The power of literature

Hamlet has been staged all along the world, in many ways. It is a universal play. However, few times has it been brought to live with such impact and significance as in this high security prison. The play reflects many behaviors going on in prisons as well as the identities of prisoners themselves.

            It is very interesting to see how the prisoners reflect on their mistakes while they are characters on the play. They are impersonating characters who have acted in-what today would be deemed-illegal behavior. For example the actor who interprets Claudius is being confronted with killing a person, and committing a crime. I can imagine that as the scene within Claudius’ confession progressed, the inmate wasn’t playing a character he was truly repenting. Just as the person who plays the Ghost, he sees in the ghost the victim of his horrible crime. He murdered somebody, and as he read the play he felt that the ghost spoke to him. The power that the play has on the inmates is stronger than the thickest concrete wall or the most solid shackles.

            There is an interesting parallel with Hamlet and the prison’s structure. There are “killer whales”, and “guppies”. The killer whales hold the power entirely and in a prison this power is shown in cruel ways. This fear holds people back and prevents them from speaking freely. Their lives become plays, they show characters that are necessary for them to survive in prison and avoid the atrocities that happen there. That is why it was so hard for prisoners to act in plays, even if they wanted to. By acting they should weakness and might be perceived as “sissies”.

            During the podcast I felt like having a conversation with the jesters, especially when listening to “Big Hutch”. His size and power gave him a capability to speak freely, which is something very odd in places like this. They all spoke freely and naturally, they said what they felt and did in a very realistic perspective.

            This podcast reminded me of one of my favorite movies: The Shawshank Redemption. As I listened to the thoughts of these men, and their regret, their true desire for a second chance, I thought of a scene of this movie. Andy, enters the room with the intercom, he finds a record player and plays a records by “two A-talian ladies” he plays it outloud in the intercom for the entire prison two hear: “and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.

Hamlet J Alfred Prufrock

People at least once in their life face a moment of true indecision. That moment-be it seconds or days long-were reaching a decision seems to be a nearly impossible task. Sometimes the decision is clear but the path to it is scary or foggy. This is the case of two very different individuals: Prince Hamlet and J Alfred Prufrock. Both of them have reached a decision, but for very different reason they can’t find a way to make that decision a reality. Prufrock’s indecision roots in his insecurity and overthinking, on the other hand Hamlet is so consumed by rage and hate that he can’t execute a plan to fulfill his wishes.

It is important to discover the object of the two characters’ obsessions. iN Hamlet’s case it is his father’s death, the desire to avenge him from his murderous uncle and treacherous mother. In J Alfred Prufrock’s case it is a woman that captured his heart. This is the first clue towards understanding the differences between the two characters’ situations. Hamlet’s indecision comes from a negative situation, the death of his father in the hands of his uncle. This causes emotions of hate and rage. Prufrock is in love, he feels the most powerful and normally positive emotion a human can feel. Ironically the emotions linked with Hamlet’s desire for revenge have more power over his actions and make him more driven towards his goal. With love comes vulnerability, when love is truly present the person is vulnerable. This is why Prufrock is dithering to declare his love, he is scared of rejection and being hurt. That is the first difference between Hamlet and Prufrock: Hamlet is decided on his ends due to the aggressive nature of his situation, Prufrock wants to do something but he isn’t completely sure that it would benefit him.

Hamlet’s position in his environment is very different to Prufrock’s. He is a Prince, a powerful and confident person. Prufrock is an insecure, shy person, a tertiary character: “I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; I am an attendant lord”. This makes Hamlet’s path to his goal easier he has more ability and power to achieve revenge. Prufrock is unnoticed and isolated, curiously enough those aren’t characteristics that appeal to a woman.

The indecision itself isn’t the same for Hamlet and Prufrock. Hamlet can’t decide how he wants to avenge his father, he is so angry that he wants to inflict as much pain as possible on Claudius. He wants his revenge to be perfect. Prufrock decides he wants to talk to a woman but in some level he knows he can’t do it and fantasized with his love affair with this woman. He considers-somewhat hopelessly-that by changing himself he will get this woman. “Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare eat a peach?”.

Finally Hamlet achieves his goal, Claudius ends up dead. However Laertes and Gertrude die in the process, not to mention him. At the end Hamlet dies with peace, he makes amends with Laertes and dies with a heroic scene and Claudius’s agonizing shouts. Prufrock grows old, in the midst of fantasies which remain that. He dies in an ironic peace: We have lingered in the chambers of the sea/By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown/ Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” Prufrock dies in an ironic peace, he realizes that fear held him back his whole life but realizes he was comfortable being an attendant guard in Prince Hamlet’s heroic death.