The Love Song and Hamlet

The Love Song and Hamlet

The Poem by T.S Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, deals with the theme of indecision and growing old. In Shakespeare's Hamlet these themes, along with the theme of procrastination, become evident as well while reading the play. The main characters from both works of literature struggle, trapped in the elite society they were born into. Hamlet trapped among the royal blood of his family and J. Alfred Prufrock among the “women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.”

As Eliot writes, “To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”” I think of prince Hamlet who struggles with the idea of trying to kill his uncle Claudius. The whole play is written around Hamlet's indecision and procrastination when pondering the idea of killing his uncle. At one point Hamlet contemplates suicide with the famous words, “To be or not to be.” These words are very much like Eliot’s “To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”” Both characters are faced with decisions that have been thrust upon them, yet they are too cowardly to face and deal with them. The main character in T.S Eliot’s poem however differs from hamlet, “No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was I meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool” He is less than Hamlet, and has less power over his decisions than Hamlet. He compares himself to a secondary character, which implies that he depreciates and demeans his role in society.

The poem leads into a drearier and less hopeful theme about the tragedy of growing old and the eventual meaningless life we all lead. It comes from the point of view of the main character that looks back and regrets what he hasn’t accomplished in his lifetime. It leaves the audience pondering the idea that in the end we will all grow “bald spots” and we will all eventually encounter death. So what does it matter if we decide to act in our lifetime? The scene in Hamlet, where he is speaking to a gravedigger is very much like Eliot’s interpretation of growing old. The gravedigger shows Hamlet the jesters skill and shows him how in the end it doesn’t matter if the skull was royalty or a royal servant, in the end it is just a skull. Both characters come to the realization that the elitist society they are condemned to is meaningless.