Comparing Shakespeares Hamlet and Marlowe of Conrads...

Comparing Shakespeares Hamlet and Marlowe of Conrads Heart of Darkness Prince Hamlet, of Shakespeares famed tragedy, and Marlowe of Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, are similarly situated characters. Despite superficially different settings and plots, there is a remarkably similar thematic element shared between both works. Prince Hamlet and Marlowe are brought to the very brink of insanity by their immersion in worlds gone mad, yet still succeed. At their roots, the similarities of the environments they are immersed in are remarkable. Whether their environment is a â€Å"too too sullied† (1057) Royal Danish court, or the dark madness of a murderous Congolese jungle, the relationship between a sane man’s mind, and†¦show more content†¦Not only are the natures and causes of the evil present in both Hamlet and Heart of Darkness remarkably similar, but also each character’s introduction to it. Interestingly, Prince Hamlet and Marlowe share a certain naà ¯vetà © when they first come upon their evils. Hamlet returns home after hearing of his father’s death from studies in Wittenberg, not yet knowing the cause of his death. Marlowe sets off from Brussels to explore â€Å"a blank space†¦a place of darkness† (1618), with an innocent childhood dream to explore the reaches of civilization. Neither man could have known the immense corruption and evil that awaited them at their destination, but both would quickly learn. Hamlet returns to Denmark to quickly find that a hasty â€Å"incestuous† marriage between his widowed mother and his uncle would all too quickly follow his own father’s funeral. Perhaps the most significant sign that all was not right in Denmark was the apparition of the slain former King. Hamlet’s father’s apparition is viewed by Hamlet and his company as an open sign that â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark (1068). From this first revelation, Hamlet learns by degrees of the evil that attempts to hide itself behind the â€Å"legitimate† passing on of the throne. Hamlet gets a first glimpse of the evil in the appearance of the restless soul of his father, later, more so with that ghost’s revelation of the murderous truth to Hamlet, up until Hamlet’s own observation of Cladius’ unique