Hamlet and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

William Shakespeare was a great author, who was able to break the cast of a one-dimensional character. In his play, Hamlet, which was set in the middle ages of Denmark, he was able to represent all of the protagonist’s, Hamlet, human intricacies, creating a round character. Hamlet’s character is fascinating, due to him being complicated. He himself insists that he has many cognitive and logical characteristics in Act I, Scene II. We are shown this when he tells the Queen, “Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems”. ‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suite of solemn black, Nor windy suspination of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the bye, Nor the dejected havior of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly. These indeed seem, For they are actions that a man might play, But I have that within which passes show; These but the trappings and the suits of wee.” Although Hamlet is aware of his many different characteristics or qualities, he has difficulty understanding and accepting them. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet continually makes it clear to the reader that he has many intricacies. He also makes sure that his character is not reduced to a one-dimensional character that is predictable. Through Hamlet, Shakespeare is able to guide the reader into exploring all the intricacies of a human being, both good and bad.

There is a thin line between normal and abnormal as depicted in Kesey's and Shakespeare's work. One must ponder the question; is McMurphy mentally ill or is he just a schemer rebelling? The doctor commented, "...Don't overlook the possibility that this man might be feigning psychosis to escape the drudgery of the work farm...And what about that McMurphy?" (Kesey 46). The doctor in the mental hospital is telling McMurphy that many other patients and himself included aren't fully convinced of his insanity. Similarly, Hamlet's madness is up for debate. The only difference is that Hamlet pretends to be mentally unsound, but throughout the play one could argue he descends into madness. Queen Gertrude expands her thoughts of her son calling him "Mad as the sea and wind..." (Shakespeare 4.1.7). Hamlet pleads to his mother that he is sane but he must convince King Claudius otherwise. She responded with certainty that her son is far gone. McMurphy and Hamlet are both characters whose state of mind whether sane or insane, greatly influence the people surrounding them.

Quintessentially speaking, revenge is a thing that many have sought in response to a tragic event unfolding. Typically, as a result, vengeance is contemplated upon by the victim as a means of retribution, a way of making things right and seeking justice on the behest of the victim, if the law will not grant justice through due process due to corrupt forces stemmed deep within it- corrupt seeds of a corrupt plant. Therefore, revenge become an apparent option for those willing to walk that path [of no return]. However, instances of revenge not being attained in the “clear cut” way it is ordinarily acquired have occurred from time to time throughout history. One of the most prominent examples of unconventional revenge attainment can be found within the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, entailing the revenge path walked by its eponymously named main character, Prince Hamlet. Specifically, his intentful delay in attaining his revenge against his uncle Claudius for his direct role in the death of his father, King Hamlet. This literary conundrum has dumbfounded literary critics for over 400 years and counting- due to the fact that a universally accepted consensus amongst them as well as the general public as to why Hamlet delayed his revenge has not yet been reached.

Insanity, a theme explored by multiple authors in countless classic selections, has instilled itself as one of the darkest and interesting themes in the literary world. In Shakespeare’s legendary Hamlet, the audience questions the sanity of Hamlet and Ophelia constantly, as well as that of the other characters. As the story progresses, this becomes more and more relevant, bringing the reader to consider the causes and effects of the characters’ mental states on the resolution of the literary work.

Hamlet is a character which has gone through a lot.Throughout the play it is not sure if he has gone insane or if he is just truly pretending to be. Needless to say he went through some things that could make anyone go insane. In such a short amount of time his life turned upside down. His dad died, which by itself can make anyone go crazy. To make matters worse shortly after his dad dies, his mom decides to marry his uncle. His uncle who becomes king after he murders Hamlets dad. Although Hamlet does do many things that would make you think he is insane, acting insane is just part of his plan.

No two human beings that have ever inhabited the earth were, are, or will ever be alike. Every individual possesses his or her own looks, qualities, morals, personality, and much more. Comparing two characters from arguably, two of the greatest stories ever written, is quite a feat to accomplish. One could already relate the two main protagonists 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.

