The Tragedy of Hamlet and “A Doll’s House: [Essay Example], 1372 w...
1 of 3
https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-tragedy-of-hamlet-and-...
The Tragedy of Hamlet and "A Doll’s House
There is no doubt that William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen are two of the most if
not the greatest authors who ever walked the earth. Considered to be among the
most influential and powerful works in the world of literature, ‘Hamlet’ by William
Shakespeare and ‘a doll’s house’ written by Henrik Ibsen both incorporate the use of
various literary devices to nature the theme that; the truth is rarely pure and never
simple. Furthermore, from both dramatic works, the reader can easily identify the
fundamental theme of the impossibility of certainty. The certainty of knowledge is
dependent on the perfection and genuineness of the conditions upon which the
knowledge was derived. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the two
dramatic works with the aim of illustrating the presence and relevance of the theme
that; ‘the truth is rarely pure and never simple’ in both dramatic works. Additionally,
the essay will be inclined toward the theme of the impossibility of certainty. Literary
techniques such as motif and characterization will be put to use in the development
of this paper.
In ‘Hamlet’, Shakespeare portrays the main character; Hamlet as one who is in
constant search for more certain and genuine knowledge of what he is doing.
Hamlet’s continuous search for the truth causes him to postpone his intentions of
taking revenge on his uncle for killing his father. In this play, there are certain
questions that arise that present the impossibility of certainty. For example, is there
any certain and concrete knowledge about ghosts? Are ghosts really what they
appear to manifest themselves or are they just misleading fiends? Do ghosts have
genuine and valid knowledge about their deaths or are they deluded themselves? All
these questions stem from the fact that the actions of Hamlet are as a result of his
interaction with the ghost of his father who claims that it is his brother Claudius who
killed him. The conditions in which Hamlet gained the knowledge of his father’s death
is rather uncertain as they come from a ghost, a creature whose own existence has
baffled many. From the play the audience can easily see that Prince Hamlet is
uncertain of the reliability of the ghost’s information Furthermore, it is difficult to
know for sure the facts about a crime that has no witnesses as was the case with the
death of the king. Another instance where hamlet acquires unreliable information is
in his assessment of his uncle Claudius’s soul and behavior as he tries to determine
the facts of his father’s death. Is it really possible to know someone’s state of mind by
reading their behavior? The ‘Hamlet’ presents the audience with the many
uncertainties of life and the numerous unknown variables that are disregarded when
4/27/23, 12:42 PM
The Tragedy of Hamlet and “A Doll’s House: [Essay Example], 1372 w...
2 of 3
https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-tragedy-of-hamlet-and-...
people judge the actions and behaviors of others.
“The truth is rarely pure and simple”, is a quote coined by Oscar Wilde and its
relevance can be pointed out in both the ‘Hamlet’ and ‘a doll’s house’. In Henrik
Ibsen’s ‘a dollhouse’, Nora who is the main character lives in constant agony and fear
due to a secret she had been hiding from her husband. In the play, Nora reveals to her
friend Mrs. Linde that she had actually borrowed money from a man with a tainted
reputation in order to finance for a trip to Italy which was essential to save the life of
her husband Torvald who was ailing. Nora, however, lied to her husband that she had
acquired the money from her father choosing to hide the real source of the money
because she knew her husband would not approve of it. It is later revealed in the story
that Nora had actually borrowed money from one Mr. Nils Krogstad who was an illreputed employee in the same bank in which her husband was working. As the play
unfolds, Mr. Krogstad is under the threat of losing his job by being fired by Torvald and
upon realizing this, Mr. Krogstad approaches Nora and asks her to stop her husband
from firing him or else he will reveal her long kept secret. Krogstad further explains to
Nora that he has Evidenced that she had forged her father’s signature on an IOU.
Nora becomes deeply troubled by the situation and tries hard to convince her
husband not to fire Krogstad but Torvald remains adamant. Nora lives in constant fear
of her secret being revealed and even contemplates suicide as the worst-case
scenario. When Krogstad delivers a letter to Torvald, Nora declares that she has only
thirty-one hours left to live, (Ibsen, 2.5.35). Nora’s continued run from the truth causes
her to lead a miserable life because she chose not to confront the reality of her
situations. Instead, her hiding from the truth became her source of misery and she
enjoyed very little of her life. This instance is a clear depiction of the quote; ‘the truth is
rarely pure and never simple’.
In Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, the use of characterization has been employed to develop
the truth in its complexity. Claudius in the story deceives everyone about the murder
of his brother and his intentions of snatching the throne from its rightful heir Prince
Hamlet. Claudius tries to mask his deception by attempting to ‘balance out the
sorrow’ of his brother’s death by marrying his dead brother’s wife. An act that was not
welcome by many. Furthermore, there is an instance in which we see Claudius
expressing guilt for his actions in an aside; “The Harlot’s cheek, beautied with
plastering art, is not more ugly to the thing that helps it than is my deed to my most
painted word: O heavy burden!” (Shakespeare, 3.1.50). In this statement, it is evident
that Claudius rues his actions and is burdened by the thought of what he did.
Claudius’s running from the truth causes him to live a burdened life and tangles him
in a web of lies which ultimately lead to his demise. Furthermore, Claudius’s
deceitfulness causes the death of many people around him and often in an ironic
manner. His initial plot to kill Hamlet with a poison proves futile and instead his newly
wedded bride Gertrude drinks the poison. His other plan of killing Hamlet with a
4/27/23, 12:42 PM
The Tragedy of Hamlet and “A Doll’s House: [Essay Example], 1372 w...
3 of 3
https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/the-tragedy-of-hamlet-and-...
poisoned sword also fails and instead it is Laertes who is impaled by the poisoned
blade. In (Shakespeare, 3.2.44-47), King Claudius illustrates his slight remorse for
killing his brother, Claudius further recognizes his own maliciousness and wickedness
when he turns pale and ran out during the play and later confesses his actions saying,
“what if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brother’s blood? Is there not
rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it as white as snow?” (Shakespeare, 3.2.43).
Claudius’s attempts to escape the truth lead him to lead a life burdened with the rue
of killing his brother.
Another example of how the theme that truth is rarely pure and simple is portrayed in
‘a dolls house’, is at the end of the story whereby Nora Helmer chooses to part from
her husband and the society in which she feels she has been lied to and undervalued.
The deceitful activities of Nora Helmer come to the light at the end of the play. Her
husband is consumed with the fear that Nora’s secret will be revealed to the world
and ruins his reputation. He does not consider for a moment that Nora’s act of deceit
was in his own best interests and that he would have died had Nora not done what
she did. Torvalds’s reaction towards learning Nora’s secret is what enlightened her and
now she knew the truth. She now understood that she had been living a social lie and
that she had been the puppet of her husband for a very long time. Her ‘lie’ saves
Torvald and enlightens her on the lies of society and enables her to see the rigid
undermining of women and the archaic cultures which govern society. Nora sees that
her marriage was a lie as she was undervalued and unappreciated for her devotion to
the marriage and was only valued for her capability in pleasing the society. Her failure
to acknowledge the truth in the first place is what led her to live a lie.
4/27/23, 12:42 PM