Preview

Similarities Between Hamlet And Young Goodman Brown

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
870 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Similarities Between Hamlet And Young Goodman Brown
Truth to Madness

The story line of the desire for truth leading one into madness has played out in many books, movies, and music. They use this technique to analyze effects that the truth can have on one's moral compass. This desire for knowledge and closure play out in Hamlet, Frankenstein, and Young Goodman Brown by demonstrating their journey into madness and giving up on loved ones. In these stories the truth is the ultimate desires of Hamlet, Frankenstein and Goodman Brown, suggesting that the desire for the truth will lead to one's downfall.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are many contributing factors of Hamlet’s desire for truth and downfall. Starting with the desire for truth he exclaims, “Oh, answer me! Don't make me explode
…show more content…
Nathaniel Hawthorne writes, “‘Faith!’ shouted Goodman Brown, in a voice of agony and desperation; and the echoes of the forest mocked him, crying, ‘Faith! Faith!’ as if bewildered wretches were seeking her all through the wilderness” ( 5 ). The author uses repetition in this sentence by repeating the name Faith. He is doing this to show the effect that the desire for truth can have on oneself. Goodman Brown is crying out for his loved one because if he loses Faith then he will lose it all. The author uses repetition to show the deeper meaning of Faith. When the author refers to madness in this story he says, “‘My Faith is gone!’ cried he, after one stupefied moment. ‘There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! for to thee is this world given’” ( 6 ). The author is using metaphor in this passage. He is using Goodman Brown’s lover Faith to represent his faith in good and evil. He shows true insanity here because he shows Goodman Brown losing his Faith. This adds to the story as a whole because it lets you see the deeper meaning in this story, which is that Goodman Brown lost his Faith from losing himself, in the lies that his life was built

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Mind and Hamlet

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlet 's soliloquy at the end of Act 2 is a conveyance of the emotional journey of Hamlet and its exploration of the theme of revenge provides extensive evidence possibilities of constant reinterpretation as it demonstrates a character to understand and relate to. The soliloquy provides a chance for change in the audience 's perception of Hamlet, and allows for a more intensive insight into Hamlet 's persona. The characterisation of Hamlet suggests he is self-deprecating and insecure, evident in the statement “oh, what a rogue slave am I!”, and in this the audience relates to Hamlet in his inability to decide how to fulfil his immense responsibility. The idea of Renaissance Humanism is evident in Hamlet 's conclusion to “catch the conscience of the king” through the production of a play that is emulative of his father 's murder in order to see Claudius ' guilty reaction. This notion is supported by Salter, 1988, who declares Hamlet is of a philosophical nature that is aware of the…

    • 1116 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the passage he uses symbolism in many ways. He demonstrates how Young Goodman’s faith is being tested. When Hawthorne says "Come, Goodman Brown, cried his fellow-traveler,” this is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey. “Take my staff, if you are so soon weary.” According to Sophie Starmack, his wife has a symbolic name. “My faith is gone!” with this being said Hawthorne works on two levels, the literal loss of his wife and the symbolic loss of his spiritual belief. He seems to be more worried about how he might lose his Faith. Hawthorne suggests that if one bases their morals with religion and society, one might just get confused and lose their morals and become weakened. Yet, Goodman Brown tries to stay strong and committed to his Faith. Hawthorne states, “Is that any reason why I should quit my dear Faith and go after her?” In Jimmy Maher’s words "The Young Goodman Brown" is presented as an allegory of the danger inherent in abandoning one's Christian faith.…

