Willy, Hamlet, J. Alfred: Inside their Restless Minds

This Blog post will explore the connections between Death of a Salesman, Hamlet and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. These pieces of writing all share a common theme and the personas of each character and their relation to the theme will be explored.

Love, a word so simple yet so impactful. It has been demonstrated to impact and inspire individuals for many centuries and can be seen through pieces of literature. Love can define and shape an individual into the person they become. It teaches many life lessons that people could not have necessarily learned without experiencing it, such as heartbreak. Love may be the most profound emotion we will experience. Love itself has the power to fulfill relationships, teach us important life lessons and change lives forever.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hamlet, a play by Shakespeare based on a broken and mourning Hamlet trying to avenge his father's death, Death of a Salesman, a play by Arthur Miller based on the tragedy of a father who took his life in pursuit of "The American Dream", and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, a poem by T.S Eliot based on an adult male as he searches for love and meaning in an uncertain world, are all pieces of literature that connect to one theme, love. In the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, it is difficult to understand whether he is truly in love. He seems "cowardly" to speak about the person he appears to love since he talks about himself more. In the poem, Prufrock believes his loved one could love him back, however, he worries that he might be misinterpreting her signs. He faces a fear of rejection and throughout the poem he attempts to overcome it. Such as many individuals would, he questions whether his feelings are truly "love" rather than lust or simple attraction. Love is one of the most significant themes in Hamlet. Hamlet's feeling of love justifies many of the actions he is willing to partake in to avenge his beloved father. Love can also be seen in several relationships in Hamlet. An example is the Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship. Hamlet seems to care very little about a significant amount of characters in the play, however, his love for Ophelia has shown through his actions. Considering his collection of letters, poems and his outburst at her funeral, it is safe to say he was in love. Gertrude and Hamlet have a complex yet loving relationship. He disguises his jealousy in Gertrude and Claudius's relationship with anger and misogyny. Even though all the pain Gertrude has caused Hamlet, the attachment a child will experience with a parent will never fade. Love is unconditional yet demanding which can be seen in Death of a Salesman. With love comes sacrifice and Willy Loman demonstrated that. Linda's love for Willy blinded her with the reality of their lives. Willy was demanding for a better future for his son's lives, especially Biff. He demanded simply because he knew of the world's harsh reality. He ended up sacrificing his life for his family so theycould potentially live "The American Dream" they always talked about. The only human experience that seems sufficient and inevitable till mortality is love, which is why literature expresses this emotion substantially in it's writing. Whether it being romantic or friendship love, the emotion impacts all individuals to a certian extent, therefore makes it relatable to all readers.

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Click to read The Love Song of J.Alred Prufrock!

Click to read Death of a Salesman!

Click to read Hamlet!