Hamlet and The Great Gatsby Flashcards

Flashcards on Hamlet and The Great Gatsby

“As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on.”

 Context: Hamlet speaks this line after the Ghost reveals his father’s murder. He decides to pretend to be mad to conceal his true intentions and investigate Claudius without suspicion.
Connection: Hamlet adopts a false identity to fulfill a role forced upon him. His madness is a mask, concealing his true thoughts and emotions, which leads to internal confusion and disconnection from others.

"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!"

 Context: Hamlet says this after learning from the Ghost that he must avenge his father’s murder. He feels burdened by fate, as if he’s been forced into a role he never chose.
Connection: Hamlet’s sense of identity is tied to fate and duty rather than personal choice. He feels trapped by external circumstances, forced to take on a responsibility that disrupts his natural sense of self.

"Denmark is a prison."

 Context: Hamlet expresses his feeling of confinement after learning of his father’s murder and his mother’s hasty remarriage to Claudius. He feels mentally and physically trapped in a corrupt world.
Connection: Hamlet’s isolation stems from his inability to express his true self in a society governed by corruption. Denmark, as a prison, symbolizes his emotional confinement and his struggle to define himself authentically.

"Jay Gatsby, of West Egg… sprang from his Platonic conception of himself."

 Context: This line describes how Gatsby reinvented himself from James Gatz, a poor farmer, to Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man. He constructed an identity based on a fantasy vision of himself.
Connection: Gatsby’s identity is artificial, built on idealized dreams of wealth and success. His self-concept is disconnected from reality, leading to a life of superficiality and emotional emptiness.

“The one on my right was a colossal affair by any standard, it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy… spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy.” (Fitzgerald 3) 

• Identity: Gatsby’s mansion is a physical symbol of his constructed identity. It’s not a genuine expression of self, but a deliberate imitation of old European aristocracy — something he believes will make him worthy of Daisy and her world. The fact that it’s described as “spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy” shows that Gatsby is trying to appear established and refined, but he can’t hide that it’s all recent and artificial.

Connection: The house reflects Gatsby’s fabricated identity — carefully built to impress others, but ultimately hollow and based on illusion rather than authenticity

"He borrowed somebody's best suit to get

married in, and never even told me about it," (Fitzgerald 35).

• Isolation: Even though Myrtle is married, this quote reveals her emotional isolation. She feels disconnected from George, disappointed, and trapped in a life she didn’t truly choose. Her longing for more pushes her into a relationship with Tom, but she’s never accepted in his world either. In the end, she belongs nowhere — not in the working class, and not among the elite.

Connection: Myrtle’s fixation on class creates a double isolation — she is cut off from both her real life and her fantasy, leading to a tragic sense of being alone and unwanted.

• Identity: This quote reveals Myrtle’s shame over George’s poverty, which clashes with the identity she wants for herself. To her, wearing a borrowed suit is not just about money — it’s symbolic of who George is: someone unable to provide the life she fantasizes about. Myrtle begins to see herself as someone deserving of a wealthier identity, and this moment sparks her desire to adopt the persona of an upper-class woman, especially when she's with Tom.

• Connection: Myrtle’s dissatisfaction with George reflects how she constructs her identity based on wealth and class, not personal values or emotional connection.

• Choices and consequences: Myrtle’s disgust over the borrowed suit leads her to reject her marriage and pursue an affair with Tom Buchanan. That decision — choosing fantasy over reality — eventually leads to her downfall. She believes Tom offers the life she was “meant” for, but her choice to leave George emotionally sets her on a path that ends in violence.

Connection: Myrtle’s choice to chase a better life through an affair brings temporary status but ultimately leads to irreversible consequences, including her death.

“With the influence of the dress her personality had also changed. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment” (Fitzgerald 18).

Myrtle masks her true identity with material appearance, showcasing how she defines herself through status, leading to her downfall.

"The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king."

Hamlet plans to use the play to expose Claudius’s guilt, escalating the conflict and deepening his involvement in the moral corruption.

“I did love you... I loved you not.”

Context: Hamlet's cruel rejection of Ophelia is part of his larger strategy to appear mad, though it drives Ophelia to madness and death.
Connection: Hamlet’s manipulation of Ophelia reflects the consequences of his choices. His decision to play with her emotions results in irreversible damage to her mental state and leads to her tragic demise.

“If thou didst ever thy dear father love…”

 Context: Hamlet is compelled by the Ghost to avenge his father’s death, and this line marks his final decision to follow through, even if it means his own downfall.
Connection: Hamlet’s decision to seek revenge causes his eventual madness and death. His emotional and moral conflict drives him to take actions that lead to devastating consequences.

Gatsby rejects his humble origins

Gatsby’s choice to reject his true self leads to a life of illusion, consumed by fantasy, leading to emotional emptiness and a tragic end.

Gatsby views Daisy as an object of desire

Gatsby’s obsession with her as a symbol of wealth and status distorts his perception of love, preventing him from having a real relationship.

"Her voice is full of money."

Gatsby’s idealization of Daisy is based on materialism, corrupting his emotional connection and leading to betrayal and heartbreak.

“It excited him... that many men had already loved Daisy…”

Context: Gatsby’s desire to possess Daisy is fueled by his obsession with her as a status symbol.
Connection: Gatsby’s love for Daisy is corrupted by materialism. His fixation on her as an object of desire based on wealth and social standing leads to emotional disconnection and ultimately to his downfall.

"You can’t live forever, you can’t live forever."

Myrtle’s pursuit of an idealized life through Tom ends in her death, highlighting the dangers of living for fantasy rather than reality.

"Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark."

This line underscores the moral decay in Denmark, symbolized by Claudius’s treacherous rise to power.

"The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears his crown."

Claudius is the embodiment of corruption, having killed his brother to seize the throne.

“The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”

Context: Hamlet plans to use a play to expose Claudius’s guilt by mirroring the murder of Hamlet’s father. This is Hamlet’s decision to set a trap and force Claudius to reveal himself.
Connection: Hamlet’s choice to use the play escalates the conflict, confirming Claudius’s guilt but deepening Hamlet’s involvement in the moral corruption that pervades Denmark. His choice sets in motion the tragic events that follow.

"The time is out of joint…"

The disruption of the natural order forces Hamlet into a role of avenger, but it is a role that forces him into the very corruption he seeks to eliminate.

"Her voice is full of money."

Context: Gatsby idealizes Daisy, seeing her as a symbol of wealth and status.
Connection: Daisy’s association with money reflects the corruption of the American Dream, where materialism distorts values and human connections. Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy’s wealth prevents him from seeing her flaws, ultimately leading to betrayal.

"A son of god…"

“A son of god…”
Context: Gatsby sees himself as a god-like figure, believing his pursuit of Daisy will elevate him to a higher status.
Connection: Gatsby’s inflated sense of self reflects the corruption of the American Dream. His belief that he can reinvent himself through wealth and status distorts his sense of morality, leading to his tragic end.

"With the influence of the dress…"

Myrtle’s obsession with materialism distorts her sense of self. This false identity leads to her emotional detachment and eventual demise.