Death in Famous Literature - Essay Example

Harris Kamran English Analytical Paper 22 November Death in Famous Literature This paper purports to analyze the elements of theme and symbolism as depicted in four of the famous works of literature, Hamlet, Trifles, “To an athlete dying young”, and “Death be not proud”. A theme is the central idea behind a story, play, or poem, and is developed into the plot of the story or the play. The theme chosen for this paper is that of death, with grief as the symbol, and through this analysis, the different contexts in which death is treated in the chosen works of literature will be explored.

Death plays a central role in Hamlet, just as it does in almost all the tragedies by Shakespeare. In Hamlet, the theme of death and the symbol of grief have been used as a pivotal theatrical tool to support the theme of the play, which is revenge and justice. However, this is a simplified plot of the play, which involves much personal meditation, twists, and complications, so that the victory which is gained towards the climax of the play is masked by the complex developments of the play. The play starts with the death of Hamlet’s father, the appearance of his ghost, and thus is laid the foundation of the plot, as the truth is revealed to Hamlet.

The ending of the play, with the death of Hamlet himself, is not a symbol of grief or personal tragedy, rather a depiction of the failure that accompanies the success of Hamlet’s plan. The play tries to explore the depths of human thought, by having the characters contemplate on the questions of life and death. Whereas Hamlet wishes for death, he also ponders on the unknown that lies in the life after death in his most famous soliloquy, “to be, or not to be” (Shakespeare). This is the fundamental concept in the society in general, and by incorporating this in the play, Shakespeare managed to successfully connect with his audience.

Although most of the Shakespearean tragedies follow a general plan of three acts with a heavy doze of death, none have made the theme of death so fundamental for the progression of the play, as is present in Hamlet. In the play Trifles, Susan Glaspell has used death to create an aura of suspense and mystery, with the plot of the play revolving around the mysterious murder of a Mr. Wright. Although the theme of the play seem to be this murder mystery, the undertones to the plot are much more profound, and tackle a completely different subject, that of the disparagement of women in the society.

Although it is a one act play, Glaspell has used the tool of death in a comparative manner, with the death of Mr. Wright by strangulation, and that of Mrs. Wright’s canary, also by strangulation, to create a connection behind the motive for the murder of Mr. Wright, presumably by Mrs. Wright herself. To accentuate this motive, another character, Mrs. Hale, describes Mrs. Wright before the wedding as “kind of like a bird herself, real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and, fluttery” (Gaspell), and Mrs.

Peter, yet another character, claims that she knows the feeling of the loss of a loved one, for she lost a child when he was a baby (Gaspell). Therefore, death, in many contexts, has been used to substantiate the character and actions of Mrs. Wright, the central character of the play. In the poem “To An Athlete Dying Young”, A. E. Housman has used the theme of death in an entirely different context than is used in the Shakespearean tragedies. Housman has managed to glorify the otherwise rather dark and ominous prospect of death, in that he has praised a local hero of a town who died as a young athlete, “And early though the laurel grows, it withers quicker than the rose” (Housman).

However, instead of lamenting on the loss of a hero, Housman has celebrated the fact that the athlete died before witnessing his downfall, whereas many others live to see it, in a beautiful verse, “Runners whom renown outran, and the name died before the man” (Housman). Such use of the theme of death is found rarely in literature, as death is almost always used as a tool in tragedies along with the symbol of grief. Housman, therefore, has created a new meaning to a dark theme. In “Death be not proud”, John Donne has first personified the theme of death, and then challenged it.

He has treated death as a proud, ominous character which gloats on the job of taking lives, and challenged the power and uniqueness that death claims to posses, when he writes “And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well, and better than thy stroake; why swell’st thou then” (Donne). He has implied that although death is inevitable, it is not something to be feared, rather it should be accepted as a necessary part of life (Donne). In most of the famous literature, the theme of death has been depicted as an inexorable force that brings tragedy and misery to the characters, and is symbolized by grief.

In his poem, Donne belittles this domineering concept of death, and invokes in his readers the courage to fight death when need be, and at the least, not to fear it, but to accept it. From the preceding analysis and discussion, it is apparent that the common theme of death has been treated very differently in the four works discussed in the paper, imparting various tones and meanings to the literature. In Hamlet, it has been used to depict tragedy and justice; in Trifles, it has served as a tool to create suspense and mystery, with the deeper context of an examination of the conceived place of women in the society; in the poem “To an athlete dying young”, it has been praised and upheld; whereas in “Death be not proud”, it has been attacked with contempt and a certain degree of smugness.

Works Cited Donne, John. “Death Be Not Proud.” Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. Glaspell, Susan. “Trifles.” University of Virginia Library. Electronic Text Center, 1996. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. Housman, A. E. “To An Athlete Dying Young.” Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.” Enotes.com, 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.