Castlewood
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Can we look at the characters of Batman and Joker and trace them back to the plays of Shakespeare? If so, how? And does their rivalry model after something by Shakespeare as well?
Well, heres how Ill start. Im a Shakespeare buff, particularly of Hamlet. When I look at Hamlet, I have to wonder if the character inspired Bob Kane or Bill Finger to make Batman the character he is today, or if he accidentally evolved into this over the years by other writers. I also have to wonder if Jokers character is modeled after the comedic court jesters that bring light to the tragedies, such as Macbeth, Richard III, and Hamlet, and if the lack of an origin for Joker is based on the fact that we dont know anything about the jesters either. They are simply there. But if one were to look at The Killing Joke and see the suggestion of an origin, you also have to wonder if the tragic loss of his pregnant wife and his descent into madness is also modeled after a Shakespearean tragedy, if the origin is true and not just multiple choice.
Am I reaching? We shall see.
Lets start with Batman, and his obvious parallel to Hamlet.
Hamlet, the character, is lost. His father was the king of Denmark, and he was murdered by his brother (Hamlets uncle, Claudius), in order to become king. As a result of this, Hamlet now is a tortured soul, not knowing any direction in life. He doesnt care about living or dying, and he shows no love for anyone. He wears all black, and he constantly mourns about the rotten state of Denmark. Denmark is now full of corruption, full of drunks, prostitutes, and a new king (Claudius) who was nothing like the original king Hamlets father.
Finally, after losing hope in life, Hamlet discovers THE GHOST of his father. The Ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his death by killing the current king and getting rid of the corruption that has spread throughout Denmark. Thus, Hamlet vows to put on a mask and pretends to be crazy, when in fact he knows exactly what is happening. Nobody knows who the REAL Hamlet is underneath, except for his dear friend, Horatio.
Hamlet then leaves Denmark and goes on a journey for an extended period of time scholars suggest that hes gone for ten years. Nobody knows where he goes, and as an audience, we have no idea where he goes either. Hes just gone to a mysterious place, and that question is never answered. Then, when he returns to Denmark after that extended period of time, he now seems more mature, and has this sense about him that he has grown wiser, and instead of being truly lost, he now has a better understanding of what he has to do seek vengeance for his fathers death, and end the corruption in Denmark.
Does this sound familiar?
Now, lets look at Bruce Wayne.
Bruce, the character, is lost. His father (Thomas Wayne) was the king of Gotham City, and he was murdered by Joe Chill, a hobo who basically lived on the streets, and killed Thomas and Martha in search of MONEY. If you have money, you have POWER.
Now, youre probably wondering why this is a parallel to Hamlets Father, and Claudius, his fathers brother, since Thomas Wayne and Joe Chill were NOT brothers. However, if you look at the two characters in a biblical sense, and look at humanity from an Adam and Eve perspective, and how all men are created equal and how we are all brothers and sisters, then you can interpret that Thomas Wayne and Joe Chill are brothers.
Joe Chill kills Thomas (and Martha) in order to gain money, or POWER. Basically, he wants to live like a king, and be just as rich as Thomas, much like Claudius kills Hamlets father in order to be king because hes extremely GREEDY for money and power.
Bruce, as a result of this, has become truly lost. He has no direction in life. He has inherited his fathers billions. He has everything a man could want: fancy cars, sexy models, billions of dollars . But thats not enough. He is so CONSUMED by his parentsdeath, that it takes over his life, and he has no idea what to do.
Gotham City is exactly like Denmark. After Thomas Waynes death, Gotham City has now become a city of corruption, full of dirty cops, drugs, and prostitutes. Their loving king is no longer there, so the city is completely lost, much like Bruce.
Then, much like Hamlet seeing the Ghost (or angel, if you want to look at it that way), Bruce sees THE BAT. The Bat is like his calling, his guardian angel, its telling him what he has to do, what he has to BECOME. He has to become a Bat, and its like the Bat is telling him to seek vengeance and avenge his parents death by cleaning up the streets of Gotham and putting an end to the corruption. He also has to find Joe Chill (but tragically, in the original comics, Bruce is doomed never to find Chill, which is why his mission will never end).
Bruce, like Hamlet, then has to put on a mask and become someone else. That someone else is BATMAN, and nobody really knows that Batman IS Bruce Wayne except for his loving butler, Alfred. Alfred is exactly like Hamlets best friend, Horatio, because only Horatio truly knows who Hamlet really is underneath his mask.