In the beginning of the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, McMurphy is described by the judge as a psychopath. As the story progresses McMurphy’s mental state does not follow a truly insane path; he functions as an actual person and is an obvious stand out in the ward. His actions lead the reader to question if he is truly insane or just a con man trying to escape the work farm. McMurphy’s heroic role, his constant goal to break the Big Nurse, and the votes he brings up lead the reader to believe he is, more than likely, just a lazy con man. Ever since McMurphy was transferred from the work farm and admitted into the ward, everybody notices he is different than the other patients; he’s loud, brassy, and always laughing. McMurphy is not

“People with mental health problems are almost never dangerous. In fact, they are more likely to be the victims than the perpetrators. At the same time, mental illness has been the common denominator in one act of mass violence after another,” Roy Blunt, a United States senator, had said. Some individuals who are mentally ill are able to achieve their goals because they have the qualities associated with being a leader, such as having confidence typical of narcissism or willing to use others like psychopaths. The characters of Hamlet and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest focuses on these states of mental health and how it ties into the people and setting. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, characters

In the novel the patients become increasingly more dependent on McMurphy. In a scene when the patients are being punished by Nurse Ratched McMurphy feels obligated to stand up for one of the patients, Chief Bromden states that he can hear the despair in McMurphy’s voice when he arguing with the workers (Kesey 272). Defending his friends McMurphy gets into a physical fight with the three workers and Chief Bromden steps in to help him. This results in both of them getting sent to the Disturbed ward and is the first step in McMurphy’s decline (Kesey 276). Chief Bromden and McMurphy are both given Electroshock treatments, Chief comes out of the treatments stronger than ever because he believes he has something to live for now, but McMurphy comes out of the treatment appearing weak and tired (Kesey 289). After the suicide of Billy Bibbit Nurse Ratched blames his untimely death on the actions of McMurphy saying that he was “gambling with human lives” (Kesey 318). This results in McMurphy to choking Nurse Ratched and Chief Bromden’s realization that it was the patients who were making McMurphy act the way he was. It was his obligation to the patients that forced him to go on defying the Combine long after he had given up (Kesey 318). As punishment McMurphy is lobotomized. He comes back to the ward looking lifeless and small, Chief Bromden suffocates McMurphy to maintain his image as a hero (Kesey

Although he is depressed, Hamlet is a sane man pretending to be mad for a very specific purpose, to solve the murder of his father. The beginning of the play Hamlet gives the impression he is insane. Anytime he interacts with the characters he acts out of control and mad. On the other hand, when Hamlet has his alone time or with Horatio he is composed and sane. Furthermore, Hamlet is not mad, he is acting as though he is mad to formulate his feelings, new plans, and to gain evidence.

In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, it is clearly evident Prince Hamlet is overcome with “madness” due to his father’s murder and other malicious actions taken against him. Throughout the play, there are many examples of how Hamlet displays his insanity due to certain situations he experiences and how he handles them. Hamlet shows his madness through the killing of Polonius, his treatment of Ophelia, his thoughts of suicide, and the treatment of his mother Gertrude.

In the tragedy, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the audience is presented with a character who suffers inner and external conflicts. Hamlet, the young prince, continues to mourn his father’s death from the beginning of the play until the end. Hamlet’s inner conflict is that he discovers Claudius, his uncle, has committed the murder of his father. Hamlet does not analyze how he will seek revenge and murder his Uncle Claudius without his conscience interfering. The external conflict that Hamlet endures is that his father orders him to avenge his death, but in a heightened state of emotion, he accidentally kills Polonius thinking that it is Claudius, the man who is the source of anger. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet pretends to be insane, but as his inner and external conflict continue to pressure him into killing his need for revenge drives him to actually become insane.

The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is set in an anti-feminist era. Women traditionally have been seen inferior to men. This was an intellectual as well as a physical issue. Women were to raise a family, cook, clean, be pretty and not be smarter than any man. The main characters Ophelia and Gertrude are both depicted with these characteristics as powerless and frail people. This illustration of helpless women affects one's understanding of what their true selves could be.

In one of AMND’s most enduring passages, Lysander states (Act one scene one, line 134) ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’ The conflict that is inevitably born out of love is a central theme at the heart of Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and Hamlet, but is extended by Shakespeare not only to romantic relationships, but to familial bonds as well. The conflict is ultimately resolved in diametrically opposing ways in each play, according to the conventions of their respective genres. Hamlet is a tragedy, and therefore can result only in death, but AMND, as a comedy, uses the traditional method of marriage to resolve its conflict.

Shakespearean plays are often known for their outstanding entertainment and classic comic conflict. In his masterwork, Hamlet, Shakespeare uses these aspects to serve his thematic purpose. He has used comedy throughout many of his historic plays, but in this play, comedy is the drawing point that makes it fun and entertaining, yet clear and intuitive. Generally, his tragedies are not seen as comical, but in reality, they are full of humor. However, these comic elements don’t simply serve to relieve tension; they have much significance to the play itself. The characters of Hamlet, Polonius, Osric, and the Gravediggers, prove to be very influential characters, and throughout the play, they are the individuals that