Hamlet and Archilles - 1101 Words

The truly great human stories deal with the most basic elements of human emotions and motivations. The Following stories are perfect examples of those elements. Revenge, love, lust, betrayal, loss and grief are all powerful storytelling tools and powerful elements within stories. But stories are also specific, about specific people, specific times and specific cultures. The Iliad is a sweeping war story that ends in the victory of the Greeks even at great costs for the victors. Hamlet is more of a personal tragedy that ends in defeat and death for all. The major players might seem like they could not be more distinct upon their face. But, in fact, the characters of Achilles and Hamlet have notable similarities. They are both ultimately spurred to their pivotal decisions and behaviors by the feeling of vengeance, connected to a strong feeling of duty and even a sense of piety. Yet, because Achilles is a soldier and Hamlet an intellectual prince, their ultimate motivations and actions vary wildly in terms of timing, execution, approach and ultimate success, even though both men are ultimately killed as a result of their actions. Hamlet and Achilles each respond to the death of a person close to them. Hamlet has lost his father, and we see in the beginning of the play that he suffers from a deep melancholy, which Hazen 2