Tom Stoppard And Shakespeare Comparison

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Tom Stoppard and Shakespeare – Is there any Comparison? Hamlet is one of the most historically remembered plays identified among the numerous credible works by the world renowned William Shakespeare. The author has utilized a wide range of reactions and tones for the leading character – Hamlet – who is keen on avenging the death of his father by his uncle – the new King Claudius. Though Hamlet is not aware of the fact earlier that Claudius killed his father, as soon as it is revealed to this through the ghost, he engages on the journey to seek revenge and ends up being portrayed as a tragic hero. The play in itself is a tragedy that explains in detail the path taken up by its lead character in avenging the death of his father and how his friends turn against him and end up with the killer of his father – the king Claudius. The aim of my essay is to read into the details of the play Hamlet and compare it with that of the play written by Tom Stoppard to identify that common factors that link them together. The factor that sets the play Hamlet apart from other notable works from other artists is that Shakespeare is able to influence his audience by weaving a gripping yet tragic tale of a revengeful son. Soon after the death of his father, Hamlet’s Mother marries Claudius that makes his the new king of Denmark. Hamlet is heartbroken to find that none in his family nor the royals are able to display grief over the death of his father – the late king. The play Hamlet is written in the form of a poem that is constant throughout the play. One good example of the poetic stance of the author is through ‘Seems, madam! Nay, it is, I know not seems. Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother’ (Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, page 199). Unlike the p... ... middle of paper ... ...tz and Guildenstern have received much limelight and focus from the author. He has been able to describe the mundane everyday life and their view on Hamlet and their ability to make decisions. Though the play has instances of bring derived from the play of Hamlet, it is quite different and doesn’t speak about the main character of Hamlet – the son of the dead king. Also, both the plays have their own setting for the theater wherein players re-enact the murder of the old king, they have their own distinguishing features that sets that apart. Through this essay, I have been able to understand the difference in the use of language, prose and poem by the two authors who are considered two of the most reputed authors. The Hamlet and the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead are focused on offering the audience a distinct experience that is unrelated to the regular life.

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