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Comparing hamlet to other works of literature
Comparing hamlet to other works of literature
Comparing hamlet to other works of literature
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Charles Dickens, a 19th century English writer, considered William Shakespeare as “the great master who knew everything.” It can be said that the person most qualified to recognize a literary genius would be a literary genius himself. Shakespeare played a large role in influencing Dickens work; this work has even been compared with the work of Shakespeare himself. To clearly compare each of these writers work, we must first investigate how and what influences Shakespeare had on Dickens. It is then that we can properly analyze the notable similarities and the striking differences these writers used in each of their selected “master pieces.” This essay will describe Shakespeare’s influence on Charles Dickens as a child and as a writer, discussing …show more content…
what similar styles each used as well as differences in their work. As a young boy, Charles J.H. Dickens was very interested in acting. Performing at the Theatre Royal, Dickens found his favorite stories to be those created by Shakespeare. From then on, his engagement to Shakespeare was life-long. At the age of 18, the earliest age admitted into the Library of the British Museum, he checked out two volumes of Shakespeare. After that, his literary journey began. Dickens stayed an active member of the Shakespearean club throughout the majority of his lifetime while creating his works of art. One of Dickens most notable works was A Christmas Carol. This story is one about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge has lost all of his Christmas spirit, and does everything he can to terrorize those who display their spirit. One night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his past business associate Jacob Marley, who warns him of what waits for Scrooge in the afterlife. Scrooge continues with his evil an angry ways, shaking off the visit as indigestion. Next he is visited by 3 more ghosts, the ghosts of Christmas. After a series of different visions and encounters Scrooge promises to change his ways, and regains his Christmas spirit. One of Shakespeare’s most well-known works is that of Hamlet. Hamlet is a story revolving around a revengeful man named Hamlet. After his recently deceased father’s ghost visits Hamlet, he learns the truth of his father’s death. His father coerces Hamlet to take Revenge on his uncle, now the reigning king. Hamlet stages a play, reenacting the events told to him by his father, and learns that his father was in fact telling the truth. He returns to his home and plots to expose his uncle Claudius, and in doing so, half of the main characters die in the final scene. Hamlet and A Christmas Carol are alike and different in many ways.
First, there are many similarities that, without Shakespearean influence, could not be coincidental. Dickens opens his story with “The mention of Marley's funeral brings me back to the point I started from. There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlet's Father died before the play began, there would be nothing more remarkable in his taking a stroll at night, in an easterly wind, upon his own ramparts, than there would be in any other middle-aged gentleman rashly turning out after dark in a breezy spot -- say Saint Paul's Churchyard for instance -- literally to astonish his son's weak mind." This is an obvious reference to Shakespeare’s work in Dickens work already. At the very beginning of each story, there is the death of a character. Each of these deceased characters are the cause and motivation for the actions of the main characters in each story. The death of Marley causes Scrooge to hate Christmas and anything related. He goes out of his way to tell off carolers, tear down decorations, and discourage any Christmas spirit. This continues for many years until finally the ghost of Marley comes back to warn Scrooge. Similarly, Hamlet is depressed and lost with the loss of his father. Too add to his distress, Hamlet cannot understand why his recently widowed mother so acceptingly marries his uncle. One night, he is visited by the ghost of his father to tell him how he really
died. Scrooge’s actions are influenced in a way that he does not want what the final ghost showed him to come true. The ghost takes Scrooge to a Christmas yet to come, and on the particular day, Scrooge himself had died. Scrooge asks the ghost to show him at least one person who feels any emotion over the death of himself, but the ghost can only show him a poor family. This family is indebted to Scrooge and is rejoicing over his death as they have escaped debt. Terrified by this future, Ebenezer begs for another chance to redeem his life. Hamlet’s actions are influenced by the visiting of his father’s ghost in a very gruesome way. Hamlet becomes burdened with the task of avenging his father’s death by killing his newly crowded uncle. Hamlet decided he is more fearful of dying without knowing the absolute truth than killing his relative. Hamlet goes through with his plan and ends up getting himself killed as well. Another similarity is a reference in Hamlet that can relate to Scrooge. Towards the end of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is confused at how all of the ghosts had visited him in one evening. It seemed as though much more time had passed. He is also puzzled at how these spirits Scrooge thinks as “evil” spirits allowed him to continue his life and did not punish him at all. Excited and overwhelmed, Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning. When one looks at Shakespeare’s play in depth, a certain verse might be noticed. During the play, one of the characters Marcellus says: …Some say that ever ’gainst that season comes Wherein our saviour’s birth is celebrated The bird of dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad, The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike, No fairy tales, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallowed and so gracious is the time… (Hamlet 1.1.138-145) This quote from Marcellus can be translated and says simply that the day that our savior was born, there are no evil spirits able to roam the earth. This would answer Scrooges questions about the time and spirits. Scrooge, thinking it had been one evening, had really been missing from the town for many days and people were surprised to see him when he finally came out of his house. The other question that could be answered was how the evil spirits simply let him go and try to fix his life without any consequences. Although there are many similarities in Dickens A Christmas Carol and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are some very distinct differences as well. One major difference in each of the authors’ writings is the way they bring their stories to an end. In Dickens story, Scrooge starts off as a grumpy man who is very unhappy. After the events that take place to him, he realizes what a joy Christmas is and turns out to be a very happy person. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet starts off the story as a very depressed and lost character. Throughout the play Hamlet does not find himself like Scrooge, yet he seems to lose his mind. Hamlet begins to speak to himself out loud saying things like: …The spirit that I have seen May be the devil, and the devil hath power T' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps, Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me… (Hamlet 2.2.627-632) In this excerpt from Hamlet, he is discussing to himself whether the ghost that presented itself as his father could actually be the devil. He contemplates whether to listen to what the ghost had to say or if the ghost was conjuring a plan for Hamlet to kill his uncle Claudius. Hamlet ponders on many things, such as whether or not being depressed has left him susceptible to the evil forces. Towards the end of the play, Hamlet has seem to lost all sense of reality and completely gone insane. Another major difference in Dickens and Shakespeare’s work is the style of writing they use and what types of stories they write. A Christmas Carol is written more in an obvious to the reader fictional story. It uses magical creatures and time traveling, which sways more towards a fairy tale like story. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a story written to resemble real life, as it was written as a play. It is meant to capture the reader’s attention and put them in the shoes of the main character, reportedly making the some readers question their mental state while reading. Shakespeare tends to lean more towards dramatic tragedies. Hamlet can be classified as a romantic tragedy or a revenge tragedy, and Shakespeare tends to be very orthodox in keeping this style of writing in his work. To sum things up, after comparing and contrasting these two literary works, it is very relevant that Shakespeare had a strong influence on Charles Dickens and his works. Although he did not completely influence his work, he played a very important role in Dickens rise to fame. With Shakespeare influencing Dickens as a young child and encouraging him to write in the magnificent form he does, even though they deviate in some ways, William Shakespeare gave us yet another literary genius.
