As the final act of Kurt Sutter’s FX show Sons of Anarchy is set to begin tonight. The series finale poster depicts a dark Jax Teller, the main protagonist of the series, standing in black and white wielding his arms for the final act. Jax’s Sons of Anarchy club tattoo is replaced with a giant deathly skull that consumes his whole back to illustrate to the viewer of the poster that death will follow the final act of this series. Sutter, the creator of Sons of Anarchy, told New York Magazine on September of 2013 that he “loosely based (his) characters on ones from Hamlet.” So if we correlate the final act of Hamlet with the Final act of the upcoming final season of Sons of Anarchy then its safe to say that a battle royal for SAMCRO will take …show more content…
Sons of Anarchy’s final act begins in a similar way as well, as the season finale of the prior season ended with death of Tara Knowles, the wife of Jax Tellers. Both Tara and Ophelia drowned as the final cause of death, however Ophelia drowned on her own merit as the branch holding her broke, as she fell into the water, Ophelia drowned through suffocation from the water and the grief Hamlet had bestowed upon her. Tara in the other hand drowned in the kitchen sink as her mother-in-law Gemma piercing her continuously in the neck with a carving fork. The story’s protagonist causes the parallels of their deaths indirectly, as Jax is the reason for Tara’s death and Hamlet is to Ophelia. You may say how could that be, as Gemma stabbed Tara and drowned her and Jax was not involved. Go back to the beginning of Hamlet final act as the gravediggers shovel away dirt to bury Ophelia. The gravediggers are debating if Ophelia deserves a Christian burial because she took her own life. The gravedigger’s argument is, “if I drown myself willingly, it argues on act. And an act hath three branches –it is to act, to do, to perform. Argal, she drowned herself willingly.” [Act V, Scene 1, Line 9-11] Tara on the second season had to make a decision with her career as she was offered a position out of Charming, California and away from Jax but chose to stay, thus sealing her faith in season six. Tara knowingly put
There are many topics deeply hidden in the works of William Shakespeare. One of his greatest pieces of works is the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Not only are the words of Shakespeare meaningful, but there are also many follow up pieces of literature that contain important interpretations of the events in this play. These works about Hamlet are extremely beneficial to the reader. I have found four of these works and will use them as sources throughout this essay. The first source is “The Case of Hamlet’s Conscience,” by Catherine Belsey, and it focuses on the topic of Hamlet’s revenge in the play. The second source is “’Never Doubt I Love’: Misreading Hamlet,” by Imtiaz Habib, and it explains a lot of information about Hamlet’s “love” for Ophelia. The third source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet, III.i.56—88,” by Horst Breuer, and it talks in depth about the issue of suicide in Hamlet. The fourth and final source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet 1.2.35-38,” by Kathryn Walls, and it describes the significance of the role the Ghost plays throughout Hamlet. There are many different confusing parts in Hamlet and the best way to fully understand the play is to understand all of these parts. By understanding every miniscule detail in the play, it creates a different outlook on the play for the reader. In this essay, I will explain these confusing topics, as well as explain why the sources are helpful and what insight they can bring. At the end is this essay, the reader will have a complete understanding and appreciation of the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Often overlooked in Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet, Shawna Maki analyzes Ophelia’s restricting role as a woman in a patriarchal society and how it essentially leads to her death being the true tragedy of the play. Maki supports this argument by stating, “Whereas Hamlet has the power and potential to change his fate, Ophelia does not and her death is tragic because the only escape she sees from her oppression is madness and death.”. The comparison between Hamlet and Ophelia is a common parallel because both characters are inevitably labeled as tragic deaths due to the quick deterioration of their state of mind.
Ophelia is driven to the point of insanity and ends up drowning herself in a pond. This shows once again the elements of a tragic play. You can also see the innocence of Ophelia throughout the play. She tried to remain loyal to each of the three men she loved, and it ended up costing her life. However, her “suicide” was not really considered suicide back in the day, so she was still allowed to have a “Christian” burial.
In two of his soliloquies, Hamlet questions whether life is worth living. With characteristic ambiguity and indecision, he wavers as he considers both the Christian and the classical perspectives on suicide. Much of the debate surrounding Shakespeare’s treatment of suicide in Hamlet develops from interpretations of those soliloquies. Focusing primarily on his most famous soliloquy at the start of act three, much critical debate has arisen over the subject of his ruminations, whether on suicide or revenge, as critics draw parallels of development in what is seen as the oppositional thematic relationship between self-murder and murder of the king. Although Hamlet’s spiritual conscience and his fear prevent him from committing suicide, his wish to avenge his father’s murder, however hesitant, constitutes a conscious pursuit of death. Taking revenge that draws upon filial duty, on a task apparently dictated by a spiritual being, Hamlet acts in the service of the state and for this service is rewarded with that end he first wished, death.
Choosing to ‘not to be’ the only route to autonomy in an otherwise tragic life. It is debated if Ophelia’s death is a suicide, but with the help of the grave diggers words, “If the man go to this water and drown himself, it is, will he nill he, he goes. Mark you that. But if the water come to him and drown him, he drowns not himself. Argal, he that is not guilty of his own death shortens not his own life.” (5.1. 228-32) readers can make the assumption that her death was deliberate (Dane
It is widely believed that “Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself” and this holds true for Hamlet’s Ophelia. Ophelia’s death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating Hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her, while struggling to maintain the last shred of her dignity. Ophelia’s apathetic reaction to her drowning suggests that she never had control of her own life, as she was expected to comply with the expectations of others. Allowing the water to consume her without a fight alludes to Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia as merely a device in his personal agenda. Her apparent suicide denotes a desire to take control of her life for once. Ophelia’s death is, arguably, an honorable one, characterized by her willingness to let go of her submissive, earth-bound self and leave the world no longer a victim.
