Friday, November 30, 2018
Hamlet and Aeneas
In Latin, we have discussed Aeneas as a character. His main enemy throughout the Aeneid is Fury itself, which is represented in many ways. "Furor", Fury, is something that is chaotic and goes against the established order. Aeneas is called to be a new kind of hero in that his deeds aren't going to be in warfare, but instead in establishing a new settlement in Italy and leading his people with honor. Instead of staying to fight while Troy was falling to the Greeks, he was called by spirits of fallen warriors and his wife to flee and give hope to a future settlement, which would become Rome. Hamlet is too called to battle Fury; his uncle has disturbed the established order and he must put it back in place. This relates to the great chain of being; the chain, established order, has been disturbed, and there can't be peace until it is restored. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father just as Aeneas is visited by many guiding spirits, including his dad's. Hamlet, however, is called to violent revenge. This is a different type of calling than Aeneas's, and it is more traditional. He must avenge his dad who was killed to regain his honor and the throne, whereas Aeneas's goal is not about fighting and is meant to serve as a contrast between Aeneas and other more traditional war heroes.
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This is a very interesting point you bring up, and it is fascinating to find parallels between two stories told in two different times and places. And though these two stories have the same basis, a call of action to restore the divine order of things, their end results are drastically different. This is because the origin and the roots of their later actions affect the outcome. While Aeneas's journey was rooted in peace and was running away from violent conflict, Hamlet was barreling head on into violence and chaos. This just goes to show that intentions are everything, and they will effect the end result of similar actions. Good deeds should be done with good intentions, like Aeneas, and good deeds should not be done with bad intentions, such as Hamlet. It could be argued, though, that Hamlets intentions were good in that he would be bringing justice to his father, but according to the highly Christian morals accepted at the time this play was written, revenge was something to be condemned.
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