Into the Madness: Similarities between Alice and Hamlet

Warning: May contain spoilers.

It may come as a surprise to readers that Alice, a motivated yet naïve heroine, and Hamlet, a tragic Shakespearean protagonist, possibly share several common attributes in how they are characterized. Indeed, the theme of madness is evident within both texts; however, the two titular personalities have demonstrated several instances of similarity during their respective character development.

They contemplate particular scenarios and reflect on their inner thoughts, depending on the various circumstances at any given point in the two plots. They usually consider what actions they will take (typically when they are alone), though they tend to act on impulse when actually faced with situations (normally involving others) by not giving much time, if at all, for thought on their feelings towards their circumstances. They “select” which roles to play, and behave according to their social surroundings. Although they seem like contrasting characters at first sight, Alice and Hamlet bear many psychological similarities throughout their narratives; therefore, they are comparable.

Alice is well known for her contemplation on various occasions in both Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. An instant example can be found within the first chapter of Adventures; she ponders whether or not the pleasure of making a daisy chain is worth the trouble of getting up and picking up the daisies for it (Carroll, 17). A simple ponder, yes, but nevertheless an indicator of Alice indirectly making decisions involving her mood about any sort of thought or situation whose consequences could potentially affect her.

Later on, as she ventures through Wonderland, she does plenty of thinking about her identity, how she might have felt prior to entering this eerie new world, and why other characters constantly change in behaviour. The more she cogitates, the closer she comes to establishing her own conclusions, especially when she rationalizes that she would have to remain in Wonderland for being Mabel and having to live in a poky little house with no toys to play with (Carroll, 25).

Hamlet mirrors a similar line of thinking in several of his reflective soliloquies. The best example can be found in Act Three, Scene One, in which he contemplates the meaning of life. In this soliloquy, there is a stanza that describes his feelings about death; his commentary relates to death being something to look forward to (Shakespeare, lines 68-72). Suicidal undertones are expressed here, and the more he thinks about suicide, the more it seems like a logical solution to his dilemma in vengeance of his father’s death.

With contemplation generally comes the notion of curiosity — this is particularly true in Alice’s case. When she first steps foot in Wonderland, she wonders about her new surroundings, a sense of curiosity that is perfectly normal for a child to experience. Yet she does not consider how she will get home (Carroll, 18). It is usually accepted as fact that children tend to alleviate their worries about finding their way back home safely; nonetheless, in a short time, readers will already begin to notice that Alice lacks the understanding of thinking things through from all applicable sides.

Instead, she focuses solely on the current unfolding of events. She does not consider the consequences of taking risks by immersing herself further into this strange world. Hence, she may not be aware of what might happen to her in the event that things do not work out in her favour. Because of her curious tendencies, she sets out no foundations when overcoming obstacles and makes ‘charming’ mistakes while going through her metaphorical growth stages in Wonderland.

Hamlet contemplates in an opposing manner, yet harbours the same flaw in character structure. In the same soliloquy mentioned previously, Hamlet considers what could happen in the afterlife when contemplating life and death (Shakespeare, lines 74-75). Rather than staying on task and completing the deed of murdering Claudius, his procrastinating progresses to the point where suicide may be the simplest resolution to his plight, as well as his incestuous marriage to Gertrude.

The difference between Alice and Hamlet here is that Hamlet is too concerned about his potential journey to afterlife if he does not avenge his father’s death, when he should instead be thinking about how he will alter the outcome in favour of what may be right for the kingdom. Simply put, the similarity lies within the failure of both characters to conduct sound reasoning when engaged in the process of thought.

Alice is also a circumlocutory individual in the sense that she cannot get straight to the point of an argument without questioning virtually everything in an obscure fashion. This is made clear in the beginning of her conversation with the caterpillar; the dialogue runs circular as the caterpillar wants clear and concrete answers from Alice without so much unrelated exposition on her part.

Using an example to put this into context, Alice is unable to reveal herself to him because of her identity crisis. Meanwhile, the caterpillar loses his patience with her when she questions his butterfly transformation, since he takes no great interest in his own identity and solely wants to know hers (Carroll, 47-52). This is merely a snippet of the conversation, but it shows that she has a tendency to go on tangents.

Hamlet is no different; when examining several of his famous soliloquies, particularly the one he recites in Act One, Scene Two, he would begin his ramble about how he wishes that God would permit suicide. He feels that the kingdom of Denmark has been doomed ever since his father’s passing. He then goes on to rant about his mother’s failure to mourn his father’s death longer and going through with her hasty marriage to Claudius, a sinister man who could never compare to the virtuous king (Shakespeare, 129-159).

He projects this anger onto many characters in a generalized manner and attacks them as a result, without fully understanding who he is truly angry at and why once he goes mad. As Alice and Hamlet rationalize their thoughts and arguments throughout various scenes in their stories, they then apply their ideas to their decision-making tactics.

The ways in which Alice and Hamlet tackle situations can be contradictory depending on whether or not they are given a chance to thoroughly formulate their plans. They either debate the consequences, or act impetuously. When thinking about how her actions would impact the circumstance at hand, Alice’s growth metaphor in Wonderland is the best way to describe her reasoning when overcoming obstacles, such as squeezing through the rat-hole (Carroll, 20). The key guide to her success is how her size would benefit her advancement in Wonderland.

