Compare some aspect of character in Hamlet by Shakespears and One flew Essay

Compare some aspect of character in Hamlet by Shakespears and One flew over the cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey---How do characters deal with similar problems A - Essay Example ween the two pieces of text is that the issue of madness is dealt with in both texts: Hamlet is thought by many to be mad, and indeed he himself says, â€Å"I am but mad north-northwest†, with Claudius confirming this by saying, â€Å"Madness in great ones must not go unwatched†. The whole action of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest takes place in a mental institution, with the main protagonist, R.P. McMurphy, himself being a patient at the institution: as R. P. McMurphy points out early in the text, â€Å"I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this†, and later in the text, he makes reference to his madness many times, with quotes such as, â€Å"Is that crazy enough for ya? Want me to take a shit on the floor?†. A further similarity in the two characters is the fact that both men are strongly motivated by outside events; Hamlet cannot cope with his mother re-marrying after the death of his father, and R.P. McMurphy is obstinately obsessed with needing to be the centre of attention in the institutional setting; as he says soon after we meet him, â€Å"I like to make a good impression on the right man if he can prove to me he is the right man†, showing that R.P. McMurphy is egotistical and obsessed with assessing the characters of people he meets, just as Hamlet proves himself to be through the events in Shakespeare’s play. Further, Hamlet and R.P. McMurphy are both defined as characters by their need, their thirst, for revenge. For R.P. McMurphy, he wants revenge on Nurse Ratchet after she re-seizes possession of the ward; for Hamlet, the whole thrust of his character is to avenge the death of his father, as he says, â€Å"†¦From this time forth/My thoughts be bloody or worth nothing†. Indeed, it is revenge that ultimately drives the characters to their end, even though both characters try to cover their thirst for revenge with deviations at every opportunity, through manipulation and trickery. Similarly, the ultimate downfall of each character occurred due to a