Reaction in Milton’s Paradise Lost and Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Reaction in Miltons Paradise Lost and Shakespeares village and MacbethIt goes without saying that we all react to the experiences that we have. What differs from person to person is how those experiences affect our being and what each of us takes from those experiences and how we apply it to our lives from that point on. We see this happening not moreover in our own lives, but also in literature. The characters from Shakespeares Hamlet and Macbeth and those from Miltons Paradise Lost show, through their conflicts, that the experiences that they are exposed to affect their lives in a negative way. In all three of these pieces of literature, the reactions the characters have to their experiences are what bring about their ultimate demise. Unfortunately, these characters dont realize the error of their actions until its too late, but we, as the audience, can learn from the mistakes we see the characters make in Hamlet, Macbeth and Paradise Lost. Hamlet was forced to endure many painful experiences, and the slipway in which he chose to react to those experiences are what largely contributed to the tragedy. In his essay dealing with Hamlet and the loss of innocence, Godshalk claims that the prince...begins the play dreaming of innocence and personal integrity, and in the course of action, this innocence and integrity are severely compromised. (221) This is indeed true, as the experiences that Hamlet is forced to endure whittle away at his innocence, and as he reacts to these experiences, he is driven by his reactions to act in a way where he must abandon his integrity. The death of King Hamlet took a bell on Young Hamlet, inducing grief and sorrow to the mourning son. In fact, it seemed that just two months after the Kings death, Hamlet was the only wholeness left feeling any kind of sorrow. The experience of losing a loved one, especially his father, was too much for Hamlet and he was too grief enamored in the eyes of some, Claudius especially. Cl audius inquired of Hamlet, How is it that the clouds still hang on you? (1.2.66) Claudius seems to think that Hamlet has little reason to still be grieving over the death of his father. Claudius continues Tis honied and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,To give these mourning duties to your father