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Father Son Relationship In Elie Wiesel's Hamlet

1174 Words5 Pages

Many times in families, there is often a relationship between father and son that proves to be significant and impactful. In Night (1956), for example, Elie Wiesel details his experiences during the Holocaust while explaining his relationship with his father. Though at first Elie’s father, Chlomo protects and provides for him, later in the novel, their roles switch and Chlomo becomes a burden to Elie. Similarly, In Hamlet (1603), while King Hamlet is alive, he protects and provides for Hamlet. Then when he dies, Prince Hamlet is stuck with the task of carrying out his fathers’ dying wishes that ascertain to put Hamlet in serious danger. Even though these two works cover completely different subjects, they both give insight into relationships …show more content…

This claim proves to be evident because throughout the play, Hamlet tries to avenge his father’s death and goes insane doing so. This is apparent in Act III of the play when Gertrude and Hamlet are in a room of the castle and Hamlet sees the ghost of his father again. Gertrude, however, does not see the ghost because it is simply a figment of Hamlet’s imagination. (Shakespeare III.IV.131-135). Hamlet’s madness is a product of the death of his father, which supplements the claim that fathers can impact their sons in a destructive manner. Because of his vulnerability, Hamlet was liable to do almost anything to avenge his father’s death. However, his father did not show that same loyalty. In fact, “There is no ‘I love you’ on the lips of old King Hamlet. There is no fatherly concern for his son’s life” (Word Press par. 2). The meaning of this is that King Hamlet really was not worried about his son’s life, but only engrossed in his getting his dying wish fulfilled. Prince Hamlet’s loyalty shows that he loved his father, but that same devotion was not reciprocated by the ghost of his father. Furthermore, because of the fact that King Hamlet was already dead at the time of the start of the play, the reader has no idea the relationship he and his son had. In truth, “The only vision we have of Hamlet’s father is his Ghost…The Ghost hardly offers Hamlet or us a vision of a healthy or loving father, let alone a hero…There is no warmth or love when Hamlet reunites with his resurrected father in the darkness and fog atop the ramparts of Elsinore in Act 1” (Word Press par. 3). Therefore, no definite conclusion can be made concerning the benefits that Hamlet received from his relationship with his father while he was alive, if any. On the contrary, King Hamlet had his final wishes fulfilled and since he was already deceased, he didn’t reap any

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