The most prominent character parallel between the two works is that of Prince Hamlet and Sweeney Todd. They have similar motives and plans to reach their
During class we have reviewed many versions of the play Hamlet. The two movie versions that I chose to compare on the play Hamlet are the David Tennant version and the Kenneth Branagh version. I chose these two versions because these were the two that most interested me. I believe that some scenes from each movie were better than the other, but overall I liked these two versions just as equally. The three main scenes that stood out to me that I will be comparing are ‘Ophelia’s Mad Scene’, the ‘Hamlet Kills Polonius’ scene, and Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ scene.
A Comparison of the Character Hamlet, of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
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Some stories that are considered ‘classics’ often get reiterated to offer a similar message to a younger generation. As Shakespeare was such a strong author and playwright, many of his pieces are retold. The story of Hamlet is often retold with different characters, however, perhaps the most popular adaptation is the Walt Disney film, The Lion King. As The Lion King and Hamlet were developed for different demographics, there are similarities and differences between the main characters, and the supporting characters, which also affect the overall theme and plot tone.
The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet have demonstrated how the protagonists’ action of concealing and revealing their true selves impacts themselves and the surrounding. Amir’s escaping from the alley in the year of 1975 and Hamlet’s supernatural conversation with the ghost respectively trigger the aggressive plot development in the stories. Second, Amir’s desperation for paternal love and Hamlet’s grief for the death of Old Hamlet cause them to act differently and lead to a life dilemma. Nevertheless, Amir’s redemption saves him from further concealing the sorrow of betraying Hassan, whereas Hamlet’s life, without forgiveness, forebodes the remarkable tragedy, death.
William Shakespeare’s parents both died barely ten years apart, which is why so many of his tragic plays end in death. In his play The Legend of Macbeth Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are obsessed with their own selfish desires and cannot stop their murderous deeds. In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the character Scrooge is a representation of the type of person Dickens could have become because his father made him start working at the age of twelve. Scrooge is an old, grouchy, and cruel man who cares more about money than his relationship with his fiancée Belle. Although Macbeth and Scrooge both undergo changes of the heart, the outcome brings about
be a powerful man, has his life unravel before him as he loses his job, his
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Different adaptations of William Shakespeare’s works have taken various forms. Through the creative license that artists, directors, and actors take, diverse incarnations of his classic works continue to arise. Gregory Doran’s Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet bring William Shakespeare’s work by the same title to the screen. These two film adaptations take different approaches in presenting the turmoil of Hamlet. From the diverging takes on atmosphere to the characterization of the characters themselves, the many possible readings of Hamlet create the ability for the modification of the presentation and the meaning of the play itself. Doran presents David Tenant as Hamlet in a dark, eerie, and minimal setting; his direction highlighting the
William Shakespeare has become landmark in English literature. One must be familiar with the early days of English literature in order to comprehend the foundation of much of more modern literature’s basis. Shakespeare’s modern influence is still seen clearly in many ways. The success of Shakespeare’s works helped to set the example for the development of modern dramas and plays. He is also acknowledged for being one of the first writers to use any modern prose in his writings.
Michael Almereyda’s movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet brings about a new perspective through its performance. The movie adaptation, Hamlet (2000), retells the original play in a modernized setting, bringing out various different elements of characters, which highlights a new reading of these characters as individuals, and a newfangled reading of the play as well. Throughout the movie, Ophelia and Gertrude, the woman-leads, are advanced in a progressive manner compared to the original play. In particular, Gertrude from Hamlet (2000) is noticeably altered from Hamlet, the play. This new interpretation of Gertrude and the play created by the movie adaptation advances the position of Gertrude as a woman, as well as motifs of incest, misogyny,
Through the elements of technique portrayed in this essay, it is clear to see that Shakespeare is able to influence the reader through soliloquies, imagery, and dual understanding. This overall influence being both the communication of a deeper meaning, and a more complex understanding of the events and statements within Hamlet.
Hobsbaum, Philip. A Reader’s Guide to Charles Dickens. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1972.