The ghost of King Hamlet first appears in front of the watchmen outside Elsinore castle. Horatio, a watchman and a good friend of Hamlet, suggests they inform the prince about the ghost because it signifies a warning and it would speak to his son. Hamlet had less knowledge about death and did not believe the aspect of spiritual beings. However, during the night, the ghost appears to Hamlet and claims to be his father’s spirit. The ghost urges Hamlet to seek vengeance for his death which was a “foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare, 1.5). The ghost reveals that a villain poured poison into his ears while he slept in the garden and the villain now rules his kingdom. The revelations confirm Hamlet's fears about his uncle Claudius. Claudius betrayed his brother King Hamlet and had corrupted the kingdom of Denmark.
At the beginning of play “Proof,” Catherine is sitting alone in the backyard. Robert, her father, appears and wants to celebrate her 25th birthday with her. Robert asks Catherine “I thought I’d check up on you. Why aren’t you in bed?” (Auburn, 1.1). Catherine was unwell and this was a ghost of her father who died a week ago showing concern. In both plays, the ghosts appear as a warning sign of the future their kids. However, King Hamlet was also seeking revenge for his death while Professor Robert was solely concerned about his daughter’s mental wellness.
Discussion
The death of King Hamlet presents Claudius the opportunity to inherit the kingdom of Denmark. Therefore, he kills his brother then two months later, he marries his spouse and takes command of Denmark. Claudius describes his reign as “It hath the primal eldest curse upon, a brother’s murder” (Shakespeare, 3.3). Hamlet remains as the only threat to his dominance as Claudius has already corrupted the kingdom and King Hamlet's wife Gertrude. Thus, Claudius plans to use Laertes rage of losing his father Polonius to kill Hamlet and eliminate the threat. Catherine is a conservative intellectual while her sister Claire is a free spirit who loves to try new experiences. Claire suggests that Catherine should join her in New York after the burial of their father but Catherine refutes the offer. Nonetheless, Claire insists on the matter and threatens to sell their house. In the opening scenes, Claire suggests Catherine uses her shampoo by saying “You might like it if you decide to use it” (Auburn, 2.1). Both antagonists display selfish characters and want to take control of other people’s lives. Claudius is greedy for power and will not stop at anything to acquire the kingdom hence plotting the death of his nephew Hamlet while Claire wants her sister Catherine to quit her conservative ways.
Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, claims Hamlet is in love with her but both Polonius and Gertrude is against the love affair. Laertes advises his sister Ophelia against falling for Hamlet because he is of a different social class and thus cannot love honestly. Laertes also question Hamlet’s commitment due to his responsibilities to the kingdom of Denmark. Ophelia claims Hamlet still loves her with the response “I was the more deceived” (Shakespeare, 3.1). In “Proof,” during the party, Catherine decides to go to the porch and have some alone time. Hal, a student of Robert, joins her and offers her a beer while they have a conversation. Catherine and Hal develop a connection and start having an affair. The two spend more time together as Hal makes the move to ask Catherine “I want to spend the day with you if possible” (Auburn, 4.1). The romantic relationships impacted the well being of both protagonists as they were both going through traumatic experiences of losing their beloved father. However, the lack of trust jeopardized Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia.
Traumatic experiences like the death of a loved one greatly affect the mental health of an individual. Hamlet lost his father and resort to erratic behavior because of the pain to the point he considered taking his own life. The revelations of Claudius actions by the ghost made him feign to a madman behavior to mask his plans of vengeance. The prince tells Horatio that he plans to "put on an antic disposition" (Shakespeare, 1.5). Catherine also suffers a similar loss and is highly affected because of her relationship with her father. In the opening scenes, Catherine sees her father as a figment of her imagination because he was the only person that showed mutual concern of her well being. Later on, Catherine suffers a breakdown because Claire and Hal refuse to believe she wrote the proof of the theory in her father’s notebook. Catherine shows doubt in her decision-making process when she tells Hal “Some nights they'd be really far apart, I'd have no idea how to get to the next one if there was a next one" (Auburn, 3.1). Both characters suffered a traumatic experience of losing a beloved parent. However, Hamlet was just mourning his father and only acted mad to hide his plot of revenge. On the contrary, Catherine displays irrational acts such as depressive habits, trust issues, and suffers a mental breakdown. Catherine also casts doubt on herself as she fears she inherited mental illness from her father.
Conclusion
In “Proof,” the major themes of fear and sacrifice are exhibited. Catherine is fearful of her mental health and depicts concern through her father’s ghost. She is afraid she inherited the disease and is bound to suffer the same fate with no one to take care of her. Claire and Catherine give a justification for the decisions they made during their argument. Claire moved to New York to fend for her family while Catherine quit school to take care of her ill father. The play “Hamlet” describes the mystery of death in the opening act and the complexity of actions throughout the drama. Prince Hamlet doubts the existence of spirituality until the ghost appears to him and he goes on to follow his advice. Characters in hamlet also take emotional, ethical and psychological considerations before taking any action throughout the play. Both dramas show the theme of mental health through the behaviors of the protagonists.
