Essay Prompt Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Film, Fiction

Essay Prompt: The American novelist, John Irving, says said about his work The World According to Garp, that it is a life-redeeming work in which everybody dies. Comment on the extent to which the same might be said of Hamlet. http://puu.sh/fKahB/46427e2e6b.png Life Redeeming Deaths in Hamlet Redemption, " the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil" ( OED ) defines the main course of action for many of the characters in both William Shakespeare's Hamlet and John Irving's The World According to Garp . In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet are three characters who seek to avenge their fathers' deaths. Due to the fundamental faults that each of the characters possess, many lives are lost in the process. Although these deaths are tragic, they are made acceptable to the reader because Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet ultimately acknowledge their previous shortcomings and redeem themselves by overcoming them. The first act of revenge is witnessed when Fortinbras vows to seek revenge for his father who lost a portion of his land after dying in combat to King Hamlet. To pursue his act of vengeance, the hot-headed Fortinbras readies an army "to recover [the lands], by strong hand / And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands / So by his father lost" (1.1.101-3) and writes a letter to Claudius demanding the surrender of this lost land. Before Fortinbras could embark on his invasion, Claudius convinces Fortinbras' uncle, the Norwegian King, that the invasion would be futile. This leads to Fortinbras' uncle forbidding him from from waging war on Denmark. Instead, Fortinbras is granted permission to take an army through Denmark to attack Poland , a request to which he concedes . True to his word, Fortinbras is seen with his army marching through the fields of Denmark on his way to Poland. When Hamlet stumbles upon Fortinbras' army, he remarks that To be great / is not to stir wi thout great argument / but greatly to find quarrel in a straw / when honor's at the stake (4.4.53-56). Here, Hamlet acknowledges that even though Fortinbras has little desire to lead an attack against Poland, he does so to defend his family's honour. Hamlet deduces that Fortinbras has an excessive attachment to honour and it is Fortinbras' honour and morality that proves to be his shortcoming. Fortinbras wants to avenge his father by reclaiming the lands his father lost, a desire which unfortunately conflicts with his ability to honour his uncle's request to not wage war on Denmark. However, it could be suggested that the King of Norway secretly supports Fortinbras' quest for revenge when he grants Fortinbras his army. It is possible that the Norwegian King informed Claudius that he has dissuaded his nephew from waging war on Denmark because he knows that this will cause Claudius to let his guard down and thus he will not suspect an attack. If this were to be taken for truth, then Fortinbras could honour both his father and his uncle at the same time. But, this is never confirmed to be true, and it is unlikely that Fortinbras would suspect such a plan from his uncle, and thus his dilemma persists. Amidst this conflict, Fortinbras initially chooses the honour of his uncle over avenging his father. For the majority of Hamlet, he dutifully carries out his uncle's request. However towards the end of the play, Fortinbras realizes the fault in his honour and decides that he values his vow to his father more than his promise to his uncle, thus prepares an army to attack Denmark. It comes as a surprise to Fortinbras when he arrives on the scene only to find that his quest for revenge is no longer necessary, as the whole royal family had been killed off except for Hamlet who is on the verge of death . With Hamlet's dying breaths he passes on his blessings to Fortinbras to retake the throne , and thus Fortinbras is able to reclaiming his father's land while also honouring his uncle at the same time by not having to wage war upon Denmark . Fortinbras is thus able to honour both his uncle's wishes and his vow he made towards his