Comparative Essay

Even though seeming worlds apart the two novels are the same when you get down to the nuts and bolts of the human experience. The view of human nature by William Shakespeare in Hamlet and Tony Morrison in Song of Solomon are almost exactly the same. The roles or "journeys" through life of the son the main character, the evil father, the helpless mother, the traitorous friends and the obsessive girl friend are all illustrated in both the novels. They are different in certain details witch can tell you a lot about the authors view on the human physic. However the foundations laid are exactly the same in both novels. I feel that most interesting comparison to be made between two of the characters Hagar and Ophelia; the crazy obsessive girl friends. The situations they are put in both novels are profoundly similar however there reactions are the differences.

The both Hager and Ophelia are portrayed weak women fixated on their respective men. The men are both involved somehow with there families and are both arrogant when around them. While in the present of the women they seem to act above them. These men are for the most part not very nice to them. Hamlet makes degrading sexual comment towards Ophelia and tells her he never has felt love for her. Milkman on the other hand ignores Hagar call her a "third beer" and not paying much attention to her. Both men have no intentions of marring these women. They just want to have some fun with them. However these women become possessed with achieving acceptance from these men. They even resort to ways to try to hurt them. They feel in some twisted way they will get there attention using damaging tactics. Hanger comes out and tries to stab Milkman where as Ophelia take a more subtle approach when she helps her father and Claudius spy on Hamlet. I feel that these actions are both desperate attempts to get the attention of these men. Both men seem to in someway know it too. Hamlet knows that he is being spied on by Claudius and Milkman knows that Hager would never kill him so he simply closes his eyes and wills her to stab and kill him. Both women do very little real harm to ether men even though it seems like they want to.

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