Comparing Hamlet And As I Lay Dying

In our society, we can see that our desires and emotions often conflict with the actions we take. But when our emotions are driven purely from emotions, we are met with dire consequences since emotions can be a potent force that can lead to destruction. This is beautifully illustrated in Hamlet, a play by Shakespeare, As I Lay Dying, a novel written by William Faulkner, Solo on the Drums, a short story by Ann Petrey, and Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, a children's book by Dav Pilkey. These works show the discrepancy between what is in the mind and what is public and shown to other people, and how the revelation of those emotions through unchecked actions leads to chaos and destruction. Hamlet takes a very

In Solo on the Drums we see how pain is sometimes shown not necessarily through physical appearance but by behavior instead. And through Pilkey’s Captain Underpants, we get a glimpse of how someone motivated by pain and anger can cause disorder through their deeds. Hamlet is a play known for its theme of indecision, but that indecision is deeply rooted in Hamlet's inability to act on any emotion though he feels them deeply. When he hires the actors to put on a show for the royal family, he bemoans the irony of the situation as he wonders how actors are able to so readily act on their convictions and emotions while their situation is fake, whereas he is unable to properly execute his mission and his situation couldn’t be more real. His soliloquy gives readers a preview into what it looks like to have inward emotions not dictate actions and this seemingly torments Hamlet. As the play progresses he takes bolder and bolder actions without really thinking them through, and unfortunately this leads to his death. This makes Hamlet unique in a sea of Shakespearean leads because he is a character that desires to be led by