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Similarities Between Hamlet And The Great Gatsby

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Hiding oneself is common in people and characters to portray a harmless or convincing act to make them seem like they are someone they honestly aren’t. Throughout great literature, irony and characterization are vigorous elements that authors use to convey themes to readers. Two works of literature that exemplify this are Shakespeare's Hamlet and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. One theme they both explore is the idea that not everything is as it seems. Shakespeare employs irony in the play Hamlet to develop the theme of not everything is what it appears to be. The character Hamlet, for example, initially presents himself as a madman after the play is over when he exclaims to the queen “I essentially am not in madness, but mad in craft” (Shakespeare 3.4.187). This madness is later revealed that it is merely a scheme to deceive his enemies. The reason Shakespeare chose madness as a characteristic for Hamlet is that no one would question his actions in the play or other actions he made because of his so-called “madness”. The irony of his “madman” act is ironic because he actually does become mad at the fact Polonius will not reveal himself as the killer of his father and highlights the complexity of the human persona. …show more content…

His death is caused when he is trying to prove his point to Claudius that Hamlet’s “madness” is from the love for his daughter. To prove this he tells the queen, “He will come straight. Look you lay home to him;...pray you to be round with him”(Shakespeare 3.4. 1-3/5). The irony in this quote is that Polonius's view on Hamlet’s madness wasn’t for the love of his daughter but for the man he was trying to prove his point

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Daniel Aguirre Ms. Tobias English III GT - 6th 12 January 2017 After analyzing both the movie and the novel, I have discovered similarities and differences. Ill try to compare and contrast the two since the movie does not depict the story exactly as how the novel does. Similarities There were still some similarities in the film that tied back to the book. One of the main ones is when Nick walks to Gatsby’s backyard and finds him standing at the edge of his dock reaching out to what was a green light.

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Restrictions to Achieving the American Dream During 1920’s and early 1930 Americans dreamt of obtaining a world or place that they could peacefully spend the the rest of their lives in without any worries and that would benefit their future; however, societies standards restricted typical Americans from reaching that dream. Through The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men the authors, Steinbeck and Fitzgerald, suggest that if society standards entangle the dreams of a person then it retains them from surpassing that barrier to their dream they tried to achieve because a person’s reputation in the world needs to be exceptional thus they try to appease the society standards. The American Dream meant a great place with money and peace living

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In William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, and Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the sanity of the characters Hamlet and Ralph McMurphy is questioned. While circumstances of these characters cause them to look insane, their motives for acting crazy or irrational come from an underlying agenda: Hamlet wants revenge for his father’s death and McMurphy wants to gain control from Nurse Ratched. The death of Hamlet’s father causes Hamlet to fall into a depression leading to suicidal ideation. McMurphy is a criminal brought to a mental hospital on account of his psychopathic tendencies. Devastated by the news of his father’s death, Hamlet becomes utterly depressed and hopeless, bearing “more grief inside [him] than you could ever see

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The characterization of the characters in the texts Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby were very significant as their actions created conflict in the plot. Tybalt Capulet and Tom Buchanan had aggressive personalities and their actions created conflict for the lovers. Tybalt’s hate is expressed when he enters the scene causing a fight. Tybalt says, “What, drawn and talk of peace! I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.”

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Prince Hamlet, Jay Gatsby, and I share many of the same traits and qualities that pertain to our characteristics. Jay and I both share the same hope for a brighter future. Prince Hamlet and I both are willing to pursue after anything we hold important to our lives. However, there are certain aspects within our lives that oppose each other.

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William Shakespeare's Macbeth and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby both include icons who are deceived by ambition and greed throughout these stories. Macbeth, a kinsman with a substantial endeavour for status and power suffers significant setbacks and a depressing defeat. Similar to Gatsby, who let his desire for money and lust for the affluent in wealth rule his aspirations before losing everything in the most painful manner possible. The authors convey this message by basing the plot on genuine occasions and outcomes. Both these tragic heroes are to blame themselves and their interests for such a treacherous end to their infatuations and for pursuing the inconceivable.

