Odysseus And Hamlet Comparison

To compare both of the heroes in Hamlet and The Odyssey, they both use a type of deception to carry out revenge against those who have done wrong to them. Both of these characters use a type of madness to invoke revenge against the characters who have betrayed them. Hamlet uses madness with deception to try to take revenge for his father's murder, but instead of that madness helping to protect him, he ends up not being able to fully go through with it which leads to his downfall. Similarly, Odysseus, to achieve revenge against his enemies uses a physical disguise, created by Athena as a type of madness to deceive his enemies into thinking that he is an old man who is a beggar. The difference between Hamlet and Odysseus is that the plan that

Known for the immense amount of unanswered questions and mysteries, Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” has led to many discussions regarding the true feelings of Hamlet and his motivations for revenge. Tormented by the death of his father and the marriage of his mother to his uncle Claudius, Hamlet must struggle through the betrayal while seeking the truth of what occurred. No matter how many times Hamlet’s actions have been analyzed, no one conclusion can be made as to why Hamlet makes the choices he does. This unfortunately has left the character of Hamlet unexplainable to readers. Many scholars are adamant in their belief of Hamlet having an Oedipus complex based on the fact that Hamlet seems reluctant to take revenge on his uncle; however, when

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a work of immense depth in character development, most notably the personal, moral and psychological battles

Throughout William Shakespeare’s classic play, Hamlet, it is very clear that the Prince of Denmark suffers from severe parental problems. These problems bear a stark resemblance to those borne by Oedipus, the classic staple of Greek mythology. The similarities, however, end and begin with an unhealthy obsession towards the mothers of each character and a distinct distaste towards the father that would border on hatred. Oedipus is, due to childhood experiences that were uncontrollable to him, largely unaware of these issues and even takes steps to disprove them. Hamlet, on the other hand, finds himself in this situation due to circumstances that he encounters later in life. While both Hamlet and Oedipus have very unnatural and unusual

“From the death of his father, the overhasty marriage of his mother, to the concern about the rivalry between children’s performing company and the adult actors, from the virtue of woman to the art of performance, from Claudius revelry to the grave digging of the two clowns.” (2009) In short, Hamlet’s mind never stops working. His dialogues are majorly infested with unraveled philosophies and understandings of the essence of human life: “the whips and scorns of time / Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely / The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay / The insolence of office, and the spurns / That patient merit of th’unworthy takes.” (Hoy 1992) However abundant, these reasoning do not dissolve into a solution, but rather, they project shadows upon Hamlet’s determination to avenge by glazing his lenses with a pessimistic perception of life. As a result, Hamlet questions the necessity of killing Claudius and fails to settle the revenge accordingly to his father’s will.

The intention for the general theme of this story is related to Hammurabi’s Code, “an eye for and eye”, just taken to a bit more of an extreme which would be death for robbery. Odysseus was not only robbed of his home, he was robbed of his family. His children were tortured and his wife was being abused by two suitors, not one. Although, Odysseus did not want to kill the two men, his bravery helped him come back home and kill said suitors. However, his plan was clever. By dressing himself as a beggar his suitors only thought of him as a lowly fool, not knowing it was Odysseus. He took advantage of this and got rid of the abusers, and took back his home, leaving him as a hero to his story. Unintentionally, homer seemed to have started the cliché used to this very day. Though, Hamlet had bravery he was unstable in accomplishing a thought-out plan. There was one point in Hamlet, where Hamlet was inches away from killing the king, his uncle, but many scenes later revealed his naivetes of his heart which ended all motivation of killing a family member. The abruptness of Hamlet questioning himself still leaves the question of conquering fear. If Hamlet would have conquered his fear, would he have the adequate courage to kill his uncle and succeed in his revenge plan? Would the play have been a success, or an utter failure? Would audiences have paid more to see the rendered version of Hamlet where he actually

Curiosity and revenge are what make every form of entertainment in the action genre truly enjoyable. The characters draw the audience in and take them through a plot to find justice. Separated by around 2000 years, Sophocles's Oedipus Rex and Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark both possess a plot akin to each other with a similar main idea of attempting to discover the main character’s father’s murderer. These famous tragedies depict two tragic heroes plagued with incestuous mothers and bad luck who fight to find truth and justice. Although both plays are similar in plot, the characterization of Hamlet and Oedipus have crucial differences which begin to appear: Oedipus is dependent on external forces and unorganized in his search for his father’s killer, whereas Hamlet is highly affected by internal forces and meticulous with his planning.

