In “The Color of Water,” by James McBride, and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, characters deal with the idea of "otherness," the concept of seeing certain people or groups as different from the majority. Through interactions with others and self-reflection, people settle their identities based on factors such as gender and class. In Hamlet and “The Color of Water,” Shakespeare and McBride use characterization to demonstrate how social class impacts identity by shaping values and experiences. In “The Color of Water,” James’ life serves as an example of how social class influences values and experiences, and in turn, identity. After the death of his stepfather, his mother “had no money to pay heating bills, and light bills, and phone bills, sending every dime she had from my stepfather’s pension and her small work salary and social security to my siblings in college and grad school” (McBride 141). This financial strain exacerbated the family’s emotional distress, leaving little comfort for the grieving family. This left James on his own to cope with the loss of his stepfather, …show more content…
Hamlet’s remark toward Ophelia to “Get thee to a nunnery” (Shakespeare III.1.121) reveals the power imbalance in their relationship, and that Hamlet deems it acceptable to shame and degrade her because of her lower social status as a lower class woman. Additionally, Hamlet’s condemnation of Gertrude further highlights the effect of social class on his behavior and attitude toward others. He asks, “Have you eyes? Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed, and batten on this moor?” (Shakespeare III.4.66-68). His disdainful tone toward Gertrude shows that he is also not above speaking to his own family in a similar degrading fashion. These interactions highlight the influence of social class on Hamlet’s attitudes, shaping his perception and behavior toward others he
Title: Identity and the "Other" in "The Color of Water" and "Hamlet" Identity is a complex construct influenced profoundly by the "other"—those different from us—in ways that often go unnoticed. In "The Color of Water" by James McBride and "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare, the interplay between characters and their societal contexts reveals how identity is shaped. This essay examines how these texts use historical and cultural settings to mold individual identities through the lens of the "other." James McBride and William Shakespeare utilize the interaction with the "other" in "The Color of Water" and "Hamlet," respectively, to explore how characters define themselves against and through these forces, shedding light on broader social and
In James McBride's book "The Color of Water" and in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the idea of being seen as different has a big impact on how characters see themselves and develop their own identities. Both authors use characterization to show how other people's views can deeply affect an individual's sense of self. The theme of feeling like an outsider is key to understanding how the characters in both "The Color of Water" and "Hamlet" think about themselves. Experts on society emphasize how important this concept is when it comes to figuring out who fits into which group in our communities (Bauman).
In contrast, William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” explores identity through the lens of morality, power, and madness within the setting of the Danish royal court. Both works provide a rich backdrop for examining how characters define themselves against and concerning the “other,” be
The character of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Hamlet can be considered to be a misogynist. His actions toward women are quite often rude, and he speaks negatively of all women using blanket statements on multiple occasions. In Hamlet, Hamlet primarily interacts with only two female characters: Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlet was quite fond of both these characters, and the conclusion can be drawn that Hamlet’s generally misogynistic disposition is a result of the fact that he was emotionally hurt after being betrayed by both of the female characters. By first showcasing Hamlet’s misogyny, as well as his affinity towards both Gertrude and Ophelia, and then by examining how he responds to each of their emotional betrayals, it becomes evident
“Hamlet,” is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about a prince seeking revenge. Although this play was written around the sixteen hundreds, its main character is still relatable to people of this era through emotional issues, relationship issues, and internal conflicts. These categories will be further discussed starting first with a biography of the author, a plot summary, a discussion of how Hamlet relates to people of this time period, and a summary of a critical review of Hamlet.
“Hamlet’s denunciation of his mother’s weakness is projected onto the whole gender. Thus, Ophelia is victimized as a consequence. Gertrude becomes the source for breeding Hamlet’s grudge against women as well as instigating his subsequent ‘lunacy’ and rash behavior” (Hussein Al-Ali). Hamlet hurts Ophelia with a harsh invective, as he orders her to a nunnery and claims that he no longer loves her. However, following Hamlet’s irate remarks, Hamlet speaks with Ophelia, making sexual innuendos. Gertrude’s licentious actions drive Hamlet to madness, making him confused regarding his own romantic affairs. Since Gertrude toys with Hamlet’s emotions by marrying his uncle only two months after his father’s death, Hamlet feels that he has no other method to release his anger than to toy with Ophelia’s emotions. Gertrude’s actions have a snowball effect, as her relationship with Claudius lead to Hamlet’s complications within his relationship with Ophelia, which leads Ophelia to question the value of her life. Therefore, Gertrude’s behavior employs the theme of insanity among Ophelia and
Hamlet orders Ophelia to go to a nunnery, that is to say a brothel. He is clearly seeing her as nothing more than a lady of the evening. Hamlet’s sexist and misogynistic attitudes affect his relationship with Ophelia. He destroyed his relationship with her and drove her to madness, regardless of his feelings for her. His judgement is clouded by his conclusion that all women are morally
To run the HPLC device, amoxicillin standard with a purity of 99% was used. Methanol and water, as the mobile phase, were used with respective ratios of 5 to 95. The water contained potassium dihydrogen phosphate salt (KH2PO4) 0.05 M. pH for the mobile phase was 4.5. The utilized column was C18 with 5-µm particles, length of 250 mm, and internal diameter of 4.6 mm. Identification of amoxicillin was performed by an UV absorbance detector within the wavelength of 229 nm with an injection volume of 20 mL and flow rate of 0.5 mL/min.
