Pitiable Thoughts

Hamlet and J. Alfred Prufrock’s pathetic indecisiveness is clearly exposed in both Shakespeare's play Hamlet and T.S. Eliot's poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The main characters have one task throughout the text; Prufrock needs to ask the womAn he loves out, and Hamlet needs to decide whether or not to kill King Claudius, his uncle, to avenge his father’s death or live knowing that he failed his father. In the end only Hamlet is able to make a decision as he was dying while Prufrock was never successful in putting his thoughts into actions. 

These texts embody both characters’ disappointment and pitiable thoughts towards their own indecisiveness. In T.S. Eliot's poem, J. Alfred Prufrock agonizes over whether he should "eat a peach", similar to how Hamlet grapples with thoughts of whether to take revenge in his famous lament, "To be, or not to be: that is the question" (3.1). The characters are asking different questions, but they both lack the impulsive drive to decide. Should they keep on doing what they have been doing or find another way out such as, suicide? The difference the poems have is, what is causing the characters to be in a position in which they have to decide between two options. In Hamlet, Shakespeare really expresses his frustration by making readers feel the same anger, because the audience is placed in a position from the beginning of the play until the end in which they are simply waiting for Hamlet to decide to kill Claudius and avenge his fathers death or simply keep all the information to himself and have a constant internal conflict. While in T.S. Eliot's poem the frustration with indecisiveness is clear because the questions J, Alfred Prufrock has are so absurd and plain. Everybody struggles while making decisions, especially when the consequences of both possibilities are unclear. Without the pressures of the Elizabethan life, Hamlet would have enjoyed continued indecisions such as Prufrock. 

The differences between T.S. Eliot's poem and Shakespeare's play are not only clear in the characters pitiable thoughts towards indecisiveness but also in the types of indecisiveness and how we enjoy postponing final decisions. When comparing Prufrock and Hamlet, the quick conclusion can be made that, Prufrock is more pathetic then the other because Hamlet's indecision involves a human life, while Prufrock's is simply about his own boring and isolated life. The statement that Hamlet is more pathetic then Prufrock, or vice versa, can't be made, because other factors are involved such as time period, setting, and prior events in their lives. Hamlet is seen as a more pathetic person because a mans life depends on his decision. Yet, before making this conclusion the audience needs to keep in mind that Hamlet takes place in the 16th century, a time in which killing for vengeance wasn't a big deal. Also, they have to keep in mind that Hamlet already killed another man, Polonius, and he did not seem to care even though Polo its was entirely innocent. If Hamlet as an individual could kill and innocent man and not a man that murdered his father for the throne, wouldn't that make him as pathetic as Prufrock. If Hamlet were from the twentieth century and had never witnessed or been a part of any violent act then yes, he would be less pathetic. In the end, the stories of Hamlet and Prufrock, depend on more then just the text. Background information must be done in order to fully compare with no bias the play and poem. 

Looking at the play and the poem as a united whole, they both tell the story of a man that could never make a decision. Even though the questions were different and Prufrock had many more then Hamlet they both struggled with their decision making. Their procrastination could be the result of the pleasure that comes form not making a decision and still being able to go about life like nothing is happening. This is what Hamlet and Prufrock are doing, they ignore the fact that a decision has to be made and try to avoid it at all times so that it would be as if they nerve have to make a decision because the question was never presented.