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Essay Comparing Hamlet And The Handmaid's Tale

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Stop and Think About the Circumstances Hamlet and Offred, the protagonists in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the novel The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, have many striking differences. For example, Hamlet has significantly more power and authority than Offred does; Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and part of the royal family, whereas Offred is a handmaid of Gilead and is forced into a lifestyle determined by those in power. It is clear that their living conditions were extremely different. However, Hamlet and Offred are also similar in some ways. Both of them are placed in circumstances that cause them to change their behaviour. Due to the events that occurred in their respective stories and resulting circumstances, they both became cautious and driven to act. Therefore, Hamlet and Offred’s behaviours were a function of their circumstances. The circumstances that Hamlet finds himself are his uncle murdering his father, his mother’s …show more content…

There was nobody that Hamlet could fully trust, with the exception of Horatio. In addition to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spying on him for the king, Polonius, Claudius and Ophelia were all contributors to spying on Hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia. Also, Gertrude is disloyal to Hamlet’s father and may have had an affair with Claudius which makes her another character that Hamlet cannot trust. Horatio is the only person in the play that Hamlet trusts, the one who gives Hamlet the most companionship, and most importantly the only friend of Hamlet to help Hamlet. He understands Hamlet the most, believed that Hamlet’s madness is an act, and is the closest thing to true ‘family’ that Hamlet has if we consider the internal conflicts of the royal family. Therefore, Hamlet being unable to trust anyone besides Horatio made him cautious in the world filled with murder, affairs and

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In the novels, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, showing the human soul in very similar ways. In these two novels, they take away the understanding of the soul to push their beliefs on others. Saying that Handmaids or Androids don't have a soul, or aren't as valuable as others, makes it easier for people to see them as less than. In The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, the human soul is based on who you are.

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Although, Hamlet and Offred are dissimilar in the positions they were born into, both of their demeanors were transformed from the circumstances they were placed in. As a result of the circumstances they were

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No one is capable of choosing their emotions; they come as a result of human nature. This can be seen in our behavior throughout life, from the way babies cry when they miss their parents to the reckless actions of teenagers when they feel the urge to rebel. People begin expressing their feelings before they even start crawling. It is an involuntary reflex that comes naturally and continues to our dying breath. The ability to feel emotion is an aspect of humanity that transcends generations.

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Introduction Background In her 1986 novel The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood presents a scathing critique of a dystopian society that focuses on the subjugation of women and denial of their basic human rights. The novel takes place in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic regime that has replaced the United States of America, in which women are degraded to reproductive machines, without access to education, independence, or even the ability to read. Central themes in this novel include patriarchal oppression, religious fundamentalism, and totalitarianism. Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, published in 2019, continues to explore and expand upon these themes, but the subject of her criticism shifts slightly.

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He ordered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on the Hamlet, which raised the sense of suspiciousness in the kingdom; also this action interpreted that loyalty could be bought and sold. “Then are our beggars’ bodies, and our monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggar’s shadows” (Shakespeare 2.2). 277-288. See the corresponding section. This quote explains that friends of the Hamlet are manipulated by Claudius and forget their relationship with Hamlet.

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Surveillance and its Psychological Impact on society Margaret Atwood’s novel the handmaid’s tale is argued to portray the psychological impact inflicted by constant surveillance in a variety of ways. These traits are influenced by “The Eyes” and their ruthless efforts towards their pursuit to obtain the order. Surveillance in Gilead is purposely used to dictate societies actions and reason to obey by instilling fear of persecution. In response to confinement of distinct actions inevitably leads to one’s oppressions of internal thoughts and the corruption of their sanity and mental health. In addition, actions enforced by authority develops a patterned behavior that contributes to lack of individuality.

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Throughout the play, Hamlet is forced to make difficult decisions; as he is conflicted with almost every decision he makes, his uncertainty and unsophisticated thoughts will eventually lead to his downfall. Man vs. Self is a common theme in Shakespeare’s work, and Hamlet is no exception. The most distinct example of this sophisticated concept is Hamlet himself. When analyzed thoroughly, Hamlet is his greatest obstacle and enemy. The earliest of his internal conflicts is when his mother married his uncle, Claudius, in such a short window of time after his father’s death.

