I am not missing the influence of Shakespeare in this work. His fingerprints are all over it, from direct references to more subtle touches: in characters and plot points. However, the references seem more like Macbeth to me. I see Pip scrubbing blood from his hands and contemplating his guilt, and I hear Lady Macbeth shouting 'Out out, damned spot!'
Shut up... it's cute and kind of related .
The main elements of Hamlet, at least as I see it, are being haunted by the ghosts of the past, of seeking vengeance, and of a constant struggle between the intellectual mind and the emotional heart. I see so little of these traits in Great Expectations. One might argue that Pip is 'haunted' by the action he took in aiding the escaped convict when he was a child - but at least some of these events were, in part, beneficial to Pip - resulting in his new fortune and so on, for all that it was mismanaged.
Did it occur to anyone else Pip would have had a much nicer life if he became a blacksmith and told Estella to hit the road? I guess money kinda is the root of all evil.
What? I didn't make him get into debt by giving him money he couldn't handle.... Much.
Anyway. I just wanted to see if anyone else was thinking the same thing. If not, well. Maybe you could enlighten me :P
Not to give too much of our presentation on Tuesday away, but I think what you have called the main elements of Hamlet (being haunted by the ghosts of the past, of seeking vengeance, and of a constant struggle between the intellectual mind and the emotional heart) are well represented in Dickens' novel. Maybe not all by Pip, though. I look forward to hearing more of your perspective on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteI think both of you have got a good point. In fact, it is sometimes hard to see direct and unambiguous connections between the novel and the play but as Emily said, we'll come to talk about that tomorrow.
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