Hamlet And Hornblower Similarities

1077 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: An approach to hamlet

What is the difference between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and C.S. Forester’s novel Lord Hornblower? At first glance they seem as different as fire and water. Hamlet is a play about a young prince seeking revenge on his uncle for murdering his father and Lord Hornblower is a novel about an old English sea-captain fighting in a long and bitter war against the French. However; despite the obvious differences there are in fact many similarities connecting the two works of literature. They both have very brooding and unhappy main characters, both have similar themes and symbolism, and both are tales about a wretched soul who ends up bringing about the destruction of everything around them. After some careful thought it is possible to make some very …show more content…

Both are very well off, as Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and Lord Horatio Hornblower is from a noble family, has been knighted, and halfway through the novel conquers a port town and makes himself a governor. Another similarity is how self-critical they are of themselves. Hamlet is constantly down on himself for his cowardice and lack of action despite of the death of his father, which is particularly evident during his “To be or not to be…” [Hamlet 3.1.58-92] speech. Hornblower is also very critical of himself, even more so than Hamlet. “Hornblower, noting his inward turmoil, cursed himself for being a sentimental old fool” [Forester 47]. Hornblower is constantly battling his emotions and it makes him feel unworthy of all his titles, because he is always riddled with fear and anxiety and never as heroic as people …show more content…

In Hamlet the main issue in the play is that Gertrude and Claudius were having an affair, which is what causes Claudius to murder King Hamlet and in turn cause Hamlet to seek revenge. On top of that there is also the supposed love between Ophelia and Hamlet. Even if Hamlet only pretended to love Ophelia, the possibility was enough to draw Polonius into the story and help drive the plot later on when he killed. In Lord Hornblower, Hornblower betrays his wife Barbara overseas with a beautiful French girl named Marie who he meets after he conquers a vital French port and initiates Napoleon’s downfall. This is important to the story because after Napoleon’s “defeat” he immediately rises once more and is after Hornblower’s head, but rather than run he stays and hides in France because he doesn’t want to leave

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Hamlet And The Book Thief

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    After a series of unfortunate deaths in the main character’s, Liesel, life, everything was taken away in the span of half an hour by an “accidental” bombing. When comparing and contrasting the two novels Hamlet and The Book Thief, there is one literary device used in both novels quite often. Although this literary device appears to be used in both novels, it is used differently in each novel. This literary device is conflict. There are also other literary devices used in both novels. Symbolism is used a lot in The Book Thief and character development is used frequently in Hamlet. There are also similarities between the two novels. The most important one is the theme they share, those who are loved by most make the gravest of mistakes. However, like every novel, each one has its own theme.After all, a novel without a theme would be boring. The theme in Hamlet is revenge only destroys what you are trying to save and protect. In The Book Thief, the theme is words are weapons that need to be used

    Read More

  • Lion King vs Hamlet

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    The corresponding characters shared a number of similarities, but it was the ways in which they were different that determined their fate and that of the kingdom. In Hamlet, the prince is Hamlet. He is deeply grieving his father’s death. He is angry because he believes that everyone has already forgotten how great of a king his father was. Hamlet does not know for sure who is responsible for his father’s death, but he suspects Claudius, who is his uncle and the new king.

    Read More

  • Hamlet the Play and the Movie

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first difference is in the way the play and the movie begins. The play starts out with guards standing guard at the castle with Horatio, Hamlet?s friend. The guards and Horatio are waiting for the ghost of Old Hamlet to arrive so they can find out why he is there. The ghost does arrive twice but does not speak. The scene ends with the guards and Horatio discussing that they should get Hamlet to try to speak to the ghost. Hamlet the movie starts out differently. It starts out with the funeral for King Hamlet with Gertrude standing beside the coffin. Hamlet sprinkles dust over his father?s dead body. The coffin is then covered and Claudius, Old Hamlet?s brother, places his sword over the coffin and Gertrude cries.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Hamlet And Macbeth

