A Comparison Of Hamlet And McMurphy In — страница 2

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access to the “game’s room”. The room is symbolic of her power of the whole ward, and her sly manipulation of them all. McMurphy realizes this with her attempted repossession, and thus the revenge begins. It is apparent to him what is occurring to the patients and to himself; he will no longer allow it to continue: “The iron in his boot heels cracked lightening out of the tile. He was the logger again, the swaggering gambler, the big redheaded brawling Irishman, the cowboy out of the TV set walking to me a dare.” The common theme in each plot is a rise against tyranny in defense of one’s honor to defeat the evil repressor. Despite their different methods, it was the eventuality of revenge that drove Hamlet and McMurphy onward to the brutal end of it all. Although

McMurphy disguises it with ignorance and Hamlet flaunts it in his wit, another striking resemblance is the aptitude of these two characters. A consequential parallel between them is also their use of this intellect to set and trap the other characters. McMurphy does this with interest in personal gain, as he often maneuvers the other patients into betting against him when unbeknownst to them, the odds are in McMurphy’s favor: “He let the odds stack up, and sucked them in deeper and deeper till he had five to one on a sure thing from every man of them, some of them betting up to twenty dollars.” Hamlet as well manipulates for personal gain, though his is not monetary. He plots to fulfill he need for absolute certainty; his, is a plot for information. Certainly, the best

example of this, is the influence Hamlet uses on the play staged by the traveling theater company. His insistence the players perform “The Murder of Gonzago”, a show that eerily shadows the method used by Claudius himself to murder Hamlet’s father. The purpose of this is to discover if indeed the ghost of the late king was honest, and if there indeed is treason in Denmark: I prithee, when thou seest that act a foot, Even with the very comment of thy soul Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt Do not itself unkennel in one speech, It is a damned ghost that we have seen Both Hamlet and McMurphy’s exploits to eventually contribute to their respective downfalls. To examine this aspect we must observe the similarities in the antagonist of the two pieces. Ratchet and Claudius

are each in high positions of power and are cunningly deceptive. They likewise resent the protagonist in an understated manner, and out of fear of revealing their own guilt, do they maintain this understatement in all public matters. As both Hamlet and McMurphy become more convinced of their nemesis’ guilt, they each become more assertive. Both Ratchet and Claudius begin to feel fouled; they are compelled out of fear for their own well being and fear of being disclosed into exerting the pressure their power allow them. Claudius expresses it best in Act 4, Scene 3: Do it, England, For like the hectic in my blood he rages, And thou must cure me. By accounting for every aspect except the power or their foes, Hamlet and McMurphy inevitably fell victim to these tyrants. Still

another likeness in both men, is their relationships with the women they are associated with. Each has a distinct interest in young girls. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, this aspect of McMurphy’s character is proven early in the story during his first group meeting. As the doctor outlines McMurphy’s history of petty crimes, gambling and fighting, special attention is paid to the statutory rape charge. McMurphy describes it as “overzealous…sexual relations”, but it is unavoidable that the girl he was involved with was only of age fifteen. We have learned only moments before that McMurphy is thirty-five, displaying what is perhaps one of his most despicable traits. The identical quality can be found in Hamlet, though disguised by the setting, it becomes less

apparent. Ophelia, is barely a woman. Although only speculation can be done to what exact age this girl is, her innocent embodiment of the romantic notion womanhood proves her very childish. Hamlet’s age is revealed by his conversation with the gravediggers in Act 5, Scene 1. The sexton says that he has held his position since the birth of the prince, thirty years ago. The only true discrepancy between the actions of McMurphy and those of Hamlet is that in the days of the latter, there was no issue of legality. Yet another issue both heroes have with the female gender that is a prominent characteristic in each, is a lack of respect for women in authority. The question must be raised that if Nurse Ratchet had not been a woman, would McMurphy have acted as he did? There was