Medieval Archetypes Utilized in Hamlet Essay Example for Free

knightly Archetypes Utilized in village EssayHamlet by William Shakespeare is a complex play because of its multiple dimensions. Upon dissection, the influence of separate works can be observed in it. One of the most prominent of these works is the York tholepin of Man. This particular play is a very poor remake of the book of Genesis in the bible. However, William Shakespeare utilizes the chivalric traditions exemplified in the sink of Man to create the characters in Hamlet.For example, Hamlets mother, Queen Gertrude, shows an uncanny parallel to Eve from the Fall of Man. Gertrudes behavior and characteristics fall under the archetype presented in the rendition of Genesis. Eve can be exposit as gullible, nave, accidentally ariselious, trusting, curious, manipulated, and egocentric. These same traits can be used to identify Gertrudes personality as well.In part three of the Fall of Man, Satan, in the form of the worme, is trying to convince Eve to rebel against God by ea ting the forbidden fruit. The worme claims that it will make her omnipotent. When Eve questions Satan, he replies, Why trowes gramme noght me?/ I wolde by no- kynnes ways/ Telle noght but trouthe to thee (pg 270, line 75). In perhaps one of her most nave and gullible moments, Eve responds, Than wille I to thy teching traste,/ and fange this frute unto oure foode (78).Likewise, in Hamlet there is a moment that closely mirrors this. When poof Claudius and Polonius decide to spy on the interaction between Hamlet and Ophelia, Claudius tells Gertrude to leave even though it is her son. She simply answers, I shall obey you (III,I, 42). These two quotes show the extent to which both Eve and Gertrude produce been manipulated by their quirk and weakness. Eve only wanted to know if the fruit contained a certain power and Gertrude was interested in her sons apparent madness yet both women put aside independent thinking and oblige the villain. later(prenominal) in the Fall of Man, Eve brin gs the forbidden fruit to Adam saying A worme has done me for to witte/ We shalle be as goddis, thou and I,/ If that we ete/ Here of this tree (91). Then in Hamlet, Gertrude asks her son, Have you forgot me? ( III, IV, 16). She is essentially asking if Hamlet has forgotten whom he is verbalizeing to. In the Fall of Man, Eve portrays egocentric qualities.When she discovers the power of the fruit, she suddenly desires to voice it with Adam so that they might be god- like together. She wants to be all knowing and powerful, so when she sees the fate she takes it. Gertrude is self-centered as well. She doesnt want to lose her standing as queen when her husband dies so she marries his crony not even two months following his passing. When Hamlet confronts her on her actions she retorts with anger that he would dare speak to her in that manner. Both Gertrude and Eve have a mental self image of themselves that is better than what others distinguish them as and both women strive to maint ain/ improve that image.Gertrudes character directly parallels that of Eve in treasure to characteristics and traits. They are both archetypal characters but the resemblances are eerie. The women both end in similar courtesy as well. Eve eats the forbidden fruit and guarantees her banishment from the Garden of Eden. Gertrude drinks the poison and ensures her own death. The characters have too many similarities to be dismissed as coincidence. Ergo it can be stated with a level of confidence that William Shakespeare utilizes the medieval traditions outlined in the Fall of Man to write Hamlet.Works CitedMedieval Drama. Ed. David Bevington. Boston Houghton Mifflin Company, 1975Hamlet. William Shakespeare. Ed. Louis Wright. Virginia Lamar. New York Simon Schuster Inc, 1958