Of course, before all of this happens where does Bruce go? WE DONT KNOW. Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham City for an extended period of time, just like Hamlet leaves Denmark, and we never know where the hell he goes. Batman Begins fills that gap for us, but based on original comics, we never know where Bruce is for that time.
Then, after those many years, Bruce comes back to Gotham, and has a better understanding of who he is, and what he has to do, just like what I said about Hamlet above.
So, you see, its all the same.
Batman = Hamlet
Alfred = Horatio
Thomas Wayne = Hamlets Father (the King)
Joe Chill = (Claudius, Hamlets brother)
The Bat = The Ghost
Gotham City = Denmark
If you want to know the ending of The Batman Story, and what happens to Batman in the end, then all you have to do is look at the fate of Hamlet, and theres your answer. Batman will eventually die because of his obsession. It has taken over him, and he will never find resolution to his inner conflict. Hell just die his mission will never end, hell just keep fighting until hes dead. There is no happy ending for Batman. Batman is a TRAGIC, Shakespearean character, doomed to die without any sense of happiness.
Now that thats out of the way, we have to look at The Joker, Batmans #1 villain, and arguably the greatest villain of our time, and obviously the greatest villain in comic book history.
THE DARK KNIGHT : What will this movie be?
Why is it that the Joker, a man we know little to nothing about, is hailed with so much praise and is called the greatest? Well, we have to look in terms of Shakespeares characters, and how Joker relates to Batman. Joker is Batmans opposite. He stands for everything Batman stands against, and vice versa.
But, who is Joker? He has no origin (based on original comics, aside from the chemical and Killing Joke stories). He, like Shakespeares court jesters, is a comedic clown who is there to add some light to an otherwise dark play. If Batman is a very dark character like Hamlet, then Joker is obviously the clown who is thrown into the mix as a balance. This is why Joker is Batmans opposite.
Of course, Joker is a psychotic killer who looks grotesque and like a clown, but you have to admit, every time you see Joker, you cant help but smile and laugh at how silly the man is, much like the court jester who brings humor to a dark and moody play. If Batman Begins was our Hamlet, or origin story for Batman, then The Dark Knight would have to be about the clown who brings humor to a dark and tragic character Batman. Batman Begins didnt have a lot of humor to it it was very moody and emotional, and at times, tragic. If Joker is Batmans complete opposite, then there is no question in my mind that The Joker will be that classic Shakespearean jester who adds some silliness to Denmark.
- TempleFugit
Well, heres how Ill start. Im a Shakespeare buff, particularly of Hamlet. When I look at Hamlet, I have to wonder if the character inspired Bob Kane or Bill Finger to make Batman the character he is today, or if he accidentally evolved into this over the years by other writers. I also have to wonder if Jokers character is modeled after the comedic court jesters that bring light to the tragedies, such as Macbeth, Richard III, and Hamlet, and if the lack of an origin for Joker is based on the fact that we dont know anything about the jesters either. They are simply there. But if one were to look at The Killing Joke and see the suggestion of an origin, you also have to wonder if the tragic loss of his pregnant wife and his descent into madness is also modeled after a Shakespearean tragedy, if the origin is true and not just multiple choice.
Am I reaching? We shall see.
Lets start with Batman, and his obvious parallel to Hamlet.
Hamlet, the character, is lost. His father was the king of Denmark, and he was murdered by his brother (Hamlets uncle, Claudius), in order to become king. As a result of this, Hamlet now is a tortured soul, not knowing any direction in life. He doesnt care about living or dying, and he shows no love for anyone. He wears all black, and he constantly mourns about the rotten state of Denmark. Denmark is now full of corruption, full of drunks, prostitutes, and a new king (Claudius) who was nothing like the original king Hamlets father.
Finally, after losing hope in life, Hamlet discovers THE GHOST of his father. The Ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his death by killing the current king and getting rid of the corruption that has spread throughout Denmark. Thus, Hamlet vows to put on a mask and pretends to be crazy, when in fact he knows exactly what is happening. Nobody knows who the REAL Hamlet is underneath, except for his dear friend, Horatio.
Hamlet then leaves Denmark and goes on a journey for an extended period of time scholars suggest that hes gone for ten years. Nobody knows where he goes, and as an audience, we have no idea where he goes either. Hes just gone to a mysterious place, and that question is never answered. Then, when he returns to Denmark after that extended period of time, he now seems more mature, and has this sense about him that he has grown wiser, and instead of being truly lost, he now has a better understanding of what he has to do seek vengeance for his fathers death, and end the corruption in Denmark.
Does this sound familiar?
Now, lets look at Bruce Wayne.
