Comparative Essay Example: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” have many themes in common, the root being: ‘dead among living’. I will study several such themes from each work to distinguish which is more engaging to the average reader. Firstly, what does it mean to be ‘engaging’? Simply put, something appealing or attractive that captures interest.

Before making any deep analysis, which plot seems more engaging from the get-go: The ghost of the previous king tells his son to avenge him by killing the new king, or a scientist creates new conscious life from dead bodies which is then outcast for its looks. The choice primarily depends on your genre of preference but something inhuman (a ghost is still a human ghost) such as a literal zombie sounds more interesting. Taking another step back, “Frankenstein” as a title sounds more unusual and exotic than “Hamlet”, but what similarities do they have.

An immediately noticeable connection between the two is the protagonists’ loss of a parental figure, which caused great trauma and distress for them. This is shown with Hamlet’s bouts of madness and Victor’s attempt to recreate the nostalgia from his mother by creating another being to fill that void, neglecting all else: friends, family, social life in the process. These losses are the primary cause of everything else, further accentuating the importance of such people in a person’s life.

Lastly, we need to factor in the depth and emotion behind our script and novel. Whereas Hamlet is a complex and well-woven play, the plot is unrelatable no matter what time you’re in. Frankenstein on the other hand, has an underlying moral, don’t judge a book by its cover, the so-called ‘monster’ started gentle. Furthermore, the only thing he sought was companionship, not foolish revenge, or Romeo & Juliet theatrics between lovers.

In conclusion, I believe that Frankenstein is more engaging than Hamlet, though different types of readers have different preferences, unlike the latter you can take something away from it, additionally, the plot is far more original for its time, not a royal squabble.