The protagonists in the plays Hamlet and Oedipus Rex share a commonality in terms of serving justice for the death of their past king; however, in terms of free-will, these princes are polar opposites. In the first instance, both protagonists differ greatly as a result of their fate, while Hamlet is given a task that he can choose to obey or dismiss, Oedipus is given a prophecy that forecasts how his life will go down. From this alone, it’s clear how Hamlet’s destiny is in his hands, yet as for Oedipus, he will fulfill his prophecy whether he likes it or not. As a result of this, Hamlet is able to think and logically configure how to complete the task, however, Oedipus acts so impulsively that he is unable to think properly before acting. While Hamlet is able to conduct himself with such control that he can even trick others that his mad, Oedipus loses his mind and acts crazily and rashly. Since Hamlet is able to freely do his task, he is able to die honorably, while Oedipus could not feel satisfied with his actions because he did them unknowingly and unwillingly. Shakespeare's Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus appear to be similar because of their circumstances, but in terms of their struggle between fate and free will Hamlet is at an advantage.

The king also sets people up to spy on Hamlet as if he is not a human but a wild animal. There is no wonder this young lonely person is conceived as insane, but this is all only coming from the people’s actions around

While it is important to think carefully about certain matters, over-thinking them can prove detrimental to one’s life. A major attribute to Shakespearean tragedies is the demise of the main hero through his/her own actions. In Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet is on a mission to seek retribution for his father, King Hamlet. He is ordered to kill his uncle Claudius, who murdered king hamlet to inherit the throne. Hamlet displays his desire for vengeance numerous times throughout the play. It is his uncertainty in the decisions and their outcomes that his reprisal is delayed, which contributes to his own death. Revenge also plays a crucial role in Hamlet’s death as he struggles to simultaneously seek vengeance while living up to his morals. Hamlet’s indecisiveness and internal self-conflict are the source of his downfall, because they forestall his pursuit for revenge.

The play Hamlet is without a doubt one of the most famous pieces of literature in history. William Shakespeare beautifully crafts the play in a way that captivates his audience’s attention and causes them to reflect upon their own livelihood. Shakespeare includes many different occurring themes throughout the story, which he uses to show the consequences of human desires. One of these reoccurring themes that dictate the outcome of the play is the desire of revenge, which will ultimately lead an individual down a path of destruction. Shakespeare places this desire in the heart of the two different characters and shows how detrimental an outcome may become because of this corrupt desire. This desire for revenge consumes the characters in a way that makes their decision-making unreasonable and brings more chaos to the situation. These character’s decisions not only impact themselves, but also impact those around them in a substantial way. Characters such as Hamlet and Laertes have little concern of those around them as they seek to bring themselves comfort during their time of suffering. One may also observe the suffering revenge inflicts to those who are not even involved in the original situation. The first character inflicted with this desire of revenge is no other than the main character Hamlet himself, who begins to develop an enmity towards those around him.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, there is a seemingly close common relationship shown between the two plays regarding mainly the community and era in which they took place in. As well as different scenes throughout both stories which show very similar ideas from the writers such as, murder being the common theme in both plays. One example comes from the story, Oedipus the King, and it is that there is a direct relationship between the state of the state and the state of their kings. There is also a close bond between the two plays where Oedipus’ armed entrance into the bedroom in which Jocasta, his wife, has committed suicide and was found hung there, and how the two plays relate is where in Hamlet, there was a confrontation of Gertrude in her bedroom to. Both of these well-known classic plays share an emphasis in a somewhat sad irony throughout a chain of events that had led up to the ritual of catharsis. However, though both plays have similar plots in some aspects, the idea in Hamlet creates a much more difficult, as well as complicated character than that of the classic Greek tragedy play of Oedipus the King.

Hamlet is one of the key plays that gives the audience an insight into human character. Shakespeare chooses to focus on the influence of people’s emotions on their actions, rather than their rationality. In the play, the melancholic prince, Hamlet, chooses to revenge on his uncle for having murdered his father in order to assume the throne and marry Prince Hamlet’s mother. Although the plot is simplistic, it shows how Hamlet undergoes considerable emotionality before exacting his supposed revenge. Traditionally, Hamlet is characterized by audiences as a hero because of the sympathy that his situation attracts. However, a deeper analysis reveals Hamlet as a selfish and immature person whose death is necessary in order to bring direction to existence.

In William Shakespeare Hamlet and Othello, the author creates two similar yet vastly different protagonists. The major source of contrast lies within each characters approach to decision making and premeditated action. As David Nichol Smith puts it, Hamlet “is not a character marked by strength of will or even passion, but by refinement of thought and sentiment.”(Smith 288) This very refinement of thought is what characterizes both Hamlet’s indecision and forces him to act when he renounces indecision. In contrast

A story of betrayal and abandonment, the society in which the play Hamlet is set, is one which lacks honour among the majority of its people. The honourable worldview that is upheld by Hamlet, is not a maintained standard of the community in which he lives. Within the play, life-long friendships and noble allegiances are frequently violated in an