Hamlet/ Life of Pi Essay
Life throws different sorts of hurdles at every individual. We are faced with new obstacles every day due to which we learn many lessons, but probably the most important instinct being survival. Some circumstances lead to hurtful experiences that undoubtedly teach us survival. The novel, The Life of Pi written by Yann Martel and Shakespeare’s Hamlet both have that in common. Pi and Hamlet both encounter life altering situations and to survive through it is all what matters.
Determination is the key characteristic that is seen in both the stories. Hamlet and Pi are faced with heart wrenching tribulations and staying determined is what helps them survive. Walter Anderson once said, “Bad things do happen; how I respond
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Shakespeare is recognized for having most of his characters die throughout his plays and Hamlet is no different. Hamlet suffers because of his father’s brutal murder. “To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, /Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/And, by opposing, end them” (3.1.64-68) Hamlet seems suicidal in the beginning of the play and he thinks that the whole world is fraudulent and that he wishes his “flesh would melt”. He wants to commit suicide but considers it to be a great sin. Instead, Hamlet starts to explore and ponder upon the reasons as to why people do commit suicide. As there is a constant pattern of deaths in the play such as the death of his father, his murder of Polonius and Ophelia’s suicide, it seems as if there is a never ending string of deaths in the play. On the other hand, Pi also goes through this same suffering of dealing with the death of his loved ones. He loses his entire family in a short period of time and is left alone to mourn their deaths. “They were dead; I could no longer deny it. What a thing to acknowledge in your heart! To lose a brother is to lose someone […] to lose your father is to lose the one who’s guidance and help you seek; who supports you like a tree trunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that is like losing the sun above you.” (Ch. 46) Pi speaks of the death of his brother, father and mother and how it feels like to lose each one of them. He is left alone at the sea alone with his thoughts and anguish along with the ferocious tiger, Richard Parker. Both the characters face the worst of suffering and death, a theme that truly controls the plotline of these sad
When comparing two different Hamlet movies I found that one scene in particular was obviously more different than the others. I compared Columbia pictures 1996 version with Kenneth Branagh playing the role of Hamlet versus BBC’s 2009 Hamlet in which David Tennant played the honorable role of Hamlet. When comparing both movies I found a lot of similarities but there was one major difference when I compared the “To be or not to be” scene. The scenes vary in multiple ways whether it is lighting, focus, camera movements, and even the actors that play Hamlet.
Even though Holden, Hamlet and Pi come from completely different cultural contexts, all of their stories focus on a similar goal: overcoming obstacles in life. Throughout life we experience tragic events that can change our lives, making you happy, or making you fight for survival against all odds. All three characters experience life changing events in their lives. Whatever the situation is, we all have one common goal: to survive. Each of the characters must learn to try and focus on what’s best for themselves in order to survive these life changing obstacles. All of the characters learn to overcome their weaknesses and bring forth their strengths to help them get through these obstacles. Each of the characters in counter different things in their
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has countlessly been formatted into film depictions of the play. Each film seemed to be on one end of the spectrum of either being closely interpreted or completely remodeled a different idea of what Hamlet is. The film version of Hamlet released in 2000 seems to follow closely to the play in some aspects, yet at the same time having its own unique identity Despite there being many differences with the play Hamlet and the film adaptation of Hamlet (2000) by Michael Almereyda there are three categories that really stand out, those are the character portrayal, interrelationship between the characters, and some of the essential themes differ as well. Although there are many differences, one aspect that remains the same is the dialogue of the characters which stays true to the Shakespearean dialect.
Tony Robbins said, “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others”. Shakespeare’s writing has had many different ways of being presented because people perceive it in different ways. Whether it is a literal representation or a spin, directors like to show viewers the way they perceive the text. In the movie version of Hamlet the director, Kenneth Branagh, wanted the viewers to find Shakespeare interesting and full of action and drama. Kenneth chose the right direction to go in to keep the audience’s attention but it
Many literary works can be compared due to vast amounts of similarities between theme and characters; Hamlet and the Lion King are two literary works in which character and theme are surprisingly similar throughout each work. The Lion King is thought to be just an animated children’s film, however, it is in fact a modern translation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The main characters in the Lion King are definite parallels to those in Hamlet. Along with the main characters and plot details, the stories were similar in the representation of the secondary characters. "Here's my little secret, I killed Mufasa.” The theme in Hamlet can be compared to the Walt Disney movie The Lion King. Hamlet and Simba are betrayed by their uncles whom murder their
The three characters, Hamlet from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Pi from Life of Pi, all must overcome hardships in order to be successful in life. It is apparent that each of these characters has his own struggle to go through. However, each struggle helps the character to become stronger in his own way. These struggles give the characters strive to achieve a goal, and eventually each character is able to achieve his own individual success. It is through the experience of hardships, Hamlet, Mr. Darcy and Pi, become stronger, more ambitious individuals, ultimately achieving success.