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    A common similarity in Shakespearean plays is the main character either being an tragic villain or tragic hero. In Macbeth and Hamlet both villains Claudius and Macbeth are killers who are seeking power. William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet and it is about a king’s son seeking the revenge of his father's wrongful death by his own brother Claudius. He also wrote Macbeth which is about a power hungry warrior who becomes king by his corruption and ambition. King Claudus and King Macbeth both are similar in many ways but yet have many differences with set them apart but in the end bring them together by an common action to gain power.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Two Film Adaptations of Hamlet

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both use the words of Shakespeare but are strikingly distinct due to rendition of the words and the environment which provides a different feel.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Movie Vs Play

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most obvious similarity is the characters. The main characters are seen in both the play and movie. A lot of the minor characters do not change either. Of course, the dialogue is followed almost exactly. There are lines here and there that are cut out, but for the most part all the lines that are not cut out are the exact same. Also, the plot is the same too. In both the movie and the play, Hamlet seeks revenge on Claudius for killing his father. They play that Hamlet puts on is in both the movie and the play that proves he is trying to seek revenge. Hamlet also does not kill Claudius when he has the chance in both the movie and the play. Another similarity is that Claudius and Laertes conspire together to kill Hamlet. In both the movie and the play, Claudius poisons the drink Hamlet is supposed to drink, and Laertes poisons the sword he uses to injure Hamlet. It is made known in the movie that Claudius and Laertes conspire together when Laertes yells out that the King is to blame. The same lines are also used in the play. Laertes yells out, “Thy mother’s poisoned. I can no more. The King, the King’s to blame”

    Read More

  • Hamlet vs Macbeth

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet is a well developed character whereas Macbeth seems less complex. Shakespeare takes more time in the beginning of the play to let the audiences get to know Hamlet and connect with him. As a reader, we tend to feel what Hamlet is feeling and sympathize with him. Hamlet balances his grief and affection almost perfectly. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, he says “O that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into dew (Act 1, scene 2).” Hamlet says this right after an unpleasant scene with Claudius and Gertrude who ask him to stay in Denmark to continue his studies. Hamlet thinks of suicide as desirable because of the pain of living, but know...

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Hamlet,” Shakespeare commendably conveys a, if you will, a “love story” between the major characters in the play. Hamlet, Gertrude and Claudius are the individuals he writes about. In this story, Gertrude must choose between her son, a loyal, sincere male figure in her life that has always supported and loved her, or a man who can offer her power and fulfill her dependency trait, which one may say is what she has always strived to attain. Gertrude’s inability to see the bigger picture of King Claudius’ deceit and ill morals is what makes Gertrude a weak and submissive character. While Gertrude means no harm, her poor judgment contributes significantly to the rotten events that occur throughout the play. The choices Gertrude does make ultimately leads to her death and the downfall of the ones she loves as well.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Hamlet's Soliloquy And The Prince of Wales's Version

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, the resemblance between the texts can be argued due to the fact that in the modernized version some important messages are neglected. An example would be that while in text A nobility and honor are very important factors in the dilemma, in text B these are totally ignored and instead replaced by a purely reasonable choice. This can undoubtedly be seen when comparing the first parts of the texts. In text A Hamlet utters "whether `tis nobler to suffer[...]" which in the modernized version is written as "should [I] just say OK?." Furthermore Hamlet expresses dying while sleeping as a way of ending all the "heartache and [...] thousands [of] natural shocks that flesh is heir to" while in the modernized version it is mentioned as "taking the quick way out" when you are "stuffed up [...] with [all] mess". These two do not convey the same message. In text A the reader gets the impression of mental and emotional depression while text B puts it as if it were just giving up for nothing when you've had enough. The real depth of sadness never gets trough and the reader's opinion might therefore be that it is a hopeless person with no intentions in life who does not really have a valid reason to feel sorry for him/her-self.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Hamlet And Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet

