In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the objective is to divulge the quintessence of humanity. Although the protagonists in both works of literature have drastically different journeys that lead to climactic endings, the use of plot is to demonstrate that the essence of mankind is ultimately a tragedy if great care is not taken. Both Hamlet and Jay Gatsby are unable to focus on the reality of the situation, and rather waste valuable time focusing on simply the appearance of things. However, Hamlet is a character completely consumed by despair and ultimately believes that life is futile. In contrast, Gatsby is a character who is rather obsessive of achieving the American Dream, …show more content…
From the very beginning of the play, Hamlet’s character is very disconsolate and suspicious of false images, even those within himself. Instead of acting rather spontaneously and avenging his father, he stops to consider that perhaps “the spirit that I have seen / may be the devil: and the devil hath power / to assume a pleasing shape” (2.2.596-597). Instead of blindly believing the ghost, who his dear friends also see, he keeps believing that the devil “out of my weakness and my melancholy… / abuses me to damn me” (2.2.599-601). Hamlet not only applies this theme of a false visage on himself, but on the rest of the court. He utilizes the comparison of the people around him to be like the sun, which he describes as a “majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears / no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent / congregation of vapours” (2.2.301-303). Hamlet feels that the people around him put on a façade of that they are something much better, rather bright and shining like the sun, when in reality they carve a false picture of themselves by their own will and deception. Hamlet is an individual whose description is oft boasting of his natural intelligence and intuition, but he often over analyzes the simplest of things and loses his true purpose. Jay Gatsby is a man, albeit similar to Hamlet, who at first seems to be impossible to define. Wherever he goes the party often follows him, while at the same time, he gives off a sense of uncertainty. Gatsby
In other words, he believes the ghost’s accusation. This leaves Hamlet as being a coward or as a fervent revenger without opportunity.
Jay Gatsby, the title character of the novel is an incredibly wealthy young man, living in a medieval mansion in West Egg on an imaginary area of Long Island. Gatsby has many laudable traits. For example, he is filled with optimism and the ability to transform his dreams into reality. Jay is also extremely faithful to his true love, Daisy Buchanan, even to the point of death. When we first meet Gatsby, he is the aloof host of the fantastically opulent parties thrown every weekend at his mansion. It appears he is surrounded by wondrous luxury and is courted by beautiful women and the rich and powerful men of the time. Jay is also a very admirable character due to his status of wealth and being a hero of War World I, “In the Argonne Forest I took two machine gun detachments so far forward that there was half a mile gap on either side… I was promoted to be a major, and every Allied government gave me a decoration- even Montenegro”. However, Nick who narrates the book views Gatsby as a flawed man who is dishonest, deceitful, a liar, and a dreamer whom is searching for answers in the past, “he talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself, perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy… if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was…”
Ambitions are an integral aspect of human culture. They motivate us in a ceaseless pursuit of constant success. However, humans are truly not contempt with their successes, and perpetually dream for more success in a never-ending spiral of greed. Jay Gatsby’s character throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, is an ideal epitome of human greed, or as we can refer to it, the American dream. Fitzgerald is able to foster a culture within the novel where dreams seem unreachable, despite the amount of hunger, or greed, one may possess in aim of fulfilling their desires. A sense of elitism is also present within the novel as Fitzgerald ably crafts astounding discrepancies within the social structure of the era fondly
Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man living in a mansion. No one really knows how or why he got his fortune, he is a mystery to say the least. The story is told by Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor, who had just moved from the midwest to West Egg. Nick is related to Daisy who is married to Tom who was friends with Nick back in their Yale days. Gatsby is in love with Daisy, which is partly the reason why he throws such extravagant parties. In hopes that one day Daisy will attend one. Gatsby is livin the american dream.The pros are pros, and the cons are destructive.
