Hamlet And Othello Essay, Research Paper

In the plays Hamlet and Othello both characters undergo similar descents into madness by the catalyst of jealousy and deceit. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is confronted by the ghost of his father, the King, who tells him that he was killed by none other than Hamlet’s uncle, his own brother who is now married to his mother. Starved for love and attention by those close to him and pressured by the ghost of his father to avenge his death, Hamlet slowly is driven crazy by the culmination of thoughts with no action. In comparison, Othello was betrayed by his best friend Iago and brainwashed into believing that his wife, Desdemona, was unfaithful while he was off to war. Consumed by jealousy and uncertainty he killed her and then realizing what he had done killed himself.

In the tragic play Hamlet, William Shakespeare explores the psychological afflictions of a man whose mother, marries his father murderer who also happens to be his uncle. The ghost of the Hamlet’s father, who was the King, appears before Hamlet, tells him who the murderer is, and makes him swear revenge against his murderer.

“Ghost. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.

Ham. Murder!

Ghost. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange, and unnatural. Ham. Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.

Ghost. I find thee apt; And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That rots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear: ’Tis given out that, sleeping in mine orchard, A serpent stung me; so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death. Rankly abus’d; but know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown.

Ham. O my prophetic soul! My uncle!” (1.5.25-41).

Hamlet, now revealed the reality of his father’s death, is outraged, delusional, irrational and vowes to avenge his father’s murder.

“Ham. So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word; It is, ‘Adieu, adieu! remember me. I have sworn’t “ (1.5.110-112).

However, Hamlet does not immediately seek revenge. He says he delays his revenge to seek the perfect moment to strike. He also wants to expose the truth among the public. However, Hamlet’s procrastination drives him virtually insane. It is a wonder why Hamlet delayed in punishing his uncle. Hamlet’s propensity to reflect arrests his ability to act, he simply thinks too much and the action in the play proves this to be true. Hamlet spends most of his time thinking. A good deal of his narrative, sounds more like speeches as if he is speaking to himself, or his own mind.

In conclusion, just like Hamlet, Othello is based upon the passions that drive the main character over the brink of insanity. Othello’s love for Desdemonia was so deep he

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