Meditation 9 4-8-07

I don’t think that Hamlet and Everyman are similar at all. I don’t find the problems that Hamlet encounters relatable to every man. I enjoyed reading Hamlet because it was an interesting plot, with twists and turns and I enjoyed watching the relationships between all of the characters develop. However, I do not see how Hamlet and Everyman are relatable; Everyman faces challenges that are common to every man, such as Fellowship, Good Deeds, Beauty, Kinship and Knowledge. These are common problems that the human society must face and fight to do well in this world. While Hamlet encounters more abstract problems that are not common to every man. It isn’t too often that one experiences the pain of their Uncle killing their father then marrying their mother. I believe that the story of Hamlet is more prone to be a distant tragedy that one can only relate to through, “Wow I am glad my life is not as screwed up as theirs.” I don’t think the common man experiences the pain and suffering, revenge and horror that Hamlet has to go through and therefore I don’t find it comparable to Everyman.

I really enjoyed reading Hamlet though because it was a very interesting story to evaluate the character’s responses and plans for revenge and their interactions with other characters. I found the choices that the characters made far from those that you would expect; I never would have expected Hamlet to pretend he is crazy in order to throw everyone off his trail, or for him to bring in a theatre troupe to reenact the murder of his father in order to draw a confession from his uncle. I also thought that the change in the relationships between the characters was an interesting part in plot development. How the King changed his feelings toward people once they didn’t have any use to help him in his desire for raising his status or hiding the murder and challenging all who accused him of murder or incest. I think Hamlet is a really well constructed play because it stays interesting throughout the whole play; there are always plot twists and surprises to the characters that keep things moving.