P&P: #1-5

            Just about everyone in Pride and Prejudice is proud, but almost to a fault. First and foremost is Elizabeth. Elizabeth is too proud to dance with Mr. Darcy because of his haughty disposition and Mr. Darcy is too proud to dance with, or even have a conversation with anyone who is not rich or well bred. Therefore, both of their excessive prides cause a clash in personalities. It seems as though Elizabeth has a problem with everyone she encounters; her pride causes her to dislike Bingley’s sisters and Mr. Collins. Mrs. Bennet is proud and believes her family is more propitious than the Lucas family and is visibly upset when Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins’s marriage proposal. At the moment, Mr. Bennet is the only character that does not express excessive pride; he is indifferent to all of the pretentious courting that is going on around him. The excess of pride in the characters leads to the prejudices that are demonstrated. To be accepted in this society, one must be wealthy, come from a good family, and be good looking. Once Mr. Bingley finds a more economically suitable match to marry, his sisters express their disdain towards Jane for not being of sufficient social class to marry their brother. Prejudice runs through their society with celerity, just as jealously makes them all want what they cannot have.

            Pride is evident in Mr. Collins proposal to Elizabeth. He is insincere and shallow and Elizabeth does not take it for one second. He begins by listing all of the reasons why she should marry him. Mr. Collins states, “I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness” (92). A marriage proposal is supposed to be enticing and appealing, but Mr. Collins’s is anything but tempting. He clearly values his own happiness over his future wife’s happiness and makes no mention of how this is favorable for Elizabeth. Marriage is a two-way street, but Mr. Collins is only focused on what he will gain from the arrangement. Mr. Collins ends his proposal in a manner that assumes Elizabeth has already agreed to marry him, which demonstrates his excessive pride. Of course Elizabeth rejects his proposal, as she is too proud to lower her standards. Once again excessive prides cause a clash.

AP Practice Essay

1973. An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant closure has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In an essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

            Shakespeare’s Hamlet demonstrates an appropriate ending and provides significant closure. First of all, every Shakespearean tragedy ends in death, so the four deaths that occur in Act V of the play are justified, in a literary sense. The first person to die is Queen Gertrude, who mistakenly drinks the poison that is intended to kill Hamlet. Gertrude is seen to side with her new husband, Claudius, in opposition to Hamlet. She truly believes that Hamlet has turned crazy and reprimands him for mourning the death of his father for too long. She betrays Hamlet and her deceased husband, so her incestuous tendencies validate her death. Shakespeare discretely adds purpose to Gertrude’s death, as it is not meant to be ironic. Gertrude dies mistakenly, as she is deceived and misled into thinking that the drink is safe, just as her duplicitous actions betray Hamlet throughout the play.

            Laertes is a man of action whose decisions are led by his strong emotions. After hearing of his father’s death, Laertes storms the castle enraged and ready to kill his father’s murderer. He ends up dying at the hands of Hamlet during a fencing match. Laertes’s death is appropriate because it is a punishment for not being able to control his emotions. He is so infuriated that he plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet before thinking over the plan. Although is it good that he takes action, Laertes is too quick to jump into battle with Hamlet. The lack of rational thinking contributes to Laertes’s downfall. King Claudius dies shortly after Laertes. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the poison that was intended for Hamlet’s death. Claudius is the classic Shakespearean villain; he steals the crown and manipulates his way into power. Hamlet is completely justified for killing Claudius because Claudius not only steals the crown, but he also steals Gertrude as his wife. Both Claudius’s and Laertes’s plans to kill Hamlet backfire on them. In the end, karma gets both of them and their deaths are appropriate because they never earned their power in the first place.

            Lastly, Hamlet’s hamartia is what gets him killed. He spends the entire play finding excuses not to kill Claudius, when there are actually many opportunities to easily complete the act. Hamlet tends to over think everything and cannot come to conclusions. On the rare occasion that he does make a decision to take action, he never follows through. He hesitates and contemplates for too long, and when he finally acknowledges his own cowardly uncertainty, Hamlet still cannot do the deed. Hamlet’s lack of assertiveness and inability to take action ultimately lead to his own death. Shakespeare concludes the play appropriately by having Fortinbras take over. At the end of each tragedy when all of the main characters die, someone unexpected and previously insignificant always leaps in to take over. It is fitting that Fortinbras becomes the new king because he portrays the polar opposite of Hamlet; Fortinbras knows what he wants and will do whatever it takes to get it.