Post 25: A Character Most Like Hamlet

Out of all of the passages, stories and poems we have read so far this semester, I think that the one character that relates most to Hamlet would be Arjuna with his guide Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. In this story, Arjuna is led by Krishna to "fulfill his Kshatriya duty as a warrior and establish Dharma", so basically he is ordered to tend to a specific and important duty in order to win a battle; however, Arjuna is torn between what to do, and most of the Bhagavad Gita consists of conversation and debate between the two. Like Arjuna, Hamlet is also called upon to complete a task. "Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge", this is Hamlet's response after he is ordered to plot and perform revenge upon his uncle after all of the evil things he has created and done to Hamlet's family. In the stories, both Arjuna and Hamlet debate with another character over whether or not to do something; in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna debates whether to battle with family or not, and in Hamlet, Hamlet debates whether or not he really wants to go through with revenging his uncle by killing him. Lastly, both Arjuna and Hamlet are both called upon to perform these duties, and if not completed, they both could be threatened with serious consequences.