In literature there are great stories and great heroes that make the stories memorable because of their individual characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. This essay will focus on the protagonist Luke Skywalker from George Lucas’ film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Hamlet from William Shakespeare’s play drama Hamlet. Luke is a common farm boy from Tatooine that wanted to go off to join the Imperial Academy, but has to stay to help his aunt and uncle tend to the farm. Hamlet, however, does not come from very humble beginnings. He is the Prince of Denmark, and is dealing with his fathers recent death along with his mothers remarriage to his uncle. Luke Skywalker and Hamlet are both the heroes of their stories. Both of these characters …show more content…
take very similar hero’s journeys, have struggles with how to deal with revenge, and have enemies and allies that effect their journey. Even though their journeys are similar the two have very different outcomes due to their individual characteristics and actions. Each of these heroes follow the hero’s journey exactly in each step, however the way they decide to go about the actions in each step is what separates these characters.
Luke and Hamlet share that they came from home culture that they weren't fully at ease with but thought they couldn't change, Luke’s being that he was going to stay a farm boy forever and Hamlets that he will have to live without his father and his uncle married to his mother controlling the kingdom. However once they have their call to adventure you start to see their character differences in the way that they react to their refusal of the call. Luke takes a very realistic approach to the refusal of the call, telling Obi Wan ‘Ben’ Kenobi that he can’t go on this epic journey because he needs to stay with his aunt and uncle tending to the farm. Hamlet takes a more dramatic approach. He starts by asking himself, “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them”(Hamlet, Act III Scene I). Hamlet is asking himself what he should do with finding out that is his Uncle Claudius had killed his father to take over the throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet is contemplating whether he should just continue life like normal always knowing this information, to get revenge as his father asked him to, or to just end it all by committing suicide so he doesn't have to deal …show more content…
with any of these issues any longer. These two different approaches show you how different each of these men are. Luke is a more rational and realistic person, he knows about the responsibilities he has now and that taking on an adventure would hinder them. Hamlet doesn't care about any responsibilities that could be affected by his choice, he sees this as an either or live with it, get revenge, or die. As they continue in their stories Luke’s Aunt and Uncle are killed but the Imperial Empire which releases Luke allowing him to cross the first threshold and continue his journey. Hamlet’s release is realizing that Claudius did in fact kill his father when Claudius abruptly leaves the play Hamlet puts on called “The Mouse Trap”, which closely resembles how the murder of the Hamlets father could have happened. The heroes from here on out follow these releases as the motives to continue their journey, however due to the way they individually go about using this motive it effects the methods they use and results seen at the end of the story. This realization for Hamlet set him on a selfish act of revenge for his father toward Claudius. Hamlet promises that, “When his is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed; At gaming, swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in’t; Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damn’d and black As hell, whereto it goes”(Hamlet, Act III Scene III). Hamlet does not want Claudius to not only pay for what he did with his life, but he wants to catch him at such a time that Claudius is full of sin so that he for sure is sent to hell where he will have to suffer for eternity. Because of this hatred it gives Hamlet a tragic flaw, that all he wants is revenge and it ultimately ends in the death of everyone. Luke however goes back to Obi Wan and tells him that there is nothing for him there anymore so he will now go with him to save the Princess and defend the Rebel Alliance. Both of these heroes have people that they love taken from them in murderous ways, yet the way that they deal with them shows their characteristics. Hamlet becomes focused on only one thing wanting to avenge his father and nothing else matters, with this Shakespeare is trying to convey that if you are only focused on selfish revenge it will end up consuming you and killing you and anything you loved in the end. Luke takes this event and makes it a motive to go on to greater things and defend the universe, creating a bigger picture and allowing him to continue without a tragic flaw. This leads to everyone surviving and continuing of the Star Wars Saga to later movies. One of the biggest influences on Luke’s approach to dealing with the murder of his aunt and uncle the way he did is “The Force” because it teaches to let go of anger and revenge. The Force teaches to embrace and defend the good light side of life and release the evil and dark side that can consume you. Along these hero’s journeys they encounter many other characters who become either their allies that help them a long their journey, or they become their enemies who hinder and interrupt, whether intentionally or not, the journey.
