Comparison of Hamlet and The Last Breath by John DeCarlo
Comparison: "Hamlet" versus "Last Breath" One of the most difficult things any young person will have to face in life is seeing the death of an older parent or grandparent, and being unable to do anything about it. However, both the protagonists of Shakespeare's dramatic tragedy of "Hamlet" and the author John DeCarlo's essay "Last Breath," strive to at least learn from the experience of witnessing a loved one's passing. The scene depicted in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," shows the young, Danish prince encountering his father's ghost, and learning the true nature of the old king's death. In "Last Breath" by John F. DeCarlo, the author sits beside his grandfather as the soul of the old man ebbs into the great beyond of death. DeCarlo's memories are tender: "With the love I felt for him, I followed his awareness from one realm into another" (De Carlo 18). Although his old grandfather has some regrets, not all of the man's memories are bitter. DeCarlo is willing to sit beside his grandfather and listen, because he is certain that his grandfather is undergoing a natural process, of dyi
The man looks at them from an "altar," his current vantage point at the end of the life stage, and even the painful events of his life, like his wrongful imprisonment are "guideposts" as to what he has learned (DeCarlo 19). He only focuses on what was done wrong to him, and asks his son to take vengeance. This is another reason that the ghost is consumed, literally and figuratively, with the cause of revenge. But Hamlet's father does not reminisce over the good and bad of his life equally. Terrible things have happened to Grandpa, such as his wrongful imprisonment, but Grandpa does not call the author to take vengeance. Rather, the revelation the ghost brings is about the horrors on the earth that must transpire because of the wrong done to him at death. "Our spirits rejoiced in a final revelation," writes DeCarlo, as Grandpa comes to the end of his life (DeCarlo 19). Although the reason for the ghost haunting the battlements lies in the fact that he is come from purgatory, and his worldview reflects a Christian concept of faith and confession that must be made before death, when comparing the ghost's experience with DeCarlo's dying grandfather, it might also be remarked upon that a lack of chance to reflect over one's life in general makes for a bitter death and regrets. He also mourns that he was not given the chance to make peace with his sins, which means the ghost must suffer in purgatory. "Remember me," he says, not remember what I have learned or tried to teach you about the good in life (I. Hamlet's father is angry at his brother for depriving him of his crown and queen.
Common topics in this essay:
I5 Hamlet's,
DeCarlo's Grandpa,
DeCarlo Grandpa,
De Carlo,
Comparison Hamlet,
John DeCarlo,
John DeCarlo's,
Hamlet Danish,
I'll Hamlet,
hamlet's father,
wrongful imprisonment,
decarlo 19,
reason ghost,
beside grandfather,
grandpa's passing,
father's ghost,
|
Acceptance Essays
