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Shakespeare's protagonists Othello and Hamlet are for the most part, completely unalike in the ways that they handle the many emotions thrown at them in their respective plays. Othello is the victim of a twisted villain; Hamlet bears a distinct solitude and has a tendency to procrastinate. Othello is a story centered on the manipulations of an insecure newlywed, while Hamlet is centered on an idealistic avenger of justice. Hamlet is smarter, and with maybe the exception of his confidante Horatio, is surrounded by a massive array of idiots.
Othello, on the other hand, is the only idiot in the end. Despite the difference, there are a few notable similarities in the ways that Hamlet and Othello deal with emotion. For the most part, Hamlet and Othello seem to handle anger similarly. One thing that they are both guilty of when angry is the mistreatment of women.
This act was shunned in the settings of both plays. When Hamlets father has just died, and his brother has taken the throne and married his wife, Hamlet is disgusted. In a private meeting with Gertrude, his mother, he expresses his strong disapproval. He begins, you have my father much offended (III, iv, 11), and continues to berate her: you are the queen, your husbands brothers wife (III, iv, 16).
When she asks what makes Hamlet so rude against her, he tells her that what shes done takes off the rose from the fair forehead of an innocent love, and sets a blister there (III, iv, 43 - 44). He then lambasts her for sleeping in the rank sweat of and enslaved bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty- (III, iv, 93 - 94). She cuts him off here because she is so offended. O, speak to me no more (III, iv, 95), she says. He continues to insult her, telling her, confess yourself to heaven, repent whats past/ and do not spread the compost on the weeds to make them ranker (III, iv, 150 - 154). This of course is Hamlets attempt to try and find if his mother took part in his Fathers murder.
Othello is also guilty of similar misogynistic squalor. Iago, the real villain that Othello is unaware of, has manipulated him into thinking that his wife, Desdemona, is sleeping with Cassio, Othello's lieutenant. Iago stages a handful of situations to prove the accusation against Desdemona, and Othello is almost completely convinced. Desdemona innocently loses a handkerchief that eventually makes its way into the hands of Iago. Immediately after, the villain plants the token handkerchief on the accused Cassio, and tells the Moor that Cassio has it. Othello immediately goes to Desdemona and demands that she produce the handkerchief.
Why do you speak so starting and rash (III, iv, 79)? Asks Desdemona. Othello insistently keeps asking, fetch, let me see it (III, iv, 86)! And The handkerchief (III, iv, 94)! Until Desdemona yells Away! Another instance is when Desdemona is, in all innocence, trying to convince Othello to reinstate Cassio's position as lieutenant.
By this point, Iago has Othello so manipulated; the Moor thinks that Desdemona is trying to convince him because Cassio is her secret lover. When she sees him angry, and tries to quell him Why, sweet Othello (IV, i, 239) - He cries Devil! and strikes her. Analyzing the way that Hamlet and Othello deal with revenge finds as many similarities as differences. As soon as both characters are absolutely sure of the wrongs against them or their families, they both immediately plot murder and nothing less. Othello asks Iago to furnish him with some swift means of death for the fair devil (III, iv, 474).
And Hamlet says that for his Uncle it is adieu, adieu, remember me. I have short (I, v, 111). The biggest differences between the two protagonists here, is in how they execute their revenges. Claudius murder must be perfect. Hamlet even passes up a murder opportunity when the king is in the church praying alone. This psychic but prolongs thy sickly days (II, iii, 96); Hamlet doesnt want Claudius soul to perchance slip into heaven, so he waits.
In the way that Hamlet deals with revenge, one can also assess that he is an idealist. He chastises himself numerous times for his lack of haste in executing his fathers will. Thus, the time scale of this play is much bigger than that of Othello. Othello's revenge, in contrast to Hamlets, is executed very quickly, as a result of Othello's mad love for Desdemona.
He goes on circumstantial evidence, as opposed to Hamlet, who carefully plots a way that Claudius will give away his own guilt. What also differs is the fact that Othello doesnt even know who the real villain is in the end. As soon as he finds out, however, revenge comes swiftly after. O, thou pernicious caitiff (IV, ii, 314) yells Othello, wounding Iago with his rapier. Hamlet and Othello are both guilty of being irrational at one time or another. When Hamlet thrusts his rapier behind his Mothers curtain, upon sensing an intruder, he kills Polonius, a rash and bloody deed (III, iv, 28)!
