Comparing Death In Hamlet And The World According To Garp

Death as a pervading theme is obvious in both Shakespeare’s Hamlet and John Irving’s The World According to Garp. The theme is particularly apparent in Hamlet as all the major characters in the play die, mainly because by dying they have redeemed themselves. However, the underlying intentions and reasons for death differ in the two works
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is the hero of Shakespeare’s play. The play begins focused on death, namely the death of Hamlet’s father. Seeking vengeance, Hamlet is fortunate to have an aid who happens to be the ghost of his father. He discovers that his mother’s new husband, his uncle Claudius, had killed his father in order to marry his mother Gertrude, and become crowned King. Infuriated, Hamlet murders a man behind the curtain thinking he had avenged his father’s death. Unfortunately the man he murdered was
Enraged and in a fit of madness, Ophelia commits suicide. At this point, the play has two characters seeking vengeance for the deaths of their family members. In addition to Hamlet, Laertes who is Ophelia’s brother, is seeing vengeance for both his sister’s and father’s death. He attempts to do so by stabbing Hamlet with a poisoned blade, however ends up wounding himself and dying. Halmet’s mother drinks poisoned wine, leading her to her own death. Finally, Hamlet murders his uncle Claudius with the final strength he has before coming to his own death.
It is apparent from the start of the play, that Hamlet’s character is weak and indecisive. His character tends to be alone, bitter and untrusting of others. He is especially bitter and hateful of his mother, who had immediately married his uncle following his