Example Of Comparative Character Analysis Of Titus Andronicus And Prince Hamlet Essay

Titus Andronicus is a glorious Roman general, who spent most of his life fighting with the enemies of the Roman empire. His arrival to Rome coincides with the death of an old emperor, so the tribune decides that he should become a new Caesar. However, in order to keep the peace he denies this privilege and concedes the throne to the Saturninus, a son of the deceased emperor.
Titus strictly adheres to the principles of honesty, fairness and moral duty to his country and to the people of Rome. Ironically, such deep devotion to traditions and morality causes a chain of gory events which end up with the death of the character. Titus brutally slays his son Mutius for his disobedience to the father`s will. At the end of the play he kills his daughter Lavinia for casting a shame on the family. Despite such cruel deeds, he still suffers deep grief for his two sons, who were wrongfully condemned to death for the crime they did not commit.
Titus` character is controversial: his cruelty coexists with the deep love and affection for his children. Most of his decisions are based on the desire of vengeance and guided by his moral beliefs, like principles of fairness and justice.
We can see a similar situation in Hamlet. Prince Hamlet plans to avenge his father by assassinating an alleged murderer – his uncle Cornelius. However, Hamlet is not so bold and confident in his plan, as he is still unsure if Cornelius is the person who killed his father. He becomes more hesitant and reflective, as he tries to prove his uncle`s guilt beyond any doubt.
Hamlet is much less impulsive than Titus, which shows him as a more contemplative and reasonable person. However, both of the characters` actions and decisions are driven by the same craving of revenge - that is a moral justification for the deeds of Titus and Hamlet. Despite that similarity, the reaction to the death of their kin is absolutely different. Titus, without second thought, takes swift and somewhat reckless actions in order to reinstate justice, while Hamlet experiences a complete reevaluation of his moral views, which makes him more hesitant and unsure if he should carry out the act of revenge at all. Eventually, as we can see in the play, Hamlet`s sense of moral duty and justice prevailed his indecision, which resulted in the killing of Cornelius.
The other major trait that both of the characters share, is patriotism. Titus is deeply disturbed by the fact that those enemies that he was fighting against most of his life, are rapidly gaining influence and power within the Rome. Moral duty and the sense of patriotism would not let Titus sit idly, so he takes necessary steps to restore justice and peace. As much as Titus, Hamlet cannot stay indifferent to the fate of his country while it is exposed to the external threat from the Norwegian crown prince Fortinbras.