"Hamlet" and "Orestes"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the connection between William Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet" and the Greek tragedy, "Orestes." It describes the parallels between the two plays and the similarities between the plots and the main characters. The paper suggests that the main thing that makes the two plays collude is the attitude of the main hero who hesitates and suffers in front of his ponderous duty.

From the Paper:

"In Hamlet however, the psychological complexity of the situation surpasses even that in Oresteia. Modern thought sublimates the tragedy and the decision that has to be made by Hamlet is even more unsettling than that which has to be made by Orestes. Confronted with a state of moral rottenness that reigns over Denmark, Hamlet is, as Showerman stresses, "caught between irreconcilable imperatives": "The Oresteia of 458 BC and Shakespeare's Hamlet both explore the interaction between gods and ghosts and the tragedy of human beings caught between irreconcilable imperatives."(Showerman, 67) Hamlet goes through various states of mind throughout the play, ranging from sheer indignation at the immoral state in which the royal family and implicitly his country is, and reaching almost a state of indifference. Thus, Hamlet's first reaction upon hearing the truth of the murder from the ghost of his father is to state that he is anxious to take his revenge to the end as fast as possible: "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love,/ May sweep to my revenge."("Hamlet", 1.5. 33-35) Gradually however he begins to doubt everything, and loses all assuredness. He begings to see the difficultness that lies in his moral duty: "O cursed spite,/ That ever I was born to set it right!"("Hamlet", 1.5. 207-208) As in Orestes' case, Hamlet sees his father in a aura of distinction, as a sacred representative of monarchy and righteousness: "See what grace was seated on his brow--/ Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself,/ An eye like Mars, to threaten or command,/ A station like the herald Mercury/ New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill." ("Hamlet", 3.4.55-58) The injustice of the crimes grows continuously in Hamlet's mind, baffling his initial decision to take immediate revenge on the murders."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Aeschylus. Oresteia. http://www.mala.bc.ca/~Johnstoi/aeschylus/libationbearers.htm
• "Oresteia." Masterpieces of World Literature. HarperCollins Publishers, 1989. 622(4).
• Showerman, Earl. "Orestes and Hamlet: from myth to masterpiece." The Oxfordian 7 (Annual 2004): 89.
• Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972.

More papers on "Hamlet" and "Orestes":

• Analytical Essay # 28889 : "Hamlet and Orestes: Contrasting Heroes"
• Comparison Essay # 100772 : "Hamlet and Orestes"
• Research Paper # 75052 : "Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex"

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