The hasty killing of Desdemona was just as irrational considering the evidence that Othello was going on. The characters have completely different means of dealing with love in their plays. The entire play Othello is based on the greatly destructive love of Othello, one that loved not wisely, but too well (IV, ii, 340). In fact, those were some of his dying words. He loved her so much it drove him to murder.
Love is definitely the number one thing in Othello's mind. On many occasions, he and his wife openly express their feelings for each other. Come, Desdemona. I have but an hour of love, or worldly matter, and direction to spend with thee (I, iii, 295). It gives me wonder as my content to see you here before me (II, i, 181).
They kiss in public as well. From the first few to the very last scenes of Hamlet, revenge is the basis of the work, and the number one thing in Hamlets mind. Hamlets love for Ophelia takes the back seat to revenge. In fact, he uses her as a pawn in his game to capture Claudius.
Hamlet is fully aware of Ophelias devotion to her Father, the Kings advisor. He first acts out his madness on Ophelia, the woman he loves, because he knows it will reach Claudius, and thwart the discovery of his real intent. So, Hamlet goes to Ophelia with his doublet all unbraced, no hat upon his head, his stockings fouled (II, i, 79 - 81), and raised a sigh so piteous and profound as it did seem to shatter all his bulk and end his being (II, i, 93 - 94). As was suspected, the incident reaches Claudius.
Ophelia, like Desdemona, wrongly dies as a result of all the chaos in the plays. Hamlets madness, first of all, is fake. I am but mad north-northwest: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw (II, ii, 387). Othello then differs greatly in this aspect since the madness he experiences is real. It is spawned from the intense jealousy and great love of his wife and her supposed lover. When Othello is absolutely convinced that Desdemona has committed adultery, he yells I will chop her into messes!
Cuckold me (IV, i, 202)! His madness leads him ultimately to strangle Desdemona, and to almost kill the innocent Cassio. I would have him nine years a-killing (IV, i, 180)! What also makes Othello different from Hamlet is his underlying racial insecurity that fuels his madness. When Othello first learns that Desdemona might be unfaithful, he immediately suggests, Haply for I am black (III, iii, 262).
Hamlet, on the other hand, uses his madness as a tool to facilitate his cause. If the King thinks he is mad, he will think him no threat. Hamlet can then avenge his Father under no suspicion. In this acted madness, Hamlet makes outrageous statements. Polonius asks hamlet if he recognizes him and Hamlet replies excellent well. You are a fishmonger (II, ii, 174).
Many of the statement like this are double faceted. Hamlet thinks Polonius fishes for knowledge, despite what was intended when he said the line: he is mad and thinks Polonius is an actual fishmonger. As the two talk more, more and more of the outrageous lines start becoming ironic, Polonius finds Though this be madness, yet there is method int (II, ii, 208). Each character handles grief differently as well.
Hamlet, the idealist, contemplates his grief, and the options for handling it. To be, or not to be: that is the question (III, i, 56). He is so grief stricken by the current situation in Denmark, he doesnt even want to live anymore. He questions whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles (III, i, 57 - 60). Hamlet is anything but irrational, and contemplates his grief and options thoroughly, concluding it is better to live. Othello, after mistakenly killing his wife, is so grief stricken that he immediately takes his own life.
Here is my journeys end, here is my butt and very seamark of my utmost sail (IV, ii, 264). He says to his dead wife, after stabbing himself, I kissed thee, ere I killed thee. No way but this, killing myself, to die upon a kiss (IV, ii, 353). He is very irrational here, at the climax of his grief, differing him from the rational Hamlet. Both Hamlets and Othello's inabilities to handle their inner struggles were directly responsible for the tragic outcomes of both plays. Hamlet murdering Polonius led to the death of Ophelia and his own death.
Hamlet did, however, manage to handle his revenge better with patience and hard evidence. The goal of revenge was at least achieved, but Hamlets death and the death of his mother make the outcome more tragic than anything else. Othello had absolutely no self-control. He was run by his emotion, and is directly responsible for the tragic ending of the play.
If he had been able to handle his mad jealousy, he might have found out the truth. Despite this, and a few other small similarities, Hamlet and Othello were two completely different works. The protagonists were very different in the ways that they dealt with the emotions thrown at them in Shakespeare's works that bear their names. Bibliography:
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