Two of the most the most complicated characters in Shakespeares plays are Mark Antony, in The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra, and Hamlet, in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. They share many similarities, but also have notable differences. The biggest trait that they have in common is the effect that their emotional state of mind has on their actions. Antony and Hamlet are overcome by their emotions and lose their objective reasoning power. They are both irrational and disorientated in the decisions they make. Hamlet differs from Antony on a personal level. This is to say that his mood does not shift as sporadically as Antonys, and his melancholia is present throughout the entire play. Antony, on the other hand, has mood swings that take him from love to anger in short periods of time. The biggest difference between the two is the speed of their actions. Antony has many different affairs throughout the play and wastes no time carrying them out or thinking about them. Hamlets revenge on Claudius is his sole task in the play, and it takes him months to accomplish. Another clear distinction is that there is a theme of madness in Hamlet that is not as evident in Antony and Cleopatra. The question of Hamlets madness, or Antic Disposition, is one of the most debated in English literature. Antonys mental state, on the other hand, is never questioned, but he is still very irrational. Love is a key theme. There is a question of love in Hamlet, but it does not play such an important role. Both characters are obsessive and delusional; all of these factors cause their inevitable deaths.Hamlet and Antony are both overcome by their own emotions. Their uncontrollable emotions are perhaps their most tragic flaw. The emotions that they are overwhelmed by are very different for the most part, with the exception of their aggression. At the beginning of Hamlet, Hamlet is in a state of depression, due to his fathers death, and hi...