Luke has many allies in his story that greatly excel his journey, such as: R2D2, C3PO, Obi Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca. With his allies there are also enemies that Luke has to face being: Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, The Imperial Empire, and the actual Death Star itself. Hamlet’s allies are a little bit shorter, he has his father’s ghost, the actors that act out “The Mouse Trap”, and Horatio who is really his only true ally that continuously helps him. Hamlet’s list of enemies far surpasses his allies, he has Claudius, Polonius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. The circumstances with these two heroes allies and enemies are very different, from just comparing the two lists there are significantly more allies on Luke’s list rather than on Hamlets and the opposite when it comes to the enemies lists of each character. When taking an even deeper look it shows that the reason that Luke has so many allies is because he allows and even seeks out help from others, just like when Obi Wan and Luke met up with Han Solo and Chewbacca so that they could get help flying to Alderaan to get the plans to the Death Star to Princess Leia’s father and help defend the Rebel Base there. Hamlet really only has one true
ally that helps him, which is why his enemies list is so long. He did not let anyone beside Horatio know what he was doing about his plan of revenge, Hamlet told Horatio that, “There is a play to-night before the King. One scene of it comes near the circumstance… of my father's death. I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,… Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt Do not itself unkennel in one speech,It is a damned ghost that we have seen, And my imaginations are as foul As Vulcan's stithy. Give him heedful note… And after we will both our judgments join In censure of his seeming”(Hamlet Act III Scene II). He told Horatio this to make sure he wasn't going crazy and that, he had someone else who would see the guilt too. After this Horatio agrees that Claudius killed his father and Hamlet continues on with his plans not always telling Horatio what his next move was going to be, but always keeps him in the loop of what it may be. With the way that both of these heroes use their allies it helps show why their journeys progress and unfolds as they do. Luke allowed others in to help him and it excelled his journey and helped him rise above defeat in times of need, such as when he, Princess Leia, and Han Solo are stuck in the trash compactor and R2D2 and C3PO get them out. Hamlet only let one person in on his plan of revenge, everyone else he pushed away and made them think that he was crazy and losing his mind so that they wouldn't expect anything. Everyone Hamlet loved was pushed away so much that Claudius was able to have Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spy on Hamlet where they thought it was in a positive caring way, yet in reality Claudius is using it to plot Hamlet’s death. Because of this Rosencrantz and Guildenstern hinder Hamlet’s journey, even though its not intentional. Even Ophelia, the love of Hamlet’s life, is lead to believe that Hamlet no longer loves her and she kills herself when he is sent away which effects Hamlet’s whole view on life and makes him go into a battle with Laertes to prove his love for her, risking his life and his journey for revenge.
I found it rather surprising to discover how many similarities there were between various Disney films and Hamlet. I was also satisfied that my understanding of Hamlet was greatly aided through this paper. My comprehension of Hamlet may have been altered, because the similarities between the Disney song lyrics and Hamlet opened my mind up to new ideas, and possibly allowed me to view familiar Disney movies differently as well. Hamlet contained many similarities to many other works, even in elementary level texts and songs.
The morality of the hero also plays a key role in the nature of his heroism. Hamlet holds himself to high moral standards and ethics. “We, the ...
