Essay On Disillusion In Hamlet And All Quiet On The Western Front

Betrayal through disillusion in Hamlet and All Quiet on the Western Front

People feel betrayed when the curtain of the ideal nature of existence is pulled aside to reveal the harsh and unfair reality of life. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet is shown the true nature of life when his father, the king, dies. Hamlet believes his father was an excellent king and as such that the country and his family should mourn the loss for years. Hamlet is disillusioned when within two months his country stops mourning and his mother remarries his uncle. In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul Bäumer, the main character, and his friends are disillusioned by the true brutality and futility of war. In both novels, the characters

Within two months of his father’s death, Hamlet finds himself to be the only person mourning and his mother has already remarried his uncle; due to this Hamlet feels disillusioned by the harsh realities of life. At the wedding of his mother to his uncle, the King remarks Hamlet as being the only one “that the clouds still hang on”(Shakespeare I ii 66). This shows that Hamlet is isolated in his mourning and that he feels outraged by the injustices done to his father by having a joyous wedding within two months of his father’s death. Hamlet feels that his father was “so excellent a king”(I ii 139) and as such, that Denmark should mourn their great loss for years. Contrary to Hamlet’s expectations, Denmark stops mourning his father shortly after his death. This leads Hamlet to feel disillusioned by the grim nature of life. Hamlet’s disillusionment is compounded when his mother remarries to his uncle with “most wicked speed”(I ii 156). This marriage astonishes Hamlet for multiple reasons. Firstly, Hamlet thinks his mother deeply loves his father,

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet’s disillusionment causes a feeling of betrayal that deeply wounds him leading Hamlet to lose his desire to live. At the play, during Hamlet’s fake performance of insanity, he sarcastically remarks on everyone not mourning his father, saying “O Heavens! Die two months ago and not forgotten yet? Then there’s hope a great man’s memory may outlive his life half a year”(Shakespeare III ii 134-137). This quote demonstrates the anger and frustration Hamlet feels towards everyone for betraying him and his father by forgetting a great king so quickly. Hamlet expected everyone to mourn his father’s loss for years due to his father being “so excellent a king”(I ii 139). Hamlet feels betrayed because of the disillusion he experiences when he realizes that he is the only one “that the clouds still hang on”(Shakespeare I ii 66). This is only one instance of many in the novel of Hamlet being betrayed. Hamlet’s mother betrays him deeply by remarrying his uncle shortly after his father’s death. Hamlet is disillusioned by thinking that his mother deeply loved his father so when Hamlet’s father died he expected his mother to remain unmarried and abstinent. Hamlet’s mother devastates him by shattering his expectations. These betrayals through disillusionment along with other betrayals compel Hamlet to lose his