Sweeney Todd And Hamlet Comparison

Shakespeare is one of the smartest and most influential authors in the world of literature.  A lot of modern writers have based their literary products off of the brilliant works that Shakespeare created and brought to life.  A specific example of this is the musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and the 2007 Tim Burton film of the same name.  These works have similar parallels with Shakespeare's Hamlet.  Both of these works incorporate themes such as appearance vs. reality and revenge for past deeds.  Additionally, the main characters in the pieces of literature have peculiarities that make them easy to compare and differentiate.

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

common goal of revenge. Both men have struggled through human-made tragedies that have changed their outlooks on life.

Furthermore, these adversities have been caused by supporting characters that gradually become necessary elements of their stories. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet's craving for revenge begins with the suspected murder of his father by his uncle Claudius: the new king.  At the beginning of the play, Hamlet is bothered by his father's death and the marriage of his mother and uncle. During the king's royal coronation, he asks Hamlet "How is it that the clouds still hang on [him]?" (I,ii,66). While the majority of the kingdom is excited about the change in power and the wedding between the queen and the new king, Hamlet is still grieving the loss of his father.  He is not impressed with his mother and uncle because of their decision to remarry so soon after his father's death. The new changes in his life upset him and ultimately cause drama, madness, and death. Similarly, in Sweeney Todd, the loss of a loved one causes the title character mental and emotional trauma that drives him to insanity. Todd, who was then known as Benjamin Barker, was an ordinary man that lived in London with his wife and baby girl.  Life was perfect for Todd

and his young family until everything went downhill. Judge Turpin, a cruel man who holds much power and dominance, sent Todd to Australia so that he could take his wife, Lucy, whom Turpin fancied. Turpin also legally adopts Todd's daughter, Johanna so that she will grow up believing that he is her father.  Todd returns to England several years later and learns that his wife is dead and his daughter is gone. Angry, he decides to get revenge on the city of London. He murders many people and, with the help of his friend Mrs. Lovett, bakes them into pies and serves them to the residents of London. Todd has the same unsettling feeling about his family that Hamlet has about his father.

Hamlet and Sweeney Todd share several themes that help tie the stories together.  One of the brilliant themes used is appearance vs. reality.  In Act 2 of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet begins to act insane around his friends and family. They all believe that he is mentally unstable and volatile because of his father's death.  In reality, Hamlet was acting delirious so that he could find out his uncle's plans and why he murdered his father. In Act 3, Hamlet put on a play titled Mousetrap in attempt to frame Claudius for the murder.  He portrayed the situation as if it were a standard comedy, but he knew the real objective of the production. Hamlet’s plan to act insane works around most people, but…..Hamlet also treats his lover, Ophelia poorly because  Hamlet also acts as if the ghost of his father is a living figure, even though he knows that it is not. He takes advice from his deceased father, something that would appear to be unusual to anyone else. Personally, Hamlet knows that his father is dead, but he acts as if he’s alive to get information about Claudius and the murder.  Hamlet spends much of the play trying to convince others that he is extremely upset over the loss of his dad, but in reality, he just wants information and revenge. In Sweeney Todd, Mr. Todd has some secrets that few people know, as well as ones that only he knows.  One of the biggest secrets about Todd is his name and true identity. Of all of the people he associates with, the only ones that know of his real name and identity are Antony and Mrs. Lovett.  To the rest of the world, he is just Sweeney Todd, the insane barber instead of Benjamin Barker, the passionate and devoted family man. The true identity of Beggar Woman is not revealed until the end of the movie.  In the beginning, she looked to be a typical lady that was trying to find money to live. At the end though, she is identified as Lucy, Todd's estranged wife. Appearance vs. reality is used effectively to make the audience think about the storyline and its additional details.  
Monologues and soliloquies are frequently used in plays to add emotion and detail.  These types of statements give speakers an opportunity to get their ideas across without the opinions of others getting in the way.  In Hamlet, there are various soliloquies that expose the genuine emotions of Prince Hamlet.  The most notable speech given during Shakespeare’s famous tragedy is the "To Be or Not to Be" soliloquy.  During this address, Prince Hamlet contemplates suicide. He questions if his life is worth living and if he should end it.  Hamlet even goes as far as to compare death to sleep. This soliloquy is an indirect parallel to "Epiphany" a song sung by Mr. Todd in the movie.  In the song, Todd illustrates his displeasure for life and the people around him to Mrs. Lovett. He tells her that no one should be happy if he cannot be happy.  Todd attempts to talk about his personal problems, but he is too concerned about his revenge. He also believes that “they all deserve to die”, in reference to the human race (14).  Hamlet has a similar idea in his soliloquy, but instead of wanting everyone else to be miserable, he desires to end his sorrow. In the song "Wait" Mrs. Lovett is giving Todd advice as if she was his conscious.  She reminds him to slow down and be patience, because good things come to those who calm down and wait. This song is similar to the speech that Polonius gives Laertes before he goes back to France. They both discuss being confident and patient with the world and the people around it.  These two songs in Sweeney Todd are renowned for their discreetly included details and compelled themes.  

Throughout time, literature has grown and developed with the new world.  Innumerable concepts, words, and phrases have been created and interpreted to fit into society and the new world.  However, the one thing that has not changed in modern literature is the way that famous authors like William Shakespeare are acknowledged and honored.  Many authors and playwrights have based their stories on those of Shakespeare. The characters and themes disclosed in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street are similar to those disclosed in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.