Comparing to Hamlet and The Great Gatsby The Alchemist Comparing to Hamlet and The Great Gatsby

Thesis The Alchemist, The Great Gatsby and Hamlet all exemplify the themes of Courage and Pursuit of Dream.

Summary The Alchemist is a tale of a Spanish shepherd named Santiago, who goes in search of his personal legend. He follows an advice from an old king and sells his sheep to get there. But he gets robbed on the way so he works with a crystal merchant. When he gathers enough money he joins a caravan and starts a tough journey through they stop at a oasis where he meets Fatima and fells in love with her. He then meets with the real alchemist who shows him the final way to get to his treasure. The alchemist is a novel about lost hope, courage, luck and moral values. Santiago gets help from various people on his journey to find his personal treasure.

Themes to Compare Courage: Courage is a main theme found both in The Alchemist and Hamlet. Through courage characters learn how to overcome there weaknesses and how to face problems. Pursuit of Dream: This theme is presented in The Grate Gatsby and The alchemist. This theme shows the hardships and challenges a character has to go through to reach their dream.

Courage Santiago and Hamlet are very courageous and shows the act of bravery many times. Santiago shows bravery when he stands up against the alchemist. Alchemist asks him pointing his sword on Santiago's neck, “Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of hawks?” (Coelho 109) Then Santiago answered him back saying, “It was I who dared to do so.” (Coelho 109) Hamlet is also very courageous, since he inherited courageousness from his father. Hamlet shows bravery when he had to confront the ghost he asks the ghost, “Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou comest in such a questionable shape That I will speak to thee.” (1.4, 41-44) But Hamlet doesn’t stop there he says , “It will not speak. Then I will follow it.” (1.4, 63)

Courage Santiago and Hamlet also show bravery in making life changing decisions throughout the novel while following their target. Santiago decides to go on a very dangerous and exhausting journey through the desert. This shows when the caravan’s leader tells him that, “I hold the power of life and death for every person I take with me. The desert is a capricious lady, and sometimes she drives men crazy.” (Coelho 71) Hamlet also shows bravery performing the treasonous acts throughout the novel. Having treasonous thoughts was believed to be a sin in Elizabethan times. Hamlet plans to kill king Claudius when he tells his father’s Ghost, “Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge.” (1.5, 29-31)

Pursuit of Dream Santiago and Gatsby are both chasing their dream throughout the novel. Santiago gets robbed on the first day of his journey to look for his treasure. But his struggles weren't over as he explains, “when I decided to seek out my treasure, I never imagined that I’d wind up working in a crystal shop, he thought. And joining this caravan may have been my decision, but where it goes is going to be a mystery to me.” (Coelho 68) Gatsby’s dream was to get daisy back in his life. “Of course she might have loved him, just for a minute, when they were first married --- and loved me more even then, do you see?” (Fitzgerald 159) Shows Gatsby's Desperateness after shattered dream of getting daisy back.

Literary Devices We have seen many literary devices in all the text that we have studied in our class Ex: Foreshadowing Metaphors Similes Symbols

Foreshadowing The boy foreshadows about the attack on oasis The Alchemist The boy foreshadows about the attack on oasis “A sudden, fleeting image came to boy: an army, with its swords at the ready, riding into oasis.” (Coelho 100) Hamlet Marcellus foreshadowing about the corruption and unrest in country “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (1.4, 90) The Great Gatsby Gatsby’s Gardner revels the arrival of autumn “Leaves’ll start falling pretty soon and then there’s always trouble with pipes.”(Fitzgerald 161)

Symbols The Alchemist Omens are a symbol used throughout the novel representing good luck or bad. Green oasis symbolizes life in the middle of desert. Green oasis also symbolizes hope. Hope to get to their target which is green. Hamlet In hamlet we are introduced with many symbols. Serpent Claudius shows betrayal, evil Ghost Death shows death in air Murder leak in society The Great Gatsby In Gatsby Green is hope and a dream. Gatsby dreams of getting to the green light which represents Daisy. Autumn symbolizes the arrival of death. Valley of ashes describe the life of poor people and their struggle. Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg represents the eyes of God

Other The Alchemist Hyperbole: “his words seemed to echo through fifty thousand palm trees”(Coelho 109) Metaphor: the caravan leader describes desert as “capricious lady” (Coelho 71) Hamlet Metaphor: Hamlet compares his problems with slings and arrows when he says, “The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” (3.1, 59) Pun: Hamlet describes Polonius as “fishmonger” (2.2.72) The Great Gatsby Personification: when myrtle describes their pet dog as “that dog’s a boy.” (Fitzgerald 32) Simile: when nick describes Gatsby’s car as, “his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains” (Fitzgerald 43)

Conclusion Courage: In Hamlet and The Alchemist protagonist show courage in many ways and achieve their goal at the end. Hamlet is able to kill Claudius and Santiago finally gets his treasure and his love. Pursuit of Dream: Both Gatsby and Santiago are chasing their dream throughout the novel and Gatsby receives partial success in his American Dream with becoming rich but doesn’t get his love. While Santiago gets both, he finds his love at the oasis and wealth from the treasure.

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