Comparing Romulus And Remus, Hamlet, And Wonder Woman

It is not uncommon for narratives of different genres to have some similarities that allow for comparison. However, evaluating the differences aside from unifying elements serve to set them apart. Despite having been written millennia apart and for different audiences, “Romulus and Remus,” Hamlet, and Wonder Woman have elements in them that allow for comparison, and through comparison, it is possible to reveal the differences that lead to the drastically different outcomes for the same principle action—murder of a family member. While Wonder Woman and Hamlet were primarily written for leisure and entertainment for the audience (inclusive of young children), the purpose of “Romulus and Remus” was as more of a historical record. Therefore, the

values pressed in each of the multiforms differ. “Romulus and Remus” features a more objective, chronological sequence of events, as Romulus seeks utmost power and is unafraid to destroy anything in his way, including his own family members. Wonder Woman and Hamlet, on the other hand, show the importance of family within their respective narratives, which leads to different consequences, in comparison to “Romulus and Remus,” for those that go against their family. While all three multiforms feature the murder or at least, attempted murder, of a sibling, the consequences of the action are for more dire for Wonder Woman and Hamlet than for “Romulus and Remus,” as the aforementioned (former two?) narratives stress the importance of familial relations to a greater extent.
The three narratives are share a common element of attempted or successful member of a family member.

The primary aggressor in “Romulus and Remus” is Romulus himself, who murders his brother in cold blood over a disagreement about where to build a great city (). In Hamlet, Claudius grows jealous of his brother, King Hamlet, so he murders him and takes both his kingdom and his wife. The principle aggressor in Wonder Woman is Ares, son of Zeus and Hera, who chooses to fight, and attempts to kill, his sister Diana (Wonder Woman) in order to obtain his goal of destroying mankind. While all three multiforms are connected by this component of (attempted) murder of one’s own family member, the differences within the narratives are critical in understanding why each piece had different consequences for their respective

aggressors.
From the time Romulus and Remus were young and to adulthood, they were never part of a structural family—as part of the archetypal mother, father, and children family unit.

Instead, they were banished from their home as infants, cast into the woods, and left to fend for themselves (Langhorne 1798:84). Plutarch’s description of the siblings never quite focuses intently on the relationship between the siblings as twin brothers. Rather, more details are stressed on their individual characters. Both brothers are described as strong warriors, quick thinkers, intelligent leaders, and men who are unafraid to use violence in times where it is deemed righteous (Langhorne 1798:87). Although the brothers from childhood to adulthood were mainly together, their relationship dealt was more mutualistic than full of affection. As a consequence, the lack of a strong fraternal bond between the two brothers, and the general acceptance of violence as a means to solve conflict throughout the narrative, led to Romulus killing his brother, without facing severe

ramifications.
In Hamlet, the importance of familial bonds are shown, and are upheld by most of the characters in the play. Claudius through his jealousy and envy is the principle aggressor in the family, and the one who first breaks the bond the familial bond. Claudius murders King Hamlet, and attempts to disregard it as an accident—a mere untimely death of a good king as he was bitten by a serpent while napping in castle’s orchard (HOW TO CITE HELP). In addition, King Hamlet’s widow, Queen Gertrude, waited for only two months before marrying her brother-in-low, potentially betraying her King Hamlet, insulting her some Prince Hamlet, in order to presumably to keep the role of Queen (Act I, Scene 2). Although Claudius feels remorse for his actions in confession (Act III, Scene 3, Line 40), he still attempts to murder his nephew and step-son Prince Hamlet (CITE), through staging a “rigged” fight against Laertes. Prince Hamlet shows a fierce loyalty to his father, and vows to avenge his death (CITE). However, in the process of doing so, he becomes blinded by revenge, and not much unlike his uncle, is not hesitant in attempting to murder family members. In essence, Claudius and the rest of the principle characters in the play all, for their own reasons and with their own methods, break the family unit, which results in dire consequences for each member.
The antagonist in Wonder Woman, Ares, understands the family unit, having grown up with his parents, Zeus and Hera. However, as shown in the movie, his violent tendencies have him banished (CITE??). As a consequence, Ares becomes very jaded, especially towards the human race—he believes them to be inherently corrupt. On his path to cause corruption and chaos to mankind, and eventually destroying them entirely, he is unafraid to go against the wishes of his family in preserving peace. He does show slight hesitation before attempting to kill his sister, Diana, requesting her to join his cause, but after she refuses to relent, he resolves to murder her since she stands in his way (CITE). On the other hand, his sister, Diana, understands the importance of family, love, and the goodness of people. Having grown up with the Amazons, a tightly-knit community, she is well-understanding of the emotional bonds between family members and the necessity of affection and bonds (CITE). In addition, her experiences with Captain Trevor, Charlie, Sameer, and Chief Napi, only reinforce her opinion that mankind is in fact, good, and only negatively influenced by Ares. As a result of wanting to uphold her the Gods’ wishes, who send her to Earth as the God-Killer, as well as her own personal beliefs that Ares is a tyrant, she is forced to kill her brother (CITE). Since Ares’s justification for attempting to kill his sister was more selfish and destructive than Diana’s, the consequences he faces are far more severe than Diana’s.