Thematic Comparison of Hamlet and Rabbit Hole Mikayla Kim 11th Grade

The nature of humankind has been highly explored in literature and film throughout the ages. Whether it be through deception of reality or through over-analyzation of every possible outcome, human thought has been approached in various forms. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the movie Rabbit Hole both exemplify these concepts through their approach to appearance and reality as well as action and inaction. Despite their differences, both works emphasize the importance of these ideas, particularly finding truth and taking initiative. Appearance masks the harsh truth of reality and the idea that inaction can often escalate unfortunate circumstances are two significant themes expressed in both Hamlet and Rabbit Hole.

Both Hamlet and Rabbit Hole reveal that appearance masks the dark truth of reality. For instance, in Hamlet, other than being a bit rude and misogynistic, Claudius seems to be innocent in his appearance before the Danish court in Elsinore. With the death of King Hamlet fresh in the minds of the people, Claudius says that the entire kingdom shares in grief, but as the Ghost reveals to Prince Hamlet, he is little more than a “smiling, damned villain” who acts as if he has done nothing wrong and is deserving of the throne that he...