According to Roger Lewis, “The acquisition of money and love are both part of the same dream, the will to return to the quintessential unity that exists only at birth and at death” (41). In both William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the protagonists are willing to sacrifice all that they have in order to achieve their unrealistic objectives and ambitions, resulting in their tragic demises. While there are many themes and concepts relevant to both Hamlet and The Great Gatsby, their parallels regarding their aspirations stand out for further evaluation. The concept of sacrificing all that a person has, not limiting to their own life, is ever
Early in the book, the character Jay Gatsby, is introduced as a dreamer who is gracious, charming, and a bit mysterious. As the novel progresses we also learn that Gatsby is a self-made man who achieved the American Dream of rising up from the lower classes to the top of society. But to Gatsby, the desire for Daisy and love proves more powerful than money. Something that shows his obsession of her, is this example.
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.
Jay Gatsby, the title character of The Great Gatsby, is really not all that the title might suggest. First of all, his real name is James Gatz. He changed it in an effort to leave behind his old life as a poor boy and create an entirely new identity. He is also a liar and a criminal, having accumulated his wealth and position by dishonest means. But he is still called ‘great,’ and in a sense he is. Gatsby is made great by his unfaltering hope, and his determination to live in a perfect world with Daisy and their perfect love. Gatsby has many visible flaws—his obvious lies, his mysterious way of avoiding straight answers. But they are shadowed over by his gentle smile and his visible hunger for an ideal future. The coarse and playful Jay
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism
In the novella The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, there are endless differences in the plot, but stunning similarity between the themes that are discussed. A major theme in both works is the theme of ambition, more specifically what their objectives are, how they attempt to attain them, and the product of their endeavours. Jay Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby, is one of the main characters that demonstrates the theme of ambition throughout the plot. In the play Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, also shows these characteristics. An example of these characteristics is Jay Gatsby wanting to achieve the ‘American Dream’; becoming wealthy and having lots of success in everything. Macbeth, also shows these qualities, as he has an unquenchable thirst to rule over Scotland. Ambition is a key theme in both The Great Gatsby, and Macbeth; the main characters both possess it, and it demonstrates how it can lead to power, then to demise.
King Lear and Jay Gatsby are both influential and wealthy men consumed by obsession and lose everything in their desperate pursuit of love. This is their tragic flaw; and one that ultimately leads to their demise.
First off, Jay Gatsby comes off as a nice man who throws huge, florid parties and lets everyone come over even if he doesn’t know who they are. He seems mysterious, reticent, and rather elegant but know one knows who he once was. Gatsby was in the war as everyone knew, but no one knew his secret love. He didn’t get rich in a correct way but more so a corrupt way. He sold fake bonds and was a bootlegger and did it all for one girl. The light at the end of her dock was glowing green brightly and he would stare at it from his, reaching for
Jay Gatsby is the protagonist of The Great Gatsby. Like many others in the novel Gatsby is a young, very wealthy man. Nick Carraway neighbors Gatsby and his large mysterious mansion famous for his shindigs. Even though many people attend his parties, nobody really knows who he is or his story. Throughout the novel we learn that Gatsby was born in a rural town in North Dakota. He was not rich then, but he gained his fortune throughout the years by committing criminal activities. In the beginning of the novel Nick looks at Gatsby as a faulty man, but he later then sees that he works hard to get to where he wants to be reaching for the green light.
Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, begins with the appearance of a ghost, an apparition, possibly a hallucination. Thus, from the beginning, Shakespeare presents the air of uncertainty, of the unnatural, which drives the action of the play and develops in the protagonist as a struggle to clarify what only seems to be absolute and what is actually reality. Hamlet's mind, therefore, becomes the central force of the play, choosing the direction of the conflict by his decisions regarding his revenge and defining the outcome.
Hamlet faces challenges throughout the play that try his inner strengths and test his ability to handle the situation. He is torn between wanting to seek justice, and avenge his father’s death. Hamlet is also caught up in an intricate web of lies and deceit, he is considered mad by most characters when in all actuality it is just playing off of the actions of others to benefit himself. He puts on different acts trying to hide the truth, which makes him seem sincerely mad to the people around him. The truth of the matter is that Hamlet can’t decide whether or not his convictions are accurate. This dilemma ultimately leads to not only the deaths of the main characters, but the downfall of the kingdom.