Theme Of Belonging In Hamlet

In Act 1, Scene 5 of Shakespeare’s, Hamlet, Prince Hamlet has an encounter with his father’s ghost, where it is revealed to him that his uncle had plotted to poison and kill his father, and that his mother and uncle were lusting after each other for a long while already. At this moment of revelation, it is clear that Hamlet is angered by the news and is now seeking out revenge. Implied within context of the situation, Hamlet’s sense of belonging had now been attacked. This relates back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which describes a series of stages that a person goes through within life; one of these stages being the “Need of Belonging”. The “Need of Belonging” has distinctive attributes that an individual needs to fully develop in that area.