preview

Hamlet Vs Oronoko Essay

Good Essays

The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Oroonoko by Aphra Behn both have a love story in their writings. Hamlet is drawn to Ophelia’s beauty, while Oroonoko is attracted to Imoinda. Throughout both writings, we begin to notice that there are many differences in each of the characters and how their personalities begin to alter based on their past experiences. Hamlet’s father was killed and his mother married his uncle, whom later became King. Oroonoko was the last of a royal family, but later was kidnapped and enslaved. Both came from a royal family and ended up in bad positions because of their actions, but why did Hamlet’s love for Ophelia not result in a marriage, and why was Oroonoko successful in making Imoinda his wife, even if it …show more content…

He becomes very depressed, and we see immediately see that the author portrays Hamlet in a different mood, allowing us to see that his father’s death really affected him, his state of mind, and his being as a person. Later on in the story, Hamlet gets to know Ophelia, Laertes sister. He advises her against falling in love with Hamlet, as he’s very old and only wants her for her looks and beauty, which she agrees to keep advice on. Later, Polonius asks about her love with Hamlet, which she discards and agrees to stay away from the love he claims to have for her. Although we may not know for a fact that Hamlet was being completely truthful when confessing his love for Ophelia, we do see that in the play it says, “...Forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity of love / Make up my sum...” (5.1.254-256). This line from Hamlet shows us his love for Ophelia, although he might’ve just said this to say it. We see that his love for Ophelia might be real, but later in the play he goes crazy, driving her out of his life and eventually to death. His background and psychological state after his father’s death as well with all of the major events that occurred in his life following his father’s death led him to drive her out of his life, making it unsuccessful for him to have a love story of his own. At the end of the play, they all die, and we see no more of Hamlet’s royal family

Get Access