On the other hand, she would end up making mistakes by abruptly taking courses of action, especially when she feels she absolutely has to satisfy her wonder of what would happen next. This is seen when she drinks from the bottle labelled ‘DRINK ME’. There is no hint in how and if the liquid substance would have an effect on her, so she would have no choice but to try it and see for her own knowledge.

In Hamlet’s soliloquy, “O What A Rogue and Peasant Slave Am I,” he compares the actors on stage performing his mini-play to how he would acquaint the audience to the reality of his situation, and thus have emotions stir within them. He then reflects on his procrastination; because he has not done away with Claudius yet, he questions his own character based on the difference between what he says he will do and what he actually does. He wonders if he is even fit for the deed, since he otherwise would have committed the murder by now. However, his second-guessing is triggered when he considers whether or not the Ghost’s claim about his father’s death is truly valid.

It is decided at this point that he will test Claudius’ reaction to the mini-play (Shakespeare Act Two, Scene Two). This shows that when he is not faced with a dilemma first-handedly, Hamlet will analyze the current issue from all possible angles. Contrarily, if an issue suddenly arises, Hamlet reacts imprudently. While arguing with his mother in her room, Polonius is silently listening in on their dispute from behind a curtain.

When Gertrude feels threatened by Hamlet’s seemingly violent advances, she lets out a scream for help, causing Polonius to respond the same way. Hamlet, certain that it is Claudius spying on them, stabs and kills Polonius through the curtain. Supporting characters and general surroundings that bear significance to their story and character arcs influence Alice and Hamlet’s behaviourisms and their decision-making strategies.

Going through both characters’ psychological profiles, it is clear that their methods of thinking are systematic. The next stage is choosing which ‘role’ to portray when communicating with other characters. Alice, however, is fond of pretending to be two people at once. She likes to think that she is making conversation with others, but in reality, she is speaking to her alter egos (Carroll, 19-23). This could also include manifestations of herself in Wonderland, which are interpreted by the other supporting characters throughout the majority of the story.

Since she never really had a social life growing up, other than being raised among the presence of adults, this is her way of selecting what kind of person she wants to transform herself into. She also makes up for the lack of communication outside her comfort zone by assuming the roles of other people (with varying personalities and physical makeups) involved in the conversations. The most iconic example of this is the Mad Tea Party, where the few guests attending constantly switch seats and reveal a multitude of personas, albeit physically remaining the same.

After Hamlet’s encounter with the Ghost in Act One, Scene Five, he tells his friends that he will “[put] an antic disposition on” (Shakespeare, line 180). In other words, Hamlet states that he will intentionally begin to act abnormally. As readers continue on, they will find that Hamlet behaves this way for the purpose of getting Claudius to confess his sins. By this approach to reason, both characters appease their inner desires in a decisive manner.

Up front, Alice does not want to seem like an ignorant person, which explains why she compulsively questions everything that crosses her path. That being said, she personally prefers to figure things out for herself (Carroll, 19). Although she is, for the most part, an introverted person, she still balances out her personal intentions with her interactions in any given environment by conveying her personality through curious undertones.

In Act Two, Scene Two, Hamlet explains to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that, “[he is] but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, [he knows] a hawk from a handsaw.” (Shakespeare, line 375) Even though he has gone mad, Hamlet assures his companions that because he always knows whom he is dealing with, he will behave how he or she behaves towards him, or how he feels that person should be treated.

In Through the Looking Glass, Alice profoundly declares, “I don’t want to be anybody’s prisoner. I want to be a Queen” (Carroll, 205). Alice demonstrates her determination by setting out to accomplish what she wants to be, and her most desired yet basic goal in Looking Glass is to win the chess game to become queen. She also shows that she does not intend to become anyone’s possession during the match, which further justifies her selectivity, because she resolves to move forward in the game and not ‘practically be forced’ to lose.

Though there has been much debate between literary scholars over Hamlet’s true feelings towards Ophelia; his overall behaviour whenever she is in his company is perplexing, to the point where it can even be considered bipolar. During their first known encounter (though it happens before the actual story), Hamlet would moan and shake Ophelia violently while visiting her, take a brief look at her, and then leave her room without question.

At their second encounter, Hamlet denies sending letters of affection to Ophelia and advises her to go to a nunnery to be rid of her ‘sinful nature’. At the start of his mini-play, he randomly asks her if he could lie on her lap, which is a sign of affection. Indeed, he convinces her of his madness, but the way in which he presents himself to her varies each time in order to constantly change her opinion of him, along with everybody else’s.

He does not want to give any straight ideas about what he is really thinking, especially since he wants no one outside of his circle to know about his ultimate plan to murder Claudius. Thus, he makes it his first objective to confuse the naïve Ophelia and the others in court, causing a domino effect. There is, without a doubt, a method to how both characters execute themselves on the basis of their inner goals and states of mind (whether they are aware or unaware of them).

After a detailed examination of Alice and Hamlet's mind processes, the argument that they harbour a psychological resemblance can be proven valid. There is an apparent interrelatedness between what they make of their internal thoughts, how they apply these thoughts to actions, and how they will go through with their actions in order to achieve their goals. Despite the fact that both characters come from distinct genres of fictitious writing, they employ their madness comparatively. Whether the outcomes of their actions deem positive or tragic, the theme of madness is a crucial asset to their successfulness, or lack thereof, in the end.

Note: I completely forgot which editions these books were. Sorry!