's tales of demonic possession. These defenses did not work for those cold-blooded murderers, nor should they work for Hamlet. Hamlet was in full control when each of his murders occurred, yet he resorted to the now often used excuse of madness to try to escape punishment. This tactic of employing a different personality to get results is simply another characteristic that this "hero" shares with some of the vilest killers of all time. Of course, to finally become a psychopathic killer one must sooner or later kill another human being. Many psychopaths never make it over the final hurdle into the abyss. Hamlet, however, has no problem overcoming this last obstacle to become the prototypical chain killer. Indeed, if you correctly blame Hamlet for the deaths of Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Claudius, then it is clear 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's not the amount of killing Hamlet does that demonstrates his psychosis (because that would define anyone who went to war as a serial killer), it's the way he does it. His cold-blooded murder of Polonius is a prime example. After making a spy behind his mother's curtains, Hamlet passes his sword through the sheets without even knowing who he is eliminating. When Hamlet discovers his victim, it is not an apology he offers, but a simple: "I have taken you for yourself." Better." Hamlet wishes he had killed the king! This evidence of Hamlet's lack of remorse or guilt is the last thing a reader should need to condemn Hamlet of being a psychopathic murderer, since most of experts agree that this "missing conscience" is the key to identifying a psychopathic personality. Ultimately it is his murders that betray Hamlet as a callous attempt to kill his childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from the English is another great example. Yes, Hamlet had to rewrite the letter to save himself from death, but did he have to write that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would die instead? Why could Hamlet have written to the English that they should simply pay the tribute and go? forward - but Hamlet simply wanted the satisfaction of knowing that he had killed two other men who he felt were in his way. Horatio is also surprised by this, but Hamlet coldly replies - in a classic psychopathic response - that his former friends are "not near." to my conscience." Does Hamlet even have a conscience? All of the above should demonstrate that this is not the case. Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia, leading her to suicide, as well as his continued encounter with."