Hamlet lead his life in circles, never comfortable enough with his current conditions to settle down. The crisis’ placed upon him were never resolved, because he couldn’t handle decisions, leading to a severe downfall in his family’s life. Such demise began in a terrace of the palace Hamlet called home, with a sighting of a ghost that foreshadowed troubles in the near future.
Hamlet’s sanity began to deteriorate when learned that his father’s death was not an accident, but rather a foul deed committed by the newly crowned King of Denmark. “If thou didst ever thy dear father love – Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” [Act I, v l .23-25]. As a mysterious ghost appeared in the terrace, Hamlet learned of a murderer that would prove his fealty towards his father. As he contemplated the appalling news recently brought to his attention, the control Hamlet had over his actions was questioned. “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain! My tables meet it is I set it down, That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark,” [Act I, v l. 106-109]. Hamlet’s hatred toward his father’s killer caused him to relate the tribulations between murder and the aspects of Denmark as a country together. As with most of the conflicts Hamlet faced, his lack of ability to avenge his father’s death, furthered the deterioration of his life and surroundings.
With countless opportunities neglected, Hamlet’s ability to take any action against his father’s death is questioned. “Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying, and now I’ll do’t. And so ‘a goes to heaven, And so am I revenged. That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven.” [Act III, iii l. 173-180] Hamlet contemplates killing Cladius while he prayed for forgiveness, but then backed out as he learned he’ll send him to heaven for the loyalty Cladius showed towards the Lord. Hamlet once again debates the possibilities put before him by the ghost he swore to avenge.
“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.
Emily Bronte’s Life and Its Mirror Image in Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte’s Life and Its Mirror Image in Wuthering Heights
As we look to the past for clues to some authors and their works we may find clues to why they may have written some of these great works of art in their own life stories. Life and questions about it may have some effect on what some wordsmiths put to paper. If careful consideration is given to the past life of Emily Bronte the novel Wuthering Heights may be seen as somewhat of a mirror of her life. Much of her life is shrouded in mystery, but there is evidence that can and should be looked at as similar to the lives of several of the characters with this great novel.
According to Juliet Barker, “Emily Jane Bronte was born July 30, 1818” (Barker 1). In the same article Barker points out that Emily’s mother, Maria, died when she, “was only three” (1). Emily grew up therefore without a mother. Maria’s sister and Emily’s aunt Elizabeth did come to the family’s aid to, “live as a housekeeper and was responsible for training the girls in the household arts” (Emily web page). Here we may have a clue to the origination of the character Nelly. This somewhat knowledgeable narrator of our story could possibly be based at least partially on Emily’s aunt Elizabeth. Our author’s aunt could have been an authoritative personality in her life. Nelly did seem to take on characteristics we might associate with a caring aunt in the life of a young woman.
Victor A Neufeldt writes that, “in 1835 Emily went to Roe Head School, where Charlotte, her sister, had recently been appointed as a teacher” (Neufeldt 2). Emily only stayed at the school for three months before she returned home. It seems as though she missed the wildness of her moors and could not stay away…
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…rt, but we may always look for the meaning behind it because of it long literary life.
Works Cited and Consulted
Barker, Juliet. The Brontes. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.
Online: “Emily ‘The Strange’ Bronte, 1818-1848.” [Rpt. The Brontes, by Juliet Barker. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.]
IncompeTech’s British Author Series: Emily Bronte:
http://incompetech.com/authors/ebronte
Bronte, Charlotte. “Poems from the 1850 Wuthering Heights.” Wuthering Heights. Ed. William M. Sale, Jr. New York: Norton, 1990. (WH pp. 267-288).
Emily Jane Bronte Web page
http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/1380emily.htm
Neufeldt, Victor A. “Emily Bronte.” Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 32: Victorian Poets Before 1850. Ed. William E Fredeman. [City of Publication?]: University of British Columbia, 1984. 46-52.