From the death of his father, the late King Hamlet, he is often faced with thoughts of suicide, sin, and life after death. Through his first soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates suicide because he cannot deal with the pain from his father’s death and the new marriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude and his uncle Claudius. Following Christian values, he goes on to say that it would be sin to do so, “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (Act I, Scene II, line 129-132). He continues to keep this “Christian value” till the end of the play, but further contemplates his ow...
With Hamlet having to emotionally deal with his fathers’ death and the stigma of incest in his family, could be his undoing. Hamlet shares how dispirited he genuinely is. Hamlet expounds his heart-ache, but it is virtually like he does not want to kill himself. Towards the cessation of the passage Hamlet seems homogeneous to he has verbalized himself out of committing suicide. Ophelia and the love he has for her seems to be the only thing that is keeping Hamlet from killing himself.
Little did we know until September 3, 2008, how badly we all wanted to be a part of a motorcycle club. FX premiered a new crime drama called Sons of Anarchy and much to the viewers surprise the show focuses on the people on the other side of the law than what is normally seen in the genre of crime dramas. Audiences across America began to align themselves with the murderous and violent gun-runners know as the Sons of Anarchy. This show in particular went on to be one of the most popular crime dramas on television, but how is that possible when the characters we know and love are violent criminals and do everything we are told is wrong. Since the premiere Sons of Anarchy has gone on with six seasons each one more popular than the last, with a seventh season expected to air in fall of this year. But what has created such a demand for a show like this? Are Americans becoming more violent and therefore want to watch violence on television? Or are Americans using Sons of Anarchy to escape their own lives?
“The very conveyances of his lands will scarcely lie in this box, and must th’ inheritor himself have no more, ha?” Hamlet’s realization in 5.1.88 is one of great weight and resulted in more deep thought on the concept of death. Throughout Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” the subject is deeply considered and consistent breakthroughs and new realizations are revealed through Hamlet’s character. The primary evolution of Hamlet’s understanding stands with the coping, dealing with the finality of death, conflicts with morality and revenge in its intimate relationship with death as it applies to Hamlet.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play about murder, betrayal, revenge, madness, and moral corruption. It touches upon philosophical ideas such as existentialism and relativism. Prince Hamlet frequently questions the meaning of life and the degrading of morals as he agonizes over his father’s murder, his mother’s incestuous infidelity, and what he should or shouldn’t do about it. At first, he is just depressed; still mourning the loss of his father as his mother marries his uncle. After he learns about the treachery of his uncle and the adultery of his mother, his already negative countenance declines further. He struggles with the task of killing Claudius, feeling burdened about having been asked to find a solution to a situation that was forced upon him.Death is something he struggles with as an abstract idea and as relative to himself. He is able to reconcile with the idea of death and reality eventually.
In Hamlet suicide is an issue of controversy and question. Hamlet is a confused man from everything that he has experienced in such a short period of time. And even though Hamlet contemplates suicide he is not the one who suffers from it. Ophelia is actually is the victim of the actual act of suicide. His morality, religion, and philosophical views on suicide keep him from committing the dreaded act.
William Shakespeare's Hamlet is, at heart, a play about suicide. Though it is surrounded by a fairly standard revenge plot, the play's core is an intense psychodrama about a prince gone mad from the pressures of his station and his unrequited love for Ophelia. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself - but why? In this respect, Hamlet is equivocal - he gives several different motives depending on the situation. But we learn to trust his soliloquies - his thoughts - more than his actions. In Hamlet's own speeches lie the indications for the methods we should use for its interpretation.
From this play we learn of the difficulty associated with taking a life as Hamlet agonises as to how and when he should kill Claudius and furthermore whether he should take his own life. Hamlet being a logical thinker undergoes major moral dilemma as he struggles to make accurate choices. From the internal conflict that the playwright expresses to us it is evident that it can kill someone, firstly mentally then physically. The idea of tragedy is explored in great detail through conflict where the playwright’s main message is brought across to the audience; Shakespeare stresses to his audience the point that conflict be it internal or external it can bring upon the downfall of great people and in turn have them suffer a tragic fate. It is Shakespeare’s aim to show us the complexity of man and that moral decisions are not easily made.
Hamlet is one of the most often-performed and studied plays in the English language. The story might have been merely a melodramatic play about murder and revenge, butWilliam Shakespeare imbued his drama with a sensitivity and reflectivity that still fascinates audiences four hundred years after it was first performed. Hamlet is no ordinary young man, raging at the death of his father and the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. Hamlet is cursed with an introspective nature; he cannot decide whether to turn his anger outward or in on himself. The audience sees a young man who would be happiest back at his university, contemplating remote philosophical matters of life and death. Instead, Hamlet is forced to engage death on a visceral level, as an unwelcome and unfathomable figure in his life. He cannot ignore thoughts of death, nor can he grieve and get on with his life, as most people do. He is a melancholy man, and he can see only darkness in his future—if, indeed, he is to have a future at all. Throughout the play, and particularly in his two most famous soliloquies, Hamlet struggles with the competing compulsions to avenge his father’s death or to embrace his own. Hamlet is a man caught in a moral dilemma, and his inability to reach a resolution condemns himself and nearly everyone close to him.