Every human being has two lives: a public life and private life. However, what makes these lives vary so much from person to person is how much of their life they choose to make public and how much they choose to keep to themselves. An excess amount of either extreme can lead a person to depression and madness. The character Hamlet, from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, and the character Elinor, from Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, both have a calculated method in how they portray themselves and their emotions to other characters. They both tend to push towards the extreme of privacy. In order to avoid a downfall, Elinor has to learn the fault in her ways and change, however Hamlet refuses to see his mistake which results in his death. Hamlet and
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This shows that by disclosing her personal secrets to her mother, Elinor would have caused herself more stress and anxiety. She proves through the novel that as a character she is smart and independent enough to handle most of her problems on her own. Most importantly, her relationship with her mother is not strained in because of this secrecy. In this way, Elinor’s secrecy benefitted her in her relationship with her mother because Mrs. Dashwood’s sensibility would have caused problems for Elinor. Unlike Elinor, however, Hamlet’s secrecy is not overall beneficial to him. The play Hamlet is a Shakespearean tragedy, and Hamlet is a testimony to this. A more than melancholy character, Hamlet experiences major suffering even pushing him to the brink of committing suicide. A lot of Hamlet’s suffering is because he is overwhelmed and alone. Hamlet definitely has a reason to be secretive; his plans puts him at risk of treason. However, choosing to not disclose even his suspicions of his uncle with his mother is a terrible strategy. Hamlet’s mother, as the Queen, is in an excellent position to help him. Although she hurt him by marrying his uncle, her maternal actions in the play serve as evidence to the
This shows that by disclosing her personal secrets to her mother, Elinor would have caused herself more stress and anxiety. She proves through the novel that as a character she is smart and independent enough to handle most of her problems on her own. Most importantly, her relationship with her mother is not strained in because of this secrecy. In this way, Elinor’s secrecy benefitted her in her relationship with her mother because Mrs. Dashwood’s sensibility would have caused problems for Elinor. Unlike Elinor, however, Hamlet’s secrecy is not overall beneficial to him. The play Hamlet is a Shakespearean tragedy, and Hamlet is a testimony to this. A more than melancholy character, Hamlet experiences major suffering even pushing him to the brink of committing suicide. A lot of Hamlet’s suffering is because he is overwhelmed and alone. Hamlet definitely has a reason to be secretive; his plans puts him at risk of treason. However, choosing to not disclose even his suspicions of his uncle with his mother is a terrible strategy. Hamlet’s mother, as the Queen, is in an excellent position to help him. Although she hurt him by marrying his uncle, her maternal actions in the play serve as evidence to the