One of the central themes of Shakespeare's Hamlet is the question of madness versus sanity. From the first scenes of the play, one cannot help but question the way the various characters think and behave throughout the play. In line with Sigmund Freud's ideas regarding the Id, the Ego and the Superego, we see that the behaviors of the various characters are clearly defined by these distinct personality structures, although not always in the way one would expect traditionally. Both Gertrude and Hamlet find themselves ultimately losing control of their lives as they all give in to the id part of their personalities. It is this fall that will continually present itself as the madness so central and destructive throughout the play. Gertrude, as the queen and mother of Hamlet, is supposed to exemplify the superego traits defined by Freud. He states that the superego is the “internalized ideals we have acquired from our parents or society.” (Freud) Given the roles she plays throughout the play, it is reasonable to expect that Gertrude will serve as a moral compass throughout the play and help encourage righteous behavior in the other characters. Instead of regulating the morality of her kingdom, Gertrude loses her sense of role before any other character. As the play began we see that she has replaced “marriage nuptials with mourning rituals” (Bergoffen 146) and as a result has suggested to the people around her that there is no reason to cry and rather than Hamlet and the rest of Denmark they should "throw away thy nocturnal colour... Search not forever with thy veiled eyelids their noble father in the dust." (Shakespeare 25) essentially telling people to move… middle of the paper… ted. The Danish people at that time were not totally to blame for their descent into Es-like behavior. They had been under the rule of once righteous leaders who had fallen and as a result had caused “something rotten in the state of Denmark” (Shakespeare 45). The id has progressed with surprising power throughout the play, demonstrating in reality how similar it is to the superego. For both Gertrude and Hamlet, it was all too easy to let one's guard down, becoming a slave to one's body and emotions, rather than progress logically using careful use of the regulating ego. Both of these characters experienced seemingly inevitable deaths which, although considered a tragedy, were the only way to revive the kingdom and experience the normality that King Fortibras would bring as a result of a more natural development of the Id, Ego and of the Superego..