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Hamlet and The Great Gatsby are very similar because of their themes. Hamlet, written by Shakespeare in 1603, and The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 share the themes of madness, vengeance, mortality, murder, and disloyalty. Although the plots are not very alike, the two main characters in each have similar qualities. These characters are not exactly the same, their flaws and actions both lead them to being disloyal to others, including themselves, and in the end, their death. Both Hamlet and Gatsby were obsessed with their past and trying to solve it.

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The Great Gatsby (Luhrmann, B. 2013) and Hamlet (Shakespeare, W. 2013) are similar in ways that the protagonists of both stories are willing to sacrifice all that they have to achieve unrealistic objectives that result in tragedy. This similarity allows both stories to have similar conclusions about how the protagonists victimize themselves, leading to their downfall and death. The love that Hamlet holds for his father and the search to avenge his death leads to Hamlet's death and his tendency to overthink. Hamlet thinks about killing Claudius and there could not be a better opportunity, but his overthinking gets in the way, and he starts to freeze up, “and am I then revenged, / To take him in the purging of his soul, / When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?”(3.3.84-87).

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An overwhelming amount of evidence shows that Hamlet faked his insanity to confuse the king and his accomplices. Often revered for their emotional complexities, William Shakespeare’s tragic characters display various signs of mental illness. Sylvia Morris notes “Hamlet contains Shakespeare’s most fully-developed study of mental illness, and has always intrigued commentators on the play.” (“Shakespeare’s Minds Diseased: Mental Illness and its Treatment”). When looking at the play, one can infer that Shakespeare makes the relationship between sanity and insanity undistinguishable from one another.

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He didn’t even bother to save Polonius when he stabbed him; he just let him die. When King Claudius find out, he didn’t even want to punish Hamlet for killing Polonius because he loves Hamlet’s mother and Hamlet is loved b y the people, punishing him will rise a rebellion against him. Despite the crime that was created by Hamlet, a prince with high social class, he didn’t received any punishment, it was covered up. Polonius didn’t receive any justice for his death. Hamlet was able to hide his crime because he has the power and the title.

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In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses many references to sanity and insanity. Throughout the play, Hamlet goes back and forth between sanity and insanity, whether pretending to be insane just to mess with those he does not like or to save himself from getting in trouble. Hamlet is actually one of the smartest characters in the play, which is why he can pull off acting crazy so well. Shakespeare uses this idea of sanity and insanity to help the plot change and take a different directions. One of the most discussed topics of the Hamlet is whether Hamlet is insane or if he was just pretending the whole time.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet assumes the disguise of a man that has lost his mind. Hamlet uses this madness to masquerade around in such a way as to not draw attention to his true plan, to avenge his murdered father. Many readers debate as to whether Hamlet is truly mad, or whether he is fully aware of his actions and what he is doing. However, both sides of the debate can agree that Hamlet’s apparent madness is a key element of the play, Hamlet. There are many reasons as to why readers debate Hamlet’s madness.

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His father was murdered, his mother remarried quickly after his death, and he also had to deal with his forbidden love with Ophelia. Polonius admits that Hamlet “knew me not at first; he said I was a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: …” (II.ii.8). He says that Hamlet really is going insane.

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Mihir Sharma Ms. Dornford ENG 3U1-05 10 December 2015 Power and Corruption William Shakespeare in “Macbeth” and F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, depict how greed for power and social status can make women ruthless and crafty in their aspirations. To achieve their ulterior motives, they can destroy lives through either pretense or manipulation. William Shakespeare depicts women as malicious in their intent who can camouflage their real intent to achieve their ambitions. Lady Macbeth is unable to pursue her dreams due to social constraints.

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In both the films Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby Baz Luhrmann uses the same specific style of storytelling to ensure his audience remains captivated throughout the entire movie. Through the editing choices, lighting, camera work, music choices and actor choices he shows how his style grips the audience. Luhrmann has a definite way of telling stories. In both Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby he uses a prologue to narrate the story. Both are used to provide the audience with initial information they need to understand the rest of the story.

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