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…
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…
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
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 ...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.