Great Gatsby and Hamlet comparision Essay

Throughout both books GG and H, there are several discrepancies between appearances vs. reality. It appears that everyone is full of deception and ulterior motives. Tom, Daisy and Gatsby all appear innocent and happy from an outsider’s perspective but when given a closer look the imperfections shine bright†¦. Hamlet is based aroundcharacters that play their roles behind the veil of duplicity. Everything appears to be true and accurate, but in reality it’s vice-versa. Three of the main characters that hid behind the mask are Hamlet, King Claudius, and Polonius. From behind this mask, their appearance is genuine and sincere, whereas in reality, they’re plagued with lies. They often appear to be only one way whilst they really are something entirely different. By viewing the controversies going on in Denmark, it is justifiable to state that there is truly something rotten in the state of Denmark. BP#1 Polonius and Tom -P appears loyal; reality sly and selfish. P appears to care about his family when in reality he is only concerned of how his kid’s actions reflect back on him. Right before Laertes leave for France P â€Å"Neither a borrower nor a lender be: For loan oft loses both itself and friend; And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.†This is typically fatherly advice, but later it is realized that P doesn’t trust L when he sends someone to spy on him. P actions may seem genuine but later they prove no more than P worried about his son’s reflection upon himself. -Like P, T appears to be a loyal man especially to his family, when in reality he is extremely disloyal to D. â€Å"Tom’s got some woman in NY†. Tom is not happy w his marriage as he feels the need to cheat. At the dinner table, D quickly brings up how she has a bruised finger and is in pain â€Å"That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking-â€Å". T has told D not to call him â€Å"hulking†, her defiance to her husband shows how unhappy she is w their marriage. Both P and T appear to be loyal from an outsider’s perspective but in reality they both portray selflessness and carelessness towards their families. BP#2 Claudius and Daisy -Claudius appears innocent, upset about his brother’s death and concerned for Hamlets well being. Claudius in reality is multi-faced and his ambition is to aquire the crown by killing his brother and marries his sister in law.  Claudius fears that H is going to discover what he has done and come after him. He investigates H madness by saying he is worries about H. â€Å"Whose whisper o’er the world’s diameter, as levels as the cannon to his blank transports his poisoned shot, may miss our name and hit the woundless air. Oh come away! My soul is full of discord and dismay†. D appears innocent and happy w her life; reality is she is married T because of status and is therefore unhappy. Even though she is unhappy w her marriage it is clear that status means a lot to her, especially when she is with Gatsby and he is showing her all his expensive items â€Å"It makes me sad because I have never seen such nice shirts before†. Daisy also says â€Å"Of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality† it was practical for her to marry T but this quote also suggests that T bought her. Both C and D married to achieve a higher status and for the betterment of themselves. They both achieved higher status and by doing this prove that they married out of greed than love. BP#3 Gatsby and Hamlet G appears rich, well educated (G believes that a man’s education is what categorizes the lower class from the upper class) and innocent; reality became rich through illegal means; bootlegging, is not educated and desperately wants D. â€Å"I’ll tell you Gods truth†¦I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west† as a result his family background is an ex. Of the false appearance G portrays. He mourns so deeply regarding the death of his father and his mother’s remarriage with his uncle that he appears insane, yet in reality he takes the advantage of his insanity to avenge his father’s wrongful killing. Another reason is, his love for Ophelia. He is deeply hurt due to the ignorance of Ophelia that he uses it to advantage, by showing hate towards her, in order to make others think that his madness is due to his rejected love. He uses his madness to manipulate and deceive the other characters, while in reality he is carrying out his master plan. He plays his role extremely well by showing his madness that he is able to convince Polonius that it’s all due to his rejected love, Ophelia. â€Å"He knew me not at first; he said I as a fishmonger: he is far gone, far gone: and truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love; very near this.† –P is reporting to C that H is insane Both H and G are tragic heroes. Hamlets flaw being his procrastination and Gatsby’s flaw is his belief that you can  relive the past. Both characters are blinded by the thing they want most and the obsession with it fuels their actions causing both characters to take it so far that they end up hurting themselves and others around them in their recklessness.