Gatsby and Hamlet Essays - 2219 Words

Examining Hamlet and The Great Gatsby 1/9/13 According to Roger Lewis, â€Å"The acquisition of money and love are both part of the same dream, the will to return to the quintessential unity that exists only at birth and at death† (41). In both William Shakespeares play, Hamlet, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the protagonists are willing to sacrifice all that they have in order to achieve their unrealistic objectives and ambitions, resulting in their tragic demises. While there are many themes and concepts relevant to both Hamlet and The Great Gatsby, their parallels regarding their aspirations stand out for further evaluation. The concept of sacrificing all that a person has, not limiting to their own life, is ever†¦show more content†¦Jay Gatsby spends years of his life involved in illegal activity in order to accumulate enough wealth to be able to throw many parties, all for a possible chance to see his love once lost, Daisy. In this, both Jay Gatsby and Prince Hamlet are willing t o sacrifice all that they have, not limited to themselves, in order to achieve their unrealistic goals. In comparison, Hamlet is content with altering his life and his current relationships, all for the sake of being closer to his ultimate goal, vengeance for his father. â€Å"Hamlet lacks faith in G-d and himself. Consequently he must define his existence in terms of others... He would like to become what the Greek Tragic hero is, a creature of situation. Hence his inability to act, for he can only ‘act’†, i.e., play at possibilities† (Auden, W.H) Hamlet is willing to act mad, ruining all of his relationships, not limited to his romantic life, for a futile opportunity to get close enough to Claudius to kill him. Although both Jay Gatsby and Prince Hamlet are willing to sacrifice all for their aspirations, Gatsby puts on a false front, while Hamlet covers his; Gatsby pulls a facade as though he had been wealthy throughout his entire life, while Hamlet feigns insanity. Gatsby has attempted to pull a facade of him having always been wealthy, thus allowing him to be part of Daisys circle. Gatsby claims to have inherited his vast sum, hiding that he had actually self accumulated it over the years. ByShow MoreRelated Hamlet and The Great Gatsby1134 Words   |  4 Pagesprotagonists of Hamlet and The Great Gatsby just by looking at the titles of the novels! Hamlet and Jay Gatsby are two characters, who can easily be overanalyzed without truly researching into their own stories and unveiling just who these two gentlemen are, for they are enigmas, and can be scrutinized into being more similar than one may think. Hamlet and The Great Gatsby each have stories within stories within stories. Characters in both synopses are somehow related to one another. In Hamlet, when KingRead MoreThe Great Gatsby vs. Hamlet1514 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel The Great Gatsby, love is shown between many different characters in different ways. The reader experiences love at its best and worst. We see relationships flourish, rekindle and end between the different characters. The most controversial relationship is the relationship between Daisy and Tom. Through infidelity, and mistrust, tragedy occurs. Other characters become associated with their marital problems, showing different kinds of love and relationships. In the play Hamlet, the reader alsoRead MoreEssay on Hamlet and Gatsby Comparison1114 Words   |  5 PagesGreat Gatsby, Jay Gatsbys longing for Daisy Buchanan leads him to his own downfall. Similarly in the novel  Hamlet, Hamlets extreme love for his father and his hatred towards his mother play a ma jor role in his tragedy. In these works, there are a number of motivating factors that contribute to the downfall of the main characters- obsession, hatred, and the wanting to be accepted – but ultimately it is love that leads to the demise of Gatsby and Hamlet. Hamlet loved his father, King Hamlet, andRead MoreCompare the Great Gatsby and Hamlet2641 Words   |  11 PagesMelody Akinduro ENG4U Ms.Jackson 8th of January 2012. The Journal Of The Great Gatsby JOURNAL ONE The great Gatsby book started with a man telling us his father advised him never to criticize anyone , he said his father told him he should remember that all this people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had and his father thought him how to be reserved. He also have good manners and a well honourable character. Nick just graduated from yale university and heRead MoreTragedy: Shakespeares Hamlet and Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby1007 Words   |  5 PagesIn the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the objective is to divulge the quintessence of humanity. Although the protagonists in both works of literature have drastically different journeys that lead to climactic endings, the use of plot is to demonstrate that the essence of mankind is ultimately a tragedy if great care is not taken. Both Hamlet and Jay Gatsby are unable to focus on the reality of the situation, and rather waste valuable timeRead More Comparing Fitzgeralds Great Gatsby and Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock1134 Words   |  5 PagesFitzgeralds Great Gatsby and Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock   Ã‚   The Roaring Twenties bring to mind a generation of endless partying, which reflected very little of the morals of the generations preceding it. The world, for that generation, was fast-paced and thoroughly material, crowded with bizarre and colorful characters like David Belasco and Arnold Rothstein. Inspired by this eras spiritually exhausted people (Brians), F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and T. S. EliotsRead MoreAnalysis Of F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby 1665 Words   |  7 Pagesmodernism as framework, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Elliot, and George Bernard Shaw have all created literary works that marked the new and unorthodox ways of viewing and interacting with the world with the beginning of the twentieth century. The Great Gatsby, The Love Song of J. A. Prufrock, The Wasteland, and Pygmalion portrayed the rejection of principles for religion, tradition, and morality in order to progress into their ever changing societies as an unpleasant reaction to the preceding VictorianRead MoreTragic Hero1598 Words   |  7 PagesStrife from Final Fantasy VII †¢ Creon from Antigone by Sophocles †¢ Eddie, from Arthur Miller s A View from the Bridge †¢ Ethan Frome from Edith Wharton s Ethan Frome †¢ Hamlet from Shakespeare s Hamlet †¢ Jack Bauer from the television series 24 †¢ James Gatz (Jay Gatsby) from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald †¢ JC Denton from the PC game Deus Ex †¢ John-117 from the Halo video games †¢ Michael Corleone, from The Godfather books (by Mario Puzo) and filmsRead MoreThe Relevance Of Shakespeare s Play Essay1887 Words   |  8 Pageshave used their works of literature as a forum to express controversial ideas and issues prevailing in society. Although Hamlet was written during the Elizabethan era, the human emotions and situations he writes about seem to span generations. These common themes are continually repeated in history making the topics and novels timeless. In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, he discusses multiple issues affecting society in the 16th century. Although the context of the immortal Bard’s play wasRead MoreComparative Essay- the Great Gatsby4190 Words   |  17 Pagescertain characters throughout the play. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is the person with the most influence on Romeo. This influence allows him to develop as a character and also helps develop the play. This is also evident in Hamlet And Ophelia. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraways realization of the equality of man altered through his origin sets him up as a morally sound standard, until confronted by Jordan Baker. The American Dream will never be a failure if Jordan does not develop