Hamlet andGreat Expectations

A detailed Summary of Hamlet andGreat Expectations

Comparison Between Hamlet and Great Expectations

Hamlet and Great Expectations are two books in which the topic of alienation is apparent. Both Hamlet and Pip are alienated for different reasons. Hamlet, a prince of noble birth, only sees the negative side of life. He feels the world is a place full of corruption with distorted people living in it. Because his moral standards are so high, he avoids all human contact and isolates himself from people. Pip on the other hand, was born in a low social class, and was ambitious to become a "gentleman". This ambition drives him to alienation from lower class people. His selfish and greedy behaviour caused him to abandon the forge, which symbolizes the human warmth he once had. In this essay, I will compare and contrast some points where alienation is present in both Pip and Hamlet due to their flaws, sufferance, circumstances and influence of corruption around them.

Both Pip and Hamlet have human flaws and weaknesses. Pip's weakness, however, is more self-directed. He has a desire to become a "gentleman". He felt that this would be a road to his happiness, to escape his lowly birth. Great Expectations was set in early Victorian times in England, where the

also reveals Hamlet's gifts and letters to Polonius. Ophelia is not loyal to Hamlet and her virtue was sold to improve Polonius' relation with the king. Hamlet was upset and depressed that she would let herself be sold to her father that way. He'd hoped that Ophelia was different, and he wanted to trust her, but she let him down. He alienates himself from her as well. Now, to him, she is just part of the "unweeded garden" like everyone else. Both Estella and Ophelia have been corrupted by outside forces. This is unfortunate as it prevents them both from loving and hurt both Hamlet and Pip.

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reappears, it is a reminder that Hamlet has not yet done his job and that his father is still condemned to wander. His father cannot rest until Hamlet completes his task. Every day Hamlet delays, his father's soul is suffering, and this causes Hamlet to suffer as well. He has a low self-image of himself. He's beginning to doubt his own courage and integrity and thinks of himself as a coward. Hamlet is in pain as he says that all he can do is talk and is not able to take actions. He feels like a failure.

f, Hamlet, as a prince, has a universal responsibility. He must change the corrupt order of Denmark and clean it up by killing Claudius. However Hamlet has a tragic flaw, which is his failure to carry out his responsibilities. He feels he must wait for the call of destiny, which causes him to delay. This flaw is a more tragic one because the nature of his task is not personal. The well being of his nation is at stake. His delay in avenging his father's death is also preventing his father's soul from resting in peace. Hamlet must kill Claudius but his tragic flaw of procrastination is keeping him from doing so sooner. His delay also results in the death of many innocent people, that wouldn't have died had he acted sooner.

Hamlet must lose his life for he cannot be reborn. An ending in tragedy is far more unfortunate because the main characters are born with the capacity for greatness. They have the potential to accomplish

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Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels