The Outsider in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare and Persuasion, by Jane Austen

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In today’s social environment a person can be distinguished as being either an insider or an outsider to their surroundings. An insider being defined as a person who is recognized and welcomed in to the social environment. In contrast an outsider is a person who finds themselves distinguished from the rest, commonly unaccepted into the norms of society. The idea of an outsider versus an insider is a modern idea that writers have described in many literary works; such as in Hamlet and Persuasion. Upon analyzing the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the novel Persuasion by Jane Austen, I have come to the conclusion that the protagonists Fredrick Wentworth, Anne Elliot, and Hamlet are all outsiders to the societies in which they live. This thesis arises from discoveries found in the plot details, the way other characters think of them, and the overall outcome.

Within the plot of Persuasion we are introduced to the characters through the eyes and judgements of others, the perceptions of others serves as the perfect window in understanding the place of a character in their society as an outsider or an insider. The reader is first introduced to Anne Elliot, of Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion, as the middle child of Sir Walter Elliot; a member of a socially important family. From an outside perspective this places Anne as an insider to a higher social class; opening connections with people of influence. Consequently, as the plot continues it is clear in the structure of the flow of information that she is no priority to those around her. “Anne with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister: her word had no weight; h...

... middle of paper ...

... lead to his tragic end. The disadvantages were that he was considered mentally unstable and inept by his society. The fact that Hamlet is an outsider afflicts sympathy from the reader, therefore adding to the tragic outcome of a man who truly died do to the loss of sanity and any sense of reality.

Through the modern literary works of Persuasion by Jane Austen and Hamlet by William Shakespeare, does the modern perception of an insider versus the outsider exist. The characters of Anne Elliot, Captain Wentworth and Hamlet all are outsiders to their societies. They come to conclusions that could have been different had they been insiders, and been fully welcomed and accepted among their relations in society.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. New York: Signet Classics, 2008.

Shakespeare, William, and Alan Durband. Hamlet. Woodbury, NY: Barron's, 1986.

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