Clossick1

Rebecca Clossick
Mrs. Scharf
ERWC/period 1
27 April 2015
Hamlet Rewrite

We have the opportunity to pick the lens in which we not only view society that is formed and
created not only by our opinions, but society as well. The way that we grow up and view the
world is a unique experience that is like a snowflake, very similar in structure, but various in the
way it is designed. The way Hamlet views the world is similar in structure to Winston from 1984,
by George Orwell, such as how both plots are run by very power hungry influences (example Big
Brother in 1984, and Claudius in Hamlet) in which leads to the outlook both characters have on
everyone who surrounds them. In the Analyzing of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, it is easy to
see the portal of Hamlet as an avenger who is not only seeking revenge due to the heartbreak of
loss, but also because of the betrayal he deals with on a daily basis.
Hamlet can be recognized as an avenger due to the fact he wants to bring justice to the
tragic incident of his fathers death, which we first read about in the opening scene in
the script for Hamlet. Hamlet is dealing with his anger and grief by casting it on
Claudius, who is not only the new heir to the thrown but now Hamlets father, which we
learn to be a villain who is responsible for the death of his father. Hamlet spends so
much time throughout the book trying to bring down Claudius to show people the true

Clossick2

character that Hamlet seems to be able to see, but no one else can. This is an example of
how Hamlet views the world and how he is not, essentially am not in madness, but
mad in craft,(pg113 lines 183-189) by acting to be delirious Hamlet is seen to be
driven mad by the death of his father. He is looked upon as a threat by Claudius because
all of Hamlets antics are driving him insane. Although nobody else appears to think this
is strategic and it truly shows how Hamlet is clever, and using his grief as an excuse for
madness to find the truth behind what really happened. Hes willing to solve what truly
happened by putting his life on the line to stand up to the villainous Claudius.
Shakespeare positions the play to show every move Hamlet makes allowing us to see
the progression and shift behind his character. As the play goes on we see how he
becomes wiser and more clever with the moves that he is trying to play and how each
one has a purpose. Such as how he hires the actors to portray his fathers death in a
show, most would see this as just a way for him to let out his grief and maybe any
resentment he has toward Claudius taking his fathers throne and his marriage to
Gertrude, but truly we see him get what he really wants. Hamlet uses his slyness to gain
the subconscious guilt Claudius has for murdering his father by the expression on his
face watching the play. This gives Hamlet all the proof he feels he needs to confront
him and get the answers he feels that he deserves. The way Hamlet felt like he could
deal with his problems was to be sly, which is the only reoccurring theme we see
between all the characters in this book. Everyone seems to have a secret against
everyone, yet dont know how to confront each other to find solutions that can help and
maybe lead to a resolution between everyone.

Clossick3

There are many similarities between the characters of 1984, and Hamlet that go back to
my original statement that while many people have the same structure deal with things
in different ways. If you compare Winston to Hamlet you will see many similarities,
such as how both lose the person who means the most to them and dont really have a
clue with what happened with their families behind closed doors. They both lost parents
and their families which had a big impact on how they view the world, and they are
both under the control of a higher power. Though the powers they both endure are
different, both play a huge role in the demise of the main character, and both lose the
person who means the most to them because of this. What makes Hamlet different is
that he is close to the power in which the control is coming from, since he is in the royal
family and is the Prince. His upbringing in a higher social status has a huge part in
influencing how he views things and how his opinions form.
In conclusion the way things are perceived by one person isnt going to be the same as
how another person might look at the same situation. In Hamlets case everyone gets
caught up trying to expose each others secret that it ultimately leads to everyone killing
each other in the end with nobody winning. In Winstons case his secret is what led to
his capture and his untimely death due to the way he thought about society. Both
Shakespeare and Orwell use complex structures to show how society conforms our
thoughts to want to be like everyone else. In reality we arent the same and should be
embracing our individualism without giving into the temptations that surround us in our
daily lives, and not everyone is out to get us at every turn.

Clossick4

Reflection:
I feel my writing throughout the years has improved and I have learned how to stay on track,
even though sometimes I still have a problem with it. High school has given me the chance to get
feedback on my papers and learn how to express my thoughts and interpretations on a piece and
how I might not interpret things the same way as others, but thats okay. Not everything was
meant to be looked upon the same way. Through revising my Hamlet essay I changed it to fit one
theme and not really bounce around a lot, trying to stay on track. I had a problem with
punctuation that I feel like I fixed throughout rewriting it and that I did better on it this time than
I did the first time. I improved the piece and made it stronger by adding more examples from
situations that are found in the book, and by adding examples to support my case from this one
with the book 1984. Even though Im not the best writer I feel I have grown in learning how to
support my stance with textual evidence and support and have gotten better with time.