Sweeney Todd And Hamlet Comparison

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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 …show more content…

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

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