What Are The Similarities Between Hamlet And A Raisin In The Sun

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun are classic literary works that explore the human condition in distinct ways. Both works feature protagonists who must navigate challenging circumstances and make difficult decisions, and both explore themes of family, identity, and power. Despite their differences, both offer insights into the complexities of human existence, resonating with readers and audiences alike. This essay examines these two great works of literature, exploring their similarities and differences in terms of the relationships shown throughout.

The most prominent relationship shown in both plays is that of father and son. In Hamlet, this dynamic is prominent as Hamlet idolizes his father and sees

The remarriage of Hamlet's mother makes him feel betrayed because Claudius murdered his father. Hamlet feels that his mother is an accomplice, which complicates their relationship due to his own inner issues and his desire for revenge. A Raisin in the Sun follows a similar pattern, as Walter feels a sense of betrayal from his mother as well. In Walter's case, his mother prevents him from using the family's insurance money, which is not his, to open up a liquor shop, a dream he has long pursued. The liquor shop represents a sense of success and responsibility that he has been chasing for a long time. The fact that his mother does not allow him to use the insurance money is not surprising, given the family's financial struggles. Walter's mother is also preventing him from using this money because she has always wanted to move to the all-white neighborhood. She decided on this because she wanted the best home for their family, without having to pay the premium price charged in colored neighborhoods. Later in the play, Walter loses the money, which makes the move even more challenging. However, despite this, the move is still achieved at the end of the play because they knew it was the right way to honor his late

In A Raisin in the Sun, the poor economic state of Walter’s family and discrimination towards colored people in that time were the outside factors. Neither character is pursuing their goals with harmful intent. Both are caught up in what they want and are losing sight of how they are going to do it. The way they are approaching it is affecting others around them, which is shown at the end of each play in different ways. In Hamlet, Hamlet unravels completely by the end of the play as he struggles to hold onto the ideal view of his father. In A Raisin in the Sun, Walter loses the insurance money, which affects his whole family, and he proceeds to rant to his son about failures and shortcomings while