Bruce, the character, is lost. His father (Thomas Wayne) was the king of Gotham City, and he was murdered by Joe Chill, a hobo who basically lived on the streets, and killed Thomas and Martha in search of MONEY. If you have money, you have POWER.
Now, youre probably wondering why this is a parallel to Hamlets Father, and Claudius, his fathers brother, since Thomas Wayne and Joe Chill were NOT brothers. However, if you look at the two characters in a biblical sense, and look at humanity from an Adam and Eve perspective, and how all men are created equal and how we are all brothers and sisters, then you can interpret that Thomas Wayne and Joe Chill are brothers.
Joe Chill kills Thomas (and Martha) in order to gain money, or POWER. Basically, he wants to live like a king, and be just as rich as Thomas, much like Claudius kills Hamlets father in order to be king because hes extremely GREEDY for money and power.
Bruce, as a result of this, has become truly lost. He has no direction in life. He has inherited his fathers billions. He has everything a man could want: fancy cars, sexy models, billions of dollars . But thats not enough. He is so CONSUMED by his parentsdeath, that it takes over his life, and he has no idea what to do.
Gotham City is exactly like Denmark. After Thomas Waynes death, Gotham City has now become a city of corruption, full of dirty cops, drugs, and prostitutes. Their loving king is no longer there, so the city is completely lost, much like Bruce.
Then, much like Hamlet seeing the Ghost (or angel, if you want to look at it that way), Bruce sees THE BAT. The Bat is like his calling, his guardian angel, its telling him what he has to do, what he has to BECOME. He has to become a Bat, and its like the Bat is telling him to seek vengeance and avenge his parents death by cleaning up the streets of Gotham and putting an end to the corruption. He also has to find Joe Chill (but tragically, in the original comics, Bruce is doomed never to find Chill, which is why his mission will never end).
Bruce, like Hamlet, then has to put on a mask and become someone else. That someone else is BATMAN, and nobody really knows that Batman IS Bruce Wayne except for his loving butler, Alfred. Alfred is exactly like Hamlets best friend, Horatio, because only Horatio truly knows who Hamlet really is underneath his mask.
Of course, before all of this happens where does Bruce go? WE DONT KNOW. Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham City for an extended period of time, just like Hamlet leaves Denmark, and we never know where the hell he goes. Batman Begins fills that gap for us, but based on original comics, we never know where Bruce is for that time.
Then, after those many years, Bruce comes back to Gotham, and has a better understanding of who he is, and what he has to do, just like what I said about Hamlet above.
So, you see, its all the same.
Batman = Hamlet
Alfred = Horatio
Thomas Wayne = Hamlets Father (the King)
Joe Chill = (Claudius, Hamlets brother)
The Bat = The Ghost
Gotham City = Denmark
If you want to know the ending of The Batman Story, and what happens to Batman in the end, then all you have to do is look at the fate of Hamlet, and theres your answer. Batman will eventually die because of his obsession. It has taken over him, and he will never find resolution to his inner conflict. Hell just die his mission will never end, hell just keep fighting until hes dead. There is no happy ending for Batman. Batman is a TRAGIC, Shakespearean character, doomed to die without any sense of happiness.
Now that thats out of the way, we have to look at The Joker, Batmans #1 villain, and arguably the greatest villain of our time, and obviously the greatest villain in comic book history.
THE DARK KNIGHT : What will this movie be?
Why is it that the Joker, a man we know little to nothing about, is hailed with so much praise and is called the greatest? Well, we have to look in terms of Shakespeares characters, and how Joker relates to Batman. Joker is Batmans opposite. He stands for everything Batman stands against, and vice versa.
But, who is Joker? He has no origin (based on original comics, aside from the chemical and Killing Joke stories). He, like Shakespeares court jesters, is a comedic clown who is there to add some light to an otherwise dark play. If Batman is a very dark character like Hamlet, then Joker is obviously the clown who is thrown into the mix as a balance. This is why Joker is Batmans opposite.
Of course, Joker is a psychotic killer who looks grotesque and like a clown, but you have to admit, every time you see Joker, you cant help but smile and laugh at how silly the man is, much like the court jester who brings humor to a dark and moody play. If Batman Begins was our Hamlet, or origin story for Batman, then The Dark Knight would have to be about the clown who brings humor to a dark and tragic character Batman. Batman Begins didnt have a lot of humor to it it was very moody and emotional, and at times, tragic. If Joker is Batmans complete opposite, then there is no question in my mind that The Joker will be that classic Shakespearean jester who adds some silliness to Denmark.
- TempleFugit
with fantasy elements added
t: 
