Chong'er, Hamlet, and Odysseus

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  • February 22, 2007 at 2:42 am #5500
    Rob_Hugo@PortNW
    Keymaster

    One last post on Chong'er...I just wanted to share how much the history of Chong'er reminded me of two other classic texts: Shakespeare's Hamlet and Homer's Odyssey. Suicide, ritual propriety, the supernatural, evil stepparents, heir-apparents of the state, revenge, foul play, poisoning, treason, unsurping of crown; are all themes in the Spring and Autum annals as well as in Hamlet. Since the story of Chong'er came first, it makes me wonder if Shakespeare referenced it in his rewriting of the Prince of Denmark.

    As in the case of Chong'er and Odysseus, the similarities abound as well. Travels, confrontations, meetings with other rulers, acceptance, rejection, drunkeness, lust. I'm curious to hear whether others saw the parallels within these three texts. I'm starting to think this could make a great thesis paper.[Edit by="rflores on Feb 22, 10:43:08 AM"][/Edit]

    February 24, 2007 at 7:22 am #32995
    Anonymous
    Guest

    I wonder whether Homer and Shakespeare weren't referring to universal motifs (what is it that Jung called them - architypes?) rather than from any direct knowledge of the Chinese story... filail conflict/duty vs. preference, etc. being universal human preoccupations...[Edit by="rrobinson on Feb 24, 3:23:44 PM"][/Edit]

    July 27, 2007 at 4:49 am #32996
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Archetypes, yes! Exactly, a typical, idea or classical example of something, or an idea that serves as a model. I could not think of the word as I was posting my reflection on how much Chong'er's story reminded me of other texts I have encountered. I see your point...universal themes, the human experience, archetypes, but I just curious about whether Shakespeare referenced Chinese history, since he was a learned man. I mean, the idea of Hamlet, the play, was not Shakespeare's creation...the dialogue and the interweavings, word play, etc. yes! But the story of Hamlet existed before Shakespeare's version.
    I simply meant to share my general wonderings...the connections I saw when I publicized my post. I was interested in hearing from others that saw the same. I think it would be very interesting to research the histories and literature of different eras, and cultures and find so many similarities within stories that carry many of the same themes, but are still, very different in their own right. Reading Chong'er's Spring and Autum Chronicles for our first meeting was the first time I had ever heard of this infamous ruler. Because I had experience with other classics, it made it easy for me to understand his story, and therefore make connections and see the parallels between them.

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