    • 560 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Without Faith in his life, Goodman Brown has no faith in God or in good. Goodman Brown is counting on Faith to redeem him after his conflict with the devil. After Goodman Brown meets with the Devil and they begin dialogue. Goodman Brown then admits the reason for being late is because “Faith kept me back awhile” (Hawthorn 2). The words that came out of Goodman Brown’s mouth have a double meaning. His wife Faith causes him to be late to the meeting along with his faith in God.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This quote defines that even though everyone else had gone to the devil, Brown wanted to stay true to God for Faith’s sake, suggesting that he was making an attempt to keep his good faith as it began to weaken. Hawthorne used Goodman Brown's wife, Faith, as a symbol of Brown's own faith throughout the story. Once Brown saw a pink ribbon fall from the sky and recognized Faith’s voice, he had lost his faith in his wife and in humanity. Again, Faith is used as a symbol of Goodman Brown’s faith when he says, “‘My Faith is gone!’cried he, after one stupefied moment. ‘There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given’” (5). When Brown arrived at the devil’s ceremony, he was astonished at the number of people he saw and came to believe that they were sinners, describing them as “a grave and dark-clad company” (6).…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “My journey, as thou callest it forth and back again, must needs be done ‘twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married!” As this young man, married three months, goes on a journey to follow his curiosity, and he comes to understand that he has lost his Faith and his perception of people has changed. “My Faith is gone! There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil! For to thee is the world given.” In the story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the character vs self conflict includes the choice between good and evil; this reflects the loss of faith in religion and the impact it had on Browns life.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever watched curiosity get the best of someone, or heard the age old saying curiosity killed the cat? In the story Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates this perfectly by showing just what happens when you start to question those around you. Young Goodman Brown represents an allegory by using religious imagery, character names, and struggles between good and evil. For example, the main characters’ names, Young Goodman Brown and Faith, could symbolize the innocence of youth and how temptations are always lurking. These names might foreshadow that the story is probably based on youth and faith. When the story opens, the first paragraph states, “And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, the reader follows a man of the same name on his journey through the forest to an unspecified ritual. Leaving behind his wife—appropriately named Faith—he sets off, unaware of what awaits him. While many are content with believing this story is a tale about lying, there is evidence that more meaning lies beneath the surface. Rather than just stating the obvious, Hawthorne may have been meaning to warn readers of the dangers of overestimating their own faith. By believing that his faith was unshakable and pure, Goodman Brown leaves himself open to the deception of the outside world that lurks when his “Faith” is not around. Hawthorne expresses how evil thoughts are inherently human, no matter how innocent or religious a person attempts to live. Faith alone cannot protect people from the world outside of it.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet’s attempt to get his uncle to claim his father’s murder is supposedly done for truth and redemption. However, Hamlet’s feigned “madness” (Hamlet, Act III, Scene III) makes it possible to believe that he may have alternative motives. For Hamlet, these motives may be out of resent which means it is possible he may have wanted his mother’s “husband’s brother” (Hamlet, Act III, Scene IV) to be hurt for selfish reasons- anger and hate for marrying his mother soon after his brother’s death. This allowed him to make finding the truth his tool rather than making it necessary for restoration of himself emotionally and his father’s image. Stoppard, a playwright, needed a tragedy made up of characters that supposedly search for justice in order to illuminate an understanding of truth in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Specifically, Stoppard consciously uses Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, in order to unmask truth as an illusion.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I believe “Young Goodman Brown” is a cautionary tale for Christian. However, it also describes Hawthorne’s own personal loss in faith and he is expressing that in his writing. One can also argue that Hawthorne is taking a jab at Christians and church leaders who claim to be good and have faith in God. I don’t think there is actually a right or wrong answer; I would have to say it’s a combination of all three.…

    • 76 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy Hamlet was composed in the early 17th century Elizabethan Era, reflecting this society’s preoccupation with retribution and vengeance. It explores key concerns and concepts of everlasting relevance to audiences of all ages. The tragic hero Hamlet is intensely human and his struggles are familiar to all audiences. He educates the audience via vicarious learning, sharing his experiences as he explores fundamental issues of morality and mortality through his intense interactions with the lead female characters. Key concerns that are the driving forces in Hamlet include: deception and revenge. These overarching concerns help the audience to understand the prevarications and motivations of Hamlet, along with the multifaceted relationships between Hamlet, Ophelia, Gertrude and Claudius.…

    • 726 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    How Is Hamlet Similar

    • 2235 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Characters in different popular literature novels and plays can be compared and contrasted in many different ways. The purpose of this is to further understand both characters’ views and intentions in their texts. This will also highlight how both characters are similar or different and identify what makes them similar or different. The reader can also learn lessons from each character from what they did wrong and right. Hamlet from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet and Oskar from Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud Incredibly Close can be compared in their journeys and the outcome of their journey. Oskar and Hamlet both have set goals they want to reach and have a choice to take the safe route of their journey to reach their goal or the dangerous…

    • 2235 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many great works of literature often focus on personal tragedy and ways of overcoming it. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, however, the inability of the main characters to confront their problems properly leads to the destruction of all. The antagonist of the play, Claudius, allows his personal ambition for power to overshadow the will of his conscience.…

    • 629 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He has been told to avenge his father, and yet, this man is unable to do so. Hamlet has been unable to devise a plan in which he can trap Claudius and exact the revenge required by the phantom King Hamlet. He, Hamlet, a prince and son to a dead, disgraced father cannot sum up the energy to exact revenge, but a mere common player can stand before a group and blanch, weep, and go hoarse all for the sake of entertainment. Hamlet thinks it “monstrous” that this is so.…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, the character of Hamlet is shaped by his interaction with others in the play due to him being regarded as a key figure in the progressive decline of the state of Denmark. He insists on deceiving those around him, despite a well-intentioned desire to uncover the truth. Consequently Hamlet becomes implicated in the further corruption of Denmark by being linked to the deaths of those closest to him. The collapsing relationship between Hamlet and Claudius leads to Hamlet’s loss of his child-like innocence and Ophelia’s implication and death also contributes to this loss which pushes Hamlet to take his revenge.…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the titular character struggles to engage in his desired plan of revenge. Hamlet shows throughout the play that he is inconsistent, indecisive, and unsure of himself, as well as his actions. The play focuses on Hamlet’s revenge; however, he continuously fails to happen at opportunistic moments. Throughout the play, Hamlet insists that he intends to avenge his father’s death through the murder of Claudius, but Hamlet fails to act on occasion because of his indecisive personality.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays