Society And Family In Hamlet And Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis?

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Society and family are the most influential forces that can play significant roles to build or destroy the lives of individuals. Throughout the ages, both of these forces have attempted to control its individuals on the premises of providing stability, security, and social acceptance. In the Romantic Era, writers took to their pens to cleverly express their outright dissent with regards to the laws and norms. This is the case presented in both the Shakespearean tragedies, Hamlet and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. Both stories vividly illustrate the enigma that is humanity and how the familial and societal influences affect the individual development to a large extent. The fictional stories track the struggle of the protagonists when the …show more content…
His physical transformation is not only a threat for his household, but also disgusts his employer, as is evidenced by the reaction of his manager: “The manager burst out with loud “oh!” – it sounded like a rush of wind- and now he could see him standing closest to the door, his hand pressed over his open mouth slowly backing away, as if repulsed by an indivisible and unrelenting force.” (Kafka 788) This toxic situation for Gregor alludes to the ruthlessness of the society and selfishness of his own family. Gregor’s metamorphosis into a “lowly insect” brings to light the stark reality that society and family is unwilling to accept individuals with a sense of self into their …show more content…
Hamlet is initially a logically sound individual who does not want to perpetrate acts of evil. However, the thoughts that come to his mind after interacting with “the ghost” go on to show the influence that people close to us can have on our thoughts and actions. The personality of the protagonist and all the diverse factors that come into play to further his indecisiveness only increase Hamlet’s state of melancholy. It is imperative to note that Hamlet remains passive and hesitant to commit suicide as well as to kill Claudius during prayer, until the ghost of his father influences

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