    1613 Words  | 4 Pages

    Different adaptations of William Shakespeare’s works have taken various forms. Through the creative license that artists, directors, and actors take, diverse incarnations of his classic works continue to arise. Gregory Doran’s Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet bring William Shakespeare’s work by the same title to the screen. These two film adaptations take different approaches in presenting the turmoil of Hamlet. From the diverging takes on atmosphere to the characterization of the characters themselves, the many possible readings of Hamlet create the ability for the modification of the presentation and the meaning of the play itself. Doran presents David Tenant as Hamlet in a dark, eerie, and minimal setting; his direction highlighting the

    Read More

  • Role of Women in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet’s sense of betrayal by Gertrude, although briefly taking him off course, ultimately infuriates and intensifies his urge for revenge. Because of Gertrude’s refusal to acknowledge her sins, Hamlet becomes even more personally motivated to kill Claudius for revenge. Queen Gertrude, though ignorant, has a huge impact on the play because her betrayal and abandonment motivates Hamlet to get revenge. When writing Hamlet, Shakespeare created a complex play that relies on the roles of two important women to aid the progression of the plot. Although Queen Gertrude and Ophelia rarely speak, they function as a way for the men to become informed about Hamlet’s mental state and motives for madness.

    Read More

  • Claudius And Hamlet Comparison Essay

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both Claudius and Hamlet are similar in many ways. They both have trouble taking action and are very indecisive. This can be seen when Claudius wants to pray and repent for his sins but has trouble praying because he does not want to give up everything that he has gained from that sin. He refuses to let everyone know that it was in fact him that killed the king and deal with the consequences that would follow, like him losing the power and respect he gained from being king. This indecisiveness can also be seen in Hamlet when he has trouble deciding whether to avenge his father’s death or if Claudius even killed his father. Even though the ghost of his father came to him and told Hamlet that Claudius poisoned him to take his position as king, Hamlet has trouble acting

    Read More

  • MLA Literary Essay: Who is Responsible for the Tragedies in Hamlet

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    The murder of King Hamlet can be seen as where it all began. The selfish decision Claudius makes to murder Hamlet’s father makes him liable for all the other tragedies that occur. The death of King Hamlet causes Hamlet to act out of character, which makes him do things he would not normally do. This leads to the deaths of Polonius and Ophelia. “Thou wreched, rash, intruding fool farewell./I took thee for thy better: Take thy fortune:/ Thou find’st to be too busy is some danger (3.4, 32 - 35) When Polonius gets caught spying on Hamlet talking to his mother, Hamlet takes a sword and stabs through the curtain and kills Polonius in hopes that it was Claudius. Hamlet would never have knowingly killed Polonius. On account of the death of Polonius, this causes Ophelia to act crazy because she misses her father. “Well good dild you! They say the owl was a baker's/ daughter. Lord, we know what we are, but know not/ what we may be. God be at your table!” (4.5, 40 - 42). Ophelia talking crazy was just the beginning of it all. The absurdity of Ophelia’s actions and talking lead to the eventual demise of her character, leading to her death(suicide). “One we do...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Ophelia And Gertrude In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1626 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ophelia and Gertrude both love Hamlet and both were left heartbroken when he pushed them out of his life. However, many people do not believe that he pushed away the people he cared about. Throughout the play we see Hamlet insult, condemn, and break the hearts of people who loved him. He drives Ophelia mad and breaks his mother’s heart. Hamlet becomes self-centered and only cares about how he feels. He stops caring about Ophelia because he believes that she is a spy and rejects his mother because she rushed to get married after the death of his father, which proved to be a sin in the eyes of Hamlet. Hamlet is a brilliant young man who was once loving and kind to those around him until after the death of his father, his mother’s marriage, and

    Read More

  • Similarities and Differences Between Shakespeare´s Hamlet and Macbeth

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Shakespearean playwrights Macbeth and Hamlet are both very well-known tragedies. They have many things in common but are different in some ways. Both plays involve greed but the characters are different. There are some characters that have the same qualities such as Hamlet and Malcolm who both killed for revenge. Macbeth and Hamlet are different in character even though they both killed. The tragedies are the same in that many people are killed but the reasons are very different. Macbeths need for power has caused him to lose control while Hamlets need for revenge causes him to lose his own life.

    Read More

More about Hamlet And Hornblower Similarities

Open Document