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Margaret Atwood wrote the Handmaid’s Tale shortly after the election of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain. This was during the time that televangelism was on the rise and many popular political movements in the West was fueled with religious conservatives. These conservatives used Christianity to frown on the “sexual revolution” of 1960s and 1970s. The term “religious right” referred to label “conservative Christian political factions that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies.” (Andersen)

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There is nobody to assist them, and the beliefs that have sustained them previously are now of no value”(Satô, Saburo1 The Father-Son Relationship in Tôson Shimazaki's "The Broken Commandment" and William Shakespeare's “Hamlet.”). The protagonists in the play “Hamlet” and the book “The Handmaids Tale” face the same issue of trying to find stability and ultimately survival when their previous society has been overtaken by new power and the way they used to live no longer applies. The need to know and withhold information is crucial to Offred and Hamlet, after this loss of government power in society in an act to provide stability for themselves. The desperation for knowledge is strongly shown through Hamlet when he shouts at Marcellus and Horatio, “By heaven, I’ll make a ghost of him that lets me!

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The Handmaid’s Tale and the Environment The novel The Handmaid's Tale is a work of science fiction literature that details the intertwining of the global environment and human society. This is done through the breakdown of the environment by toxic human actions resulting in the breakdown of human society. As a result, there is no way to control or prevent the impact that the earth may have on humans and human society.

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Women in Gilead are being treated as if they have no feelings. In the Novel The Handmaid's Tale, men are regarded as being more superior to women and treat them very poorly. These women are being stripped of their rights, restricted from loving, and are being blamed for not being able to deliver a child. Women are allowed no freedom and very little rights in Gilead. During the time when women are being stripped of their rights, Moira tells Offred that “women can’t hold property anymore, it's a new law”.

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The title The Handmaid’s Tale is adequate for the novel because this is a story, which may or may not be completely true, similar to a tale, that is narrated by a Handmaid named Offred in a society where women are reduced to objects for reproduction. As revealed in the historical notes of the Handmaid’s Tale where the Professors discloses that this was a title they had given to the novel after it was discovered, and making it similar to many of Chaucer’s famous works, the title connects the fact that the narrator is a Handmaid. Furthermore, the word tale is a homophone to the word tail which connects to the phrase “get some tail” showing that the title is a reference to the sexual acts the Handmaid is forced perform in the novel. The main conflict in the novel revolves around Offred who is a handmaid that desires freedom and happiness against the restricting theocracy of Gilead.

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Throughout history, women have often been subjected to prejudice and an inferior status to men. Due to sexist ideologies of men believing that women are not capable of controlling their own lives, women have often been reduced to the status of property. This concept is prominent in many pieces of literature to demonstrate the struggles women have to go through in a predominantly, male structured world. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, the author illustrates a woman’s battle in an extreme society ruled by men to express the misogyny occurring in the time period when it was written, 1894. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia summarizes Atwood’s story as one that “depicts one woman’s chilling struggle to survive in a society ruled by misogynistic fascism, by which women are reduced to the condition of property.”

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As a result,Hamlet can never trust his uncle’s wicked ways to get into people’s heads. Hamlet was betrayed by his friends because they worked for Claudius and gave orders from him,which caused him to not trust them either. For example,when Claudius summons Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to spy on Hamlet,Claudius said,”see if you can make Hamlet feel better and see if you can get info on what he is up to”(Shakespeare 87). This behavior shows evil purposes and twisted words. Claudius sends Hamlet’s friends to make him happier but also use them to see if Hamlet is mad.

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Horatio shows his loyalty towards Hamlet. He is a great friend to Hamlet who is always looking out for him. As a loyal friend to Hamlet, he informs Hamlet that he saw his father as a ghost. He also warns Hamlet not to follow the ghost because it may harm him. When Horatio sees Hamlet wounded from the poisoned sword, he says to him, “I am more an antique Roman than a Dane.

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