As innocent and young the Disney movie “The Lion King” may seem, it is, indeed, loosely based off of the renowned Shakespeare play “Hamlet”. It would seem strange to the typical audiences of each, but when looked at closer, it is seen that they are actually related underneath the youthful, animated surface of The Lion King.
Over the course of the play Hamlet has a number of ongoing conflicts within himself. These conflicts, in my opinion, serve as Hamlet’s greatest
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, suicide is an important and continuous theme throughout the play. Hamlet is the main character who contemplates the thought of suicide many different times throughout the play, since the murder of his father. Hamlet weighs the advantages of leaving his miserable life with the living, for possibly a better but unknown life with the dead. Hamlet seriously contemplates suicide, but decides against it, mainly because it is a mortal sin against God. Hamlet continues to say that most of humanity would commit suicide and escape the hardships of life, but do not because they are unsure of what awaits them in the after life. Hamlet throughout the play is continually tormented by his fathers death and his
Based on the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, suicide is the most prevalent and important themes in Hamlet. Hamlet always asks himself for the reason to stay alive. Even though he always thinks that there is no reason for him to stay alive, however he always chooses to stay. The first reason Hamlet seems to contemplate suicide is because his life is contaminated by sins and revenge. The other reason he is thinking about suicide is because he is young and immature. Young adults usually look for escapes when they become angry with things. There are many instances where Hamlet contemplating suicide and he treats the idea of suicide morally, religiously, and aesthetically, with particular attention to Hamlet’s two important statements about suicide: the “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt” soliloquy (I.ii.129–158) and the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.56–88).
First, Hamlet was a highly intelligent, moral and rational man. I believe that was the reason behind his procrastination. A moral and rational man does not take the decision to kill a person
There is a lot of similarities between the Lion King and Hamlet. One of the biggest similarities is the characters, their traits, and their aspiration. In the Lion King Simba’s uncle Scar killed Simba’s dad and in the play Hamlet, Claudius killed Hamlet’s father. Simba and Hamlet are super alike. They both are loving, caring, empowered, fighters and they both want to kill their uncles because of what they did to their dads. Ophelia and Nala are both loving, caring and care about Simba/Hamlet. Ophelia and Nala are both the love interest of the main character. Scar and Claudius both want control of the kingdom. Simba and Hamlet both disappear from their families for a little. Both of the families in the Lion King and Hamlet are royal families. There is still a lot more similarities, but they mostly all have to do with character traits and what they do.
They both suffer the loss loved ones, they are both isolated from the outside world, Pi, physically stranded on a life boat and Hamlet due to his emotional instability. However, the manner in which they deal with their circumstances differs vastly. Pi takes both a spiritual and methodical approach, allowing God to guide him through his journey, while also using his own intellect to pull him through. Although initially very emotionally vulnerable, Pi soon learns to supress is emotions in order to survive. Hamlet, in contrast to Pi, is initially emotionally stable, however, as his journey progresses he succumbs to his emotions which ultimately leads to his tragic demise.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story about a king that was murdered by his brother and the prince has been asked by his father?s ghost to avenge his murder. The original story line has been altered a few times since it has been written. The original Hamlet the play and the altered Hamlet the movie are shown differently in many different ways. Hamlet the movie with Mel Gibson shows different things than the play, but there are three major differences between the two. The three major differences are in the way both of the productions start out, differences in the scene that the players put on a play, and differences in the way the productions end.
The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two movies made about Hamlet. I will present and discuss different aspects of the version directed by Kenneth Branagh to that of Franco Zefirelli. During this paper you will be presented with my opinions in reference to determining which version of Hamlet best reflects the original text by Shakespeare. I will end this paper with my belief and explanation of which movie is true to the original play.