The Theme Of Madness In Frankenstein, Hamlet, By William...

Foolish, chaotic, crazy, all ways to describe the state of a madman, and these just so happen to perfectly describe some characters in the works we have read and discussed. The theme of madness is heavily displayed in the literature pieces of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, and Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Victor Frankenstein, The Creature, Hamlet, and are the characters that most express the course theme of madness in the works. These characters display similarities on their way to that unstable state of mind. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley we are given the character Victor. He grows up with a great childhood, â€Å"no youth could have passed more happily than [his]†. (Shelley 21) Hamlets character is similar to Victor in William†¦show more content†¦Victors father warned him to â€Å"never allow passion, or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility’, or get in the way and sight of what’s important in life, â€Å"a calm and simple mind†. (Shelley 34) Hamlet’s father however, encourages his absurd actions, he says, â€Å"so art thou to revenge when thou shalt hear†. (Shakespeare) The reader pays attention to this warning but it is evident that Victor neglects it. This clear advice may have restrained Victor from completing his appalling and immoral experiment. In Hamlet’s case, he had nothing holding him back from going mad and taking his revenge. The novel clearly recognizes religion and the figures of God and Satan. Therefore we know that God is the only creator which is what makes Victors experiment morally illicit. Taken this into consideration, Victor is still blinded by his obsession that he disregards his father’s advice and perseus his experiment, which is what led him to his madness. Hamlet is also deprived of judgement because of his obsession with avenging his fathers death that he does not take into consideration the feelings of others that he onced cared for like his mother and Ophelia, giving himself an awful morale. Somehow he still clearly has Gods opinion in mind about his actions when Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius in a church while he’s praying. Their sanity begins to alter. In this frame of mind, VictorShow MoreRelatedHow to Read Lit Like a Prof Notes3608 Words   |  15 Pagesthe text becomes to us. d. If you don’t recognize the correspondences, it’s ok. If a story is no good, being based on Hamlet won’t save it. 6. When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare†¦ a. Writers use what is common in a culture as a kind of shorthand. Shakespeare is pervasive, so he is frequently echoed. b. See plays as a pattern, either in plot or theme or both. Examples: i. Hamlet: heroic character, revenge, indecision, melancholy nature ii. Henry IV—a young man who must grow up to become king, take