In act I scene ii Hamlet,his mother, and father/uncle were discussing how Hamlet should remain in Denmark and not go back to school in Wittenberg. This scene is crucial in the play because it takes the quote "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" very literal. By asking Hamlet to stay Claudius is getting the upper hand with having the ability of keeping his eye on Hamlet.The main character Hamlet is viewed as a recently become madman because of his rejected love from Ophelia. He is also seen a inexperienced prince by his stepfather, Claudius and Polonius. In Hamlet's soliloquies we can see that he disapproves of his mothers marriage to Claudius[uncle/stepfather] because she married him so soon after his fathers death.Along with
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print
At the beginning of the play, Hamlet has learned that his brother, the newly king, Claudius, murdered his father. In Christian Wertenbaker: What is the riddle in HAMLET? (Sirs.com, 2011) it is stated, “From then on, Hamlet has to find his own way. He has become a seeker of truth. Unless he verifies the facts for himself, he cannot do the act” (1). This shows that Hamlet can’t back away from what he is meant to do. In his eyes he sees himself as being chosen to avenge his father. In fact, Hamlet proclaims, “The time is out of joint. O, cursed sprit, That ever I was born to set it right” (I. V. 207-208)! Already Hamlet is stressed out by his misfortune. He sees no other option, but to kill his uncle.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Shakespeare utilizes his ability to use words to paint emotion, the story, and characters into the readers mind. Shakespeare creates the memorable character of Hamlet Junior in his poem, Hamlet, through the characteristics of insanity and madness and suicidal tendencies or thoughts of suicide. His capability of doing so enlarges the ability of the reader to understand the story, but also to construct the storyline.
There are many factors that lead Hamlet into putting himself in a difficult position. There are many incidents where it’s not Hamlet’s poor attitude that gets him in trouble, but his great ambition to uncover the truth. Once Hamlet discovers that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are spying on him, he never lets them out of his sight. Hamlet suspects that his mother, Gertrude, was an accomplice for the murder of his father. Polonius was slain by Hamlet who had mistaken him for Claudius. His pretense of madness drove Ophelia to her death. All of these incidents show that its Hamlet’s great ambition to uncover the truth that gets himself in difficult positions.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is arguably one of the best plays known to English literature. It presents the protagonist, Hamlet, and his increasingly complex path through self discovery. His character is of an abnormally complex nature, the likes of which not often found in plays, and many different theses have been put forward about Hamlet's dynamic disposition. One such thesis is that Hamlet is a young man with an identity crisis living in a world of conflicting values.
Prince Hamlet on the other hand, showed heroic skills by putting others first. He kept his pain to himself and didn’t want to cause any difficulties with the townspeople or family. He shows this self-sacrifice ability once again when King Claudius tried to convince him to stay at home, rather than going away to school. He says "You are most immediate to our throne… For your intent In going back to school in Wittenberg, It is most retrograde to our desire, And we beseech you, bend you to remain Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye."
As the play’s tragic hero, Hamlet exhibits a combination of good and bad traits. A complex character, he displays a variety of characteristics throughout the play’s development. When he is first introduced in Act I- Scene 2, one sees Hamlet as a sensitive young prince who is mourning the death of his father, the King. In addition, his mother’s immediate marriage to his uncle has left him in even greater despair. Mixed in with this immense sense of grief, are obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combination of these emotions leaves one feeling sympathetic to Hamlet; he becomes a very “human” character. One sees from the very beginning that he is a very complex and conflicted man, and that his tragedy has already begun.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 9th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print
Hamlet is a tale of tragedy by Shakespeare which tells the story of the prince of Denmark who is on a quest to avenge the death of his father at the hands of his uncle whom subsequently becomes king of Denmark. This is what fuels the fire in the play as Hamlet feels the responsibility to avenge his father’s death by his uncle Claudius; however, Claudius assumed the throne following the death of hamlets father. It is in this context that we see the evolution of hamlets character from a student and young prince of Denmark to the protagonist and tragic hero in the play.
Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne.
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.
The tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s most popular and greatest tragedy, presents his genius as a playwright and includes many numbers of themes and literary techniques. In all tragedies, the main character, called a tragic hero, suffers and usually dies at the end. Prince Hamlet is a model example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. Every tragedy must have a tragic hero. A tragic hero must own many good traits, but has a flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. If not for this tragic flaw, the hero would be able to survive at the end of the play. A tragic hero must have free will and also have the characteristics of being brave and noble. In addition, the audience must feel some sympathy for the tragic hero.