Well, JH refers more than once to the character - so I thought it would be good to elucidate the references.
Hamlet is a prince in a play of the same name by Shakespeare. He returns home to discover his dad is dead, and his mother is married to his uncle. Annoyed? You betcha. And it doesn't stop there. His dad, or rather, his dad's ghost visits him, telling him that his uncle actually killed his dad - and ... you guessed it - wanting Hamlet to avenge his death.
So ... the connection with Dracula? Well - JH refers to the fact that "everything has to break off at cockcrow - or like the ghost of Hamlet's father". In the play, Hamlet's dad's ghost (also known as Old Hamlet!) first appears to night watchmen - but disappears on the crowing of the cock.
Connection 2? JH writes: "Up to now I never quite knew what Shakespeare meant when he made Hamlet say:-
'My tablets! quick, my tablets!
'Tis meet that I put it down,' etc,."
The part of the quotation that is missing is actually the most relevant - for it should read "Tis meet that I put it down that one may smile and smile and be a villain". At this point, Hamlet has just been told that his uncle killed his father, and he is talking about his uncle - who smiles as his mother's new husband, despite underneath being the dastardly villain. Just like I discussed in my last post: Dracula is polite at face value, but yet has JH as prisoner, and his smile is to become 'a grin of malice which would have held its own in the nethermost hell'.
Interestingly... the second text we will read (The Woman in Black) - also refers to Hamlet. Keep an eye out when we get to it!
I have not read any of Shakespear at all but I did know that Hamlet was written by him. But what I did not know was that part of the quotation was missing. It is quite interesting that Johnathan is now aware of what he is actually up against. I think it was necessary here for the hero to have been able to see beyond to innocence as it was getting a bit frustrating. What's more frustrating though is how the count is completely taking over JH's will. But it definitely is what feeds gothic into the book besides the supernatural happenings and the architecture and whatnot. The psychological impact brings in the horror and fear that is significant to this book. I am also wondering what The Woman in Black is going to be like because for some reason it sounds more appealing than Dracula(lol).
ReplyDeleteThat was meant to be "beyond his innocence" not "to"
ReplyDelete