Mrs. Dalloway and Hamlet essay

Mrs. Dalloway (Clarissa Dalloway) is the protagonist of Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway. On the surface, Clarissa, enjoys physical things, he enjoys parties, social gatherings, everything that is related to high-class living. But on a deeper extent, Clarissa Dalloway is a wonderer; she likes to reflect on things, especially on life, she wonders what could have been the life she could have if she ended up marrying Peter Walsh instead of Mr. Dalloway. She also ponders on the nature of happiness or if it is even possible to achieve real happiness.

All her thinking made her realize about the dilemmas she is in—her need for privacy and her need to communicate and relate to other people. Her profound way of thinking contradicts with her desire to maintain a high-class life which makes her appear, at least on some occasions, a shallow person because she values what other people thinks of her. As much as she enjoys thinking about life and its endless possibilities, the thought of life [slowly] coming to its end, year after year torments her.

Almost the entire novel centers on the thought of the life that Clarissa could have had if she married Peter Walsh instead of Mr. Dalloway that fateful summer day. But this doesn’t meant that she is not at all content with her life, she’s as happy as she could ever be, but still she wonders, what if? She does not clearly show any signs of regret in marrying Richard Dalloway, she is conscious of her decision that she made a practical choice in marrying the guy that can provide more stability, rather than marrying the guy who is living life to its fullest.

Her desire for a more comfortable and higher social standing life helped her made her decision. She is aware of the importance of the soul, and the need for it to remain in tact in spite of all the chaos that is going on around her. The parties and social gatherings are her means of protecting her soul. Contradictory to her admiration for life, she commends the suicide of Septimus for committing suicide instead of allowing his soul to be corrupted by the lies of Sir William. Mrs. Dalloway hopes for a comfortable life, that is why she married Richard in the first place. What Mrs.

Dalloway need is security and reassurance. She needs to be reminded that she already made a decision and she does not have to regret anything just because Peter Walsh comes waltzing back in the picture. She also needs more love and attention from Richard because she would not feel even the slightest hint of regret if she feels that Richard loves her very much. Hamlet Hamlet is the protagonist in William Shakespeare’s drama titled after the main protagonist, Hamlet. He is the prince of Denmark, the son of the usurped king, King Hamlet, who is killed by his brother Claudius.

Hamlet is a master of words; he is famous for his soliloquies, like the very popular “to be or not to be” phrase. He uses his knowledge on words well, in order to manipulate other people around him, Hamlet maybe the first lobbyist in literature. And yet, despite his mastery of words, it is what holds him back, he critics his own words and confuses even himself, which lead to the delay in avenging his father’s death. Hamlet’s main purpose in the drama is to avenge his father’s death, or rather, his father’s murder.

The ghost of the murdered king himself tells Hamlet who it is who murdered him and how he was murdered. The “ghost” urges Hamlet to avenge him but somehow Hamlet hesitates. Hamlet is obsessed with revenge as much as he fascinated with death; he is full of murderous intent and suicidal tendencies. What’s most important to Hamlet is that he avenges his father; it’s his only reason for living after his great father has died. Claudius getting away with murder is the greatest fear of Hamlet, but he does not act quickly or decisively because of the conflict he had with his analysis on words.

He is also haunted by the fact that Claudius is with his mother, it has long been interpreted that Hamlet is in love with his mother and it is possible that he is jealous of Claudius, it irritates him that his mother married his uncle almost immediately after his father has died. This makes Hamlet’s feelings towards his mother mixed because it is because of Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, that he has despised women in general, but he still show signs that he wants her.

Hamlet only hopes for one thing, and that is to avenge his father’s death, though he may just settle in getting rid of Claudius but not necessarily avenge his father’s death. At any rate, Claudius would still wind up dead no matter what Hamlet really hopes for. Hamlet needs a therapist, a good one at that but since modern psychology wasn’t around at that time, he’d have to settle for a good friend with good advice. Reference Shakespeare. W. Hamlet