Hamlet is an extremely complex character, yet the enduring popularity of the play suggests that audiences find his complexities intriguing rather than contradictory. His attitude towards women is very perplexing. It is evident that he demonstrates some admiration towards them, but for the majority of the play he has a vey low standard towards women and the trust with them, this is due to the shakedown that has result from the from the betrayal he feels his mother committed to his father. Because of this, he has a very difficult time trusting Ophelia’s madness must be understood against the background of the recent events in her life and her sense of responsibility for these events. Ophelia and Gertrude are both unappreciated women that are considered frail and weak-minded by the men in their lives.
Sylvia Plath once said, “It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative - whichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it”. After looking at the Plath’s era, background, and poetry, we know how each one relates to her overall theme of depression. During Plath’s early life, the Great Depression was in full effect. She was also going through an emotional depression at the same time and it showed in her later poems. Living with only her mom and herself was tough during the depression.
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the protagonist suffers from struggles with major characters, especially with the women in his life. While reading the play Hamlet, Hamlet appears to be a disillusioned man. Throughout the play, Shakespeare has only casted two females: Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude is defined to be incestuous, naïve and cold-hearted. On the other side, Ophelia is characterized to be ignorant, innocent and fearful. After the quick marriage of his mother and evil uncle, Hamlet’s views on women has completely changed and he begins to define all women to be weak yet manipulative. During the play, we see that Gertrude places a significant influence on Hamlet and his understandings. We can see that as the audience, Hamlet has a hatred for women. Shakespeare often reflects the English Renaissance stereotypes of women and their various roles and responsibilities in society. His understandings on how women were treated and considered during the Elizabethan era (Jane Dall, 2000) are combined through the eyes of Hamlet, nonetheless opposite views are created by Gertrude and Ophelia, towards the end of the play, changing the perceptions created by the audience.
The central contention of Karl Marx’s Bourgeois and Proletarians passage is that the evolution of all societies throughout history is both framed and defined by economic struggles between classes. Marx argues that the Bourgeoisie class has caused materialism and ‘naked self-interest’ to become the only prism through which relationships between men are formed and sustained. Subsequently, Marx expands upon this principle through his Fetishism of Commodities concept by asserting that social coexistence and its associated meaning is now derived purely through the abstract concept of ‘market exchange’. This reduces social relationships to only occur in financial contexts, which results in people viewing each other not in sentimental terms, but
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 the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, it is clear that Hamlet’s character is truly a puzzled one. It is no secret that Hamlet is displeased with his life and the relationships around him. William Shakespeare in evaluating Hamlet’s relationship with his mother Gertrude and lover Ophelia creates an interesting love-hate relationship. Gertrude and Ophelia both deeply care for Hamlet but he does not seem to recognize that love and is instead blinded by his father’s revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet suffers a lot never truly searching for happiness and this sadness is combined also with the relationships he has with women. Hamlet’s distrust for women starts early in the play when he finds out that his mother Gertrude has remarried and to his father’s brother Claudius. He immediately becomes distrustful towards her and suspects her loyalty to his father. He interacts differently with the two women in his life and never is able to see neither Ophelia’s nor Gertrude’s love as he thinks that they are too weak and dependent on men. In this essay, I will further examine and analyze Hamlet’s relationship with his mother and lover in order to show the relationship they have.
A story of betrayal and abandonment, the society in which the play Hamlet is set, is one which lacks honour among the majority of its people. The honourable worldview that is upheld by Hamlet, is not a maintained standard of the community in which he lives. Within the play, life-long friendships